This article presents the results of two studies of Higgs boson properties using the $WW^*(\rightarrow e\nu\mu\nu)jj$ final state, based on a dataset corresponding to 36.1/fb of $\sqrt{s}$=13 TeV proton$-$proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The first study targets Higgs boson production via gluon$-$gluon fusion and constrains the CP properties of the effective Higgs$-$gluon interaction. Using angular distributions and the overall rate, a value of $\tan(\alpha) = 0.0 \pm 0.4$ stat. $ \pm 0.3$ syst is obtained for the tangent of the mixing angle for CP-even and CP-odd contributions. The second study exploits the vector-boson fusion production mechanism to probe the Higgs boson couplings to longitudinally and transversely polarised $W$ and $Z$ bosons in both the production and the decay of the Higgs boson; these couplings have not been directly constrained previously. The polarisation-dependent coupling-strength scale factors are defined as the ratios of the measured polarisation-dependent coupling strengths to those predicted by the Standard Model, and are determined using rate and kinematic information to be $a_L=0.91^{+0.10}_{-0.18}$(stat.)$^{+0.09}_{-0.17}$(syst.) and $a_{T}=1.2 \pm 0.4 $(stat.)$ ^{+0.2}_{-0.3} $(syst.). These coupling strengths are translated into pseudo-observables, resulting in $\kappa_{VV}= 0.91^{+0.10}_{-0.18}$(stat.)$^{+0.09}_{-0.17}$(syst.) and $\epsilon_{VV} =0.13^{+0.28}_{-0.20}$ (stat.)$^{+0.08}_{-0.10}$(syst.). All results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions.
Post-fit NFs and their uncertainties for the Z+jets, top and WW backgrounds. Both sets of normalisation factors differ slightly depending on which (B)SM model is tested, but are consistent within their total uncertainties.
Post-fit event yields in the signal and control regions obtained from the study of the signal strength parameter $\mu^{\text{ggF+2jets}}$. The quoted uncertainties include the theoretical and experimental systematic sources and those due to sample statistics. The fit constrains the total expected yield to the observed yield. The diboson background is split into $W W$ and non-$W W$ contributions.
Breakdown of the main contributions to the total uncertainty on $\tan \alpha$ based on the fit that exploits both shape and rate information. Individual sources of systematic uncertainty are grouped into either the theoretical or the experimental uncertainty. The sum in quadrature of the individual components differs from the total uncertainty due to correlations between the components.
A search is presented for heavy bosons decaying to Z($\nu\bar{\nu}$)V(qq'), where V can be a W or a Z boson. A sample of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV was collected by the CMS experiment during 2016-2018. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$. The event categorization is based on the presence of high-momentum jets in the forward region to identify production through weak vector boson fusion. Additional categorization uses jet substructure techniques and the presence of large missing transverse momentum to identify W and Z bosons decaying to quarks and neutrinos, respectively. The dominant standard model backgrounds are estimated using data taken from control regions. The results are interpreted in terms of radion, W' boson, and graviton models, under the assumption that these bosons are produced via gluon-gluon fusion, Drell-Yan, or weak vector boson fusion processes. No evidence is found for physics beyond the standard model. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on various types of hypothetical new bosons. Observed (expected) exclusion limits on the masses of these bosons range from 1.2 to 4.0 (1.1 to 3.7) TeV.
Simulated distributions are shown for the cosine of the decay angle of SM vector bosons in the rest frame of a parent particle with a mass (mX) of 2\TeV. Solid lines represent VBF scenarios. Dashed lines represent ggF/DY scenarios.
Distributions of mT for ggF/DY-produced resonances X of mass 4.5 TeV.
Distributions of mT for VBF-produced resonances X of mass 4.5 TeV.
A search for new heavy resonances decaying to pairs of bosons (WW, WZ, or WH) is presented. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$. One of the bosons is required to be a W boson decaying to an electron or muon and a neutrino, while the other boson is required to be reconstructed as a single jet with mass and substructure compatible with a quark pair from a W, Z, or Higgs boson decay. The search is performed in the resonance mass range between 1.0 and 4.5 TeV and includes a specific search for resonances produced via vector boson fusion. The signal is extracted using a two-dimensional maximum likelihood fit to the jet mass and the diboson invariant mass distributions. No significant excess is observed above the estimated background. Model-independent upper limits on the production cross sections of spin-0, spin-1, and spin-2 heavy resonances are derived as functions of the resonance mass and are interpreted in the context of bulk radion, heavy vector triplet, and bulk graviton models. The reported bounds are the most stringent to date.
