Angular distributions of the decay B$^+$$\to$ K$^*$(892)$^+\mu^+\mu^-$ are studied using events collected with the CMS detector in $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.0 fb$^{-1}$. The forward-backward asymmetry of the muons and the longitudinal polarization of the K$^*$(892)$^+$ meson are determined as a function of the square of the dimuon invariant mass. These are the first results from this exclusive decay mode and are in agreement with a standard model prediction.

The W+W- and ZZ production cross sections are measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC in data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 5.3 inverse femtobarns. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes W+W- to l' nu l'' nu and ZZ to 2l 2l', where l = e, mu and l'(l'') = e, mu, tau. The measured cross sections sigma(pp to W+W-) = 69.9 +/- 2.8 (stat.) +/- 5.6 (syst.) +/- 3.1 (lumi.) pb and sigma(pp to ZZ) = 8.4 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.7 (syst.) +/- 0.4 (lumi.) pb, for both Z bosons produced in the mass region 60 < m[Z] < 120 GeV, are consistent with standard model predictions. These are the first measurements of the diboson production cross sections at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV.

A measurement of total and fiducial inclusive W and Z boson production cross sections in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV is presented. Electron and muon final states are analyzed in a data sample collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 18.2 +/- 0.5 inverse-picobarns. The measured total inclusive cross sections times branching fractions are $\sigma(pp \to WX) \times B(W \to l\nu)$ = 12.21 +/- 0.03 (stat) +/- 0.24 (syst) +/- 0.32 (lum) nb, and $\sigma(pp \to ZX) \times B(Z \to l^{+}l^{-})$ = 1.15 +/- 0.01 (stat) +/- 0.02 (syst) +/- 0.03 (lum) nb, for the dilepton mass in the range of 60 to 120 GeV. The measured values agree with next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD cross section calculations. Ratios of cross sections are reported with a precision of 2%. This is the first measurement of inclusive W and Z boson production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV.

Searches for anomalous top quark-antiquark production are presented, based on pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The observed ttbar invariant mass spectrum is found to be compatible with the standard model prediction. Limits on the production cross section times branching fraction probe, for the first time, a region of parameter space for certain models of new physics not yet constrained by precision measurements.

Results are presented from a search for new decaying massive particles whose presence is inferred from an imbalance in transverse momentum and which are produced in association with a single top quark that decays into a bottom quark and two light quarks. The measurement is performed using 19.7 inverse femtobarns of data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. No deviations from the standard model predictions are observed and lower limits are set on the masses of new invisible bosons. In particular, scalar and vector particles, with masses below 330 and 650 GeV, respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level, thus substantially extending a previous limit published by the CDF Collaboration.

A measurement of the decorrelation of azimuthal angles between the two jets with the largest transverse momenta is presented for seven regions of leading jet transverse momentum up to 2.2 TeV. The analysis is based on the proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The dijet azimuthal decorrelation is caused by the radiation of additional jets and probes the dynamics of multijet production. The results are compared to fixed-order predictions of perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and to simulations using Monte Carlo event generators that include parton showers, hadronization, and multiparton interactions. Event generators with only two outgoing high transverse momentum partons fail to describe the measurement, even when supplemented with next-to-leading-order QCD corrections and parton showers. Much better agreement is achieved when at least three outgoing partons are complemented through either next-to-leading-order predictions or parton showers. This observation emphasizes the need to improve predictions for multijet production.

A search is presented for decays beyond the standard model of the 125 GeV Higgs bosons to a pair of light bosons, based on models with extended scalar sectors. Light boson masses between 5 and 62.5 GeV are probed in final states containing four tau leptons, two muons and two b quarks, or two muons and two tau leptons. The results are from data in proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, accumulated by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. No evidence for such exotic decays is found in the data. Upper limits are set on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for several signal processes. The results are also compared to predictions of two-Higgs-doublet models, including those with an additional scalar singlet.

Measurements of differential cross sections d$\sigma$/d$\phi^*$ and double-differential cross sections d$^2\sigma$/d$\phi^*\,$d$|y|$ for inclusive Z boson production are presented using the dielectron and dimuon final states. The kinematic observable $\phi^*$ correlates with the dilepton transverse momentum but has better resolution, and $y$ is the dilepton rapidity. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb$^{-1}$. The normalised cross section (1/$\sigma$)$\,$d$\sigma$/d$\phi^*$, within the fiducial kinematic region, is measured with a precision of better than 0.5% for $\phi^*$ < 1. The measurements are compared to theoretical predictions and they agree, typically, within few percent.

An analysis of the decay $\Lambda_b \to J/\psi(\to\mu^+\mu^-)\Lambda(\to p \pi^-)$ decay is performed to measure the $\Lambda_b$ polarization and three angular parameters in data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The $\Lambda_b$ polarization is measured to be 0.00 $\pm$ 0.06 (stat) $\pm$ 0.06 (syst) and the parity-violating asymmetry parameter is determined to be 0.14 $\pm$ 0.14 (stat) $\pm$ 0.10 (syst). The measurements are compared to various theoretical predictions, including those from perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

A search for neutral Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM) decaying to tau-lepton pairs in pp collisions is performed, using events recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 24.6 fb$^{-1}$, with 4.9 fb$^{-1}$ at 7 TeV and 19.7 fb$^{-1}$ at 8 TeV. To enhance the sensitivity to neutral MSSM Higgs bosons, the search includes the case where the Higgs boson is produced in association with a b-quark jet. No excess is observed in the tau-lepton-pair invariant mass spectrum. Exclusion limits are presented in the MSSM parameter space for different benchmark scenarios, $m_\mathrm{h}^\text{max}$, $m_\mathrm{h}^{\text{mod}+}$, $m_\mathrm{h}^{\text{mod}-}$, light-stop, light-stau, $\tau$-phobic, and low-$m_\mathrm{H}$. Upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction for gluon fusion and b-quark associated Higgs boson production are also given.