Pseudorapidity (eta) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV are measured in the ranges abs(eta) < 2.2 and 5.3 < abs(eta) < 6.4 covered by the CMS and TOTEM detectors, respectively. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 45 inverse microbarns. Measurements are presented for three event categories. The most inclusive category is sensitive to 91-96% of the total inelastic proton-proton cross section. The other two categories are disjoint subsets of the inclusive sample that are either enhanced or depleted in single diffractive dissociation events. The data are compared to models used to describe high-energy hadronic interactions. None of the models considered provide a consistent description of the measured distributions.
The production cross section for a W boson and two b jets is measured using proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV in a data sample collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The W + b b-bar events are selected in the W to mu nu decay mode by requiring a muon with transverse momentum pt > 25 GeV and pseudorapidity abs(eta) < 2.1, and exactly two b-tagged jets with pt > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 2.4. The measured W + b b-bar production cross section in the fiducial region, calculated at the level of final-state particles, is sigma(pp to W + b b-bar) x B(W to mu nu) = 0.53 +/- 0.05 (stat.) +/- 0.09 (syst.) +/- 0.06 (theo.) +/- 0.01 (lum.) pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction. In addition, kinematic distributions of the W + b b-bar system are in agreement with the predictions of a simulation using MADGRAPH and PYTHIA.
The first observation of the associated production of a single top quark and a W boson is presented. The analysis is based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.2 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Events with two leptons and a jet originating from a b quark are selected. A multivariate analysis based on kinematic and topological properties is used to separate the signal from the dominant t t-bar background. An excess consistent with the signal hypothesis is observed, with a significance which corresponds to 6.1 standard deviations above a background-only hypothesis. The measured production cross section is 23.4 +- 5.4 pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction.
The top-quark pair production cross section in 7 TeV center-of-mass energy proton–proton collisions is measured using data collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurement uses events with one jet identified as a hadronically decaying τ lepton and at least four additional energetic jets, at least one of which is identified as coming from a b quark. The analyzed data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.9 fb(−1) recorded by a dedicated multijet plus hadronically decaying τ trigger. A neural network has been developed to separate the top-quark pairs from the W+jets and multijet backgrounds. The measured value of is consistent with the standard model predictions.
A measurement of vector boson scattering and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings from events with two Z bosons and two jets are presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV collected with the CMS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns. The search is performed in the fully leptonic final state ZZ to lll'l', where l, l' = e, mu. The electroweak production of two Z bosons in association with two jets is measured with an observed (expected) significance of 2.7 (1.6) standard deviations. A fiducial cross section for the electroweak production is measured to be sigma[EW](pp -> ZZjj -> lll'l'jj) = 0.40 -0.16 +0.21 (stat) -0.09 +0.13 (syst) fb, which is consistent with the standard model prediction. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings are determined in terms of the effective field theory operators T0, T1, T2, T8, and T9. This is the first measurement of vector boson scattering in the ZZ channel at the LHC.
The W boson helicity fractions from top quark decays in t t-bar events are measured using data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data were collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.8 inverse femtobarns. Events are reconstructed with either one muon or one electron, along with four jets in the final state, with two of the jets being identified as originating from b quarks. The measured helicity fractions from both channels are combined, yielding F[0] = 0.681 +/- 0.012 (stat) +/- 0.023 (syst), F[L] = 0.323 +/- 0.008 (stat) +/- 0.014 (syst), and F[R] = -0.004 +/- 0.005 (stat) +/- 0.014 (syst) for the longitudinal, left-, and right-handed components of the helicity, respectively. These measurements of the W boson helicity fractions are the most accurate to date and they agree with the predictions from the standard model.
Differential and double-differential cross sections for the production of top quark pairs in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV are measured as a function of kinematic variables of the top quarks and the top quark-antiquark ($\mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}}$) system. In addition, kinematic variables and multiplicities of jets associated with the $\mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}}$ production are measured. This analysis is based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.8 fb$^{-1}$. The measurements are performed in the lepton+jets decay channels with a single muon or electron and jets in the final state. The differential cross sections are presented at the particle level, within a phase space close to the experimental acceptance, and at the parton level in the full phase space. The results are compared to several standard model predictions that use different methods and approximations. The kinematic variables of the top quarks and the $\mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}}$ system are reasonably described in general, though none predict all the measured distributions. In particular, the transverse momentum distribution of the top quarks is more steeply falling than predicted. The kinematic distributions and multiplicities of jets are adequately modeled by certain combinations of next-to-leading-order calculations and parton shower models.
Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in the final state with multiple jets and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV collected with the CMS detector in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, representing essentially the full LHC Run 2 data sample. The analysis is performed in a four-dimensional search region defined in terms of the number of jets, the number of tagged bottom quark jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, and the magnitude