Exclusion limits on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction for a Bulk Graviton produced by gluon fusion and decaying to WW, as a function of the resonance mass hypothesis.
Exclusion limits on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction for a Bulk Graviton produced by vector boson fusion and decaying to WW, as a function of the resonance mass hypothesis.
Exclusion limits on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction for a Radion produced by gluon fusion and decaying to WW, as a function of the resonance mass hypothesis.
A search for charged Higgs bosons produced in vector boson fusion processes and decaying into vector bosons, using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV at the LHC, is reported. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the CMS detector. Events are selected by requiring two or three electrons or muons, moderate missing transverse momentum, and two jets with a large rapidity separation and a large dijet mass. No excess of events with respect to the standard model background predictions is observed. Model independent upper limits at 95% confidence level are reported on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for vector boson fusion production of charged Higgs bosons as a function of mass, from 200 to 3000 GeV. The results are interpreted in the context of the Georgi-Machacek model.
Summary of the impact of the systematic uncertainties on the extracted signal strength; for the case of a background-only simulated data set, i.e., assuming no contributions from the $\mathrm{H}^{\pm}$ and $\mathrm{H}^{\pm\pm}$ processes, and including a charged Higgs boson signal for values of $s_{\mathrm{H}}=1.0$ and $m_{\mathrm{H}_{5}}=500$ GeV in the GM model.
Expected signal and background yields from various SM processes and observed data events in all regions used in the analysis. The expected background yields are shown with their normalizations from the simultaneous fit for the background-only hypothesis, i.e., assuming no contributions from the $\mathrm{H}^{\pm}$ and $\mathrm{H}^{\pm\pm}$ processes. The expected signal yields are shown for $s_{\mathrm{H}}=1.0$ in the GM model. The combination of the statistical and systematic uncertainties is shown.
Distributions for signal, backgrounds, and data for the bins used in the simultaneous fit. The bins 1--32 (4$\times$8) show the events in the WW SR ($m_{\mathrm{jj}} \times m_{\mathrm{T}}$), the bins 33--46 (2$\times$7) show the events in the WZ SR ($m_{\mathrm{jj}} \times m_{\mathrm{T}}$), the 4 bins 47--50 show the events in the nonprompt lepton CR ($m_{\mathrm{jj}}$), the 4 bins 51--54 show the events in the tZq CR ($m_{\mathrm{jj}}$), and the 4 bins 55--58 show the events in the ZZ CR ($m_{\mathrm{jj}}$). The predicted yields are shown with their best fit normalizations from the simultaneous fit for the background-only hypothesis, i.e., assuming no contributions from the $\mathrm{H}^{\pm}$ and $\mathrm{H}^{\pm\pm}$ processes. Vertical bars on data points represent the statistical uncertainty in the data. The histograms for tVx backgrounds include the contributions from ttV and tZq processes. The histograms for other backgrounds include the contributions from double parton scattering, VVV, and from oppositely charged dilepton final states from tt, tW, $\mathrm{W}^{+}\mathrm{W}^{-}$, and Drell--Yan processes. The overflow is included in the last bin in each corresponding region. The lower panels show the ratio of the number of events observed in data to that of the total SM prediction. The hatched gray bands represent the uncertainties in the predicted yields. The solid lines show the signal predictions for values of $s_{\mathrm{H}}=1.0$ and $m_{\mathrm{H}_{5}}=500$ GeV in the GM model.
A search for charged Higgs bosons produced via vector boson fusion and decaying into W and Z bosons using proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 15.2 inverse femtobarns collected with the CMS detector in 2015 and 2016. The event selection requires three leptons (electrons or muons), two jets with large pseudorapidity separation and high dijet mass, and missing transverse momentum. The observation agrees with the standard model prediction. Limits on the vector boson fusion production cross section times branching fraction for new charged physical states are reported as a function of mass from 200 to 2000 GeV and interpreted in the context of Higgs triplet models.
Expected and observed exclusion limits at 95% confidence level as a function of $m(H^{\pm})$ for $\sigma_\mathrm{VBF}(H^{\pm}) \, \mathcal{B}(H^{\pm}\to W^{\pm}Z)$ for 15.2 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV collected in 2015 and 2016.
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