A measurement of the Z gamma to nu nu-bar gamma production cross section in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV is presented, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. This measurement is based on the observation of events with large missing energy and with a single photon with transverse momentum above 145 GeV and absolute pseudorapidity in the range |eta| < 1.44. The measured Z gamma to nu nu-bar gamma production cross section, 52.7 +/- 2.1(stat) +/- 6.4 (syst) +/- 1.4 (lumi) fb, agrees well with the standard model prediction of 50.0 +2.4 -2.2 fb. A study of the photon transverse momentum spectrum yields the most stringent limits to date on the anomalous Z-Z-gamma and Z-gamma-gamma trilinear gauge boson couplings.

Measurements of the cross sections for top quark pairs produced in association with a W or Z boson are presented, using 8 TeV pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Final states are selected in which the associated W boson decays to a charged lepton and a neutrino or the Z boson decays to two charged leptons. Signal events are identified by matching reconstructed objects in the detector to specific final state particles from ttW or ttZ decays. The ttW cross section is measured to be 382 +117 -102 fb with a significance of 4.8 standard deviations from the background-only hypothesis. The ttZ cross section is measured to be 242 +65 -55 fb with a significance of 6.4 standard deviations from the background-only hypothesis. These measurements are used to set bounds on five anomalous dimension-six operators that would affect the ttW and ttZ cross sections.

A search is presented for standard model (SM) production of four top quarks (t t-bar t t-bar) in pp collisions in the lepton + jets channel. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The expected cross section for SM four top quark production is approximately 1 fb. A combination of kinematic reconstruction and multivariate techniques is used to distinguish between the small signal and large background. The data are consistent with expectations of the SM, and an upper limit of 32 fb is set at a 95% confidence level on the cross section for producing four top quarks in the SM, where a limit of 32 +/- 17 fb is expected.

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pt) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MADGRAPH + PYTHIA and SHERPA, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BLACKHAT + SHERPA. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pt distributions of the leading jets at high pt values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.

Measurements of differential cross sections are presented for the production of a Z boson and at least one hadronic jet in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, recorded by the CMS detector, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns. The jet multiplicity distribution is measured for up to six jets. The differential cross sections are measured as a function of jet transverse momentum and pseudorapidity for the four highest transverse momentum jets. The distribution of the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta is also measured as a function of the jet multiplicity. The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions at leading and next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD.

The first measurement of the cross section ratio $\sigma_\mathrm{ t \bar{t} b \bar{b}} / \sigma_\mathrm{ t \bar{t} jj }$ is presented using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb$^{-1}$ collected in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. Events with two leptons ($\mathrm{e}$ or $\mu$) and four reconstructed jets, including two identified as b quark jets, in the final state are selected. The ratio is determined for a minimum jet transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$ of both 20 and 40 GeV/$c$. The measured ratio is 0.022 $\pm$ 0.003 (stat) $\pm$ 0.005 (syst) for $p_\mathrm{T}$ greater than 20 GeV/$c$. The absolute cross sections $\sigma_\mathrm{ t \bar{t} b \bar{b}}$ and $\sigma_\mathrm{ t \bar{t} jj }$ are also measured. The measured ratio for $p_\mathrm{T}$ greater than 40 GeV/$c$ is compatible with a theoretical quantum chromodynamics calculation at next-to-leading order.

A search for pair production of third-generation scalar leptoquarks and supersymmetric top quark partners, top squarks, in final states involving tau leptons and bottom quarks is presented. The search uses events from a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC with sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The number of observed events is found to be in agreement with the expected standard model background. Third-generation scalar leptoquarks with masses below 740 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a 100% branching fraction for the leptoquark decay to a tau lepton and a bottom quark. In addition, this mass limit applies directly to top squarks decaying via an R-parity violating coupling lambda'[333]. The search also considers a similar signature from top squarks undergoing a chargino-mediated decay involving the R-parity violating coupling lambda'[3jk]. Each top squark decays to a tau lepton, a bottom quark, and two light quarks. Top squarks in this model with masses below 580 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. The constraint on the leptoquark mass is the most stringent to date, and this is the first search for top squarks decaying via lambda'[3jk].

A search is reported for massive resonances decaying into a quark and a vector boson (W or Z), or two vector bosons (WW, WZ, or ZZ). The analysis is performed on an inclusive sample of multijet events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search uses novel jet-substructure identification techniques that provide sensitivity to the presence of highly boosted vector bosons decaying into a pair of quarks. Exclusion limits are set at a confidence level of 95% on the production of: (i) excited quark resonances q* decaying to qW and qZ for masses less than 3.2 TeV and 2.9 TeV, respectively, (ii) a Randall-Sundrum graviton G[RS] decaying into WW for masses below 1.2 TeV, and (iii) a heavy partner of the W boson W' decaying into WZ for masses less than 1.7 TeV. For the first time mass limits are set on W' to WZ and G[RS] to WW in the all-jets final state. The mass limits on q* to qW, q* to qZ, W' to WZ, G[RS] to WW are the most stringent to date. A model with a "bulk" graviton G[Bulk] that decays into WW or ZZ bosons is also studied.

A search for exclusive or quasi-exclusive gamma gamma to W+W- production, via pp to p(*) W+W- p(*) to p(*) mu+/- e-/+ at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, is reported using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. Events are selected by requiring the presence of an electron-muon pair with large transverse momentum pt(mu+/- e-/+) > 30 GeV, and no associated charged particles detected from the same vertex. The 8 TeV results are combined with the previous 7 TeV results (obtained for 5.05 inverse femtobarns of data). In the signal region, 13 (2) events are observed over an expected background of 3.9 +/- 0.6 (0.84 +/-0.15) events for 8 (7) TeV, resulting in a combined excess of 3.4 standard deviations over the background-only hypothesis. The observed yields and kinematic distributions are compatible with the standard model prediction for exclusive and quasi-exclusive gamma gamma to W+W- production. Upper limits on the anomalous quartic gauge coupling operators a[W;0,C] (dimension-6) and f[M0,1,2,3] (dimension-8), the most stringent to date, are derived from the measured dilepton transverse momentum spectrum.

A measurement of the exclusive two-photon production of muon pairs in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV, pp to p mu^+ mu^- p, is reported using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 40 inverse picobarns. For muon pairs with invariant mass greater than 11.5 GeV, transverse momentum pT(mu) > 4 GeV and pseudorapidity |eta(mu)| < 2.1, a fit to the dimuon pt(mu^+ mu^-) distribution results in a measured cross section of sigma(pp to p mu^+ mu^- p) = 3.38 [+0.58 -0.55] (stat.) +/- 0.16 (syst.) +/- 0.14 (lumi.) pb, consistent with the theoretical prediction evaluated with the event generator Lpair. The ratio to the predicted cross section is 0.83 [+0.14-0.13] (stat.) +/- 0.04 (syst.) +/- 0.03 (lumi.). The characteristic distributions of the muon pairs produced via photon-photon fusion, such as the muon acoplanarity, the muon pair invariant mass and transverse momentum agree with those from the theory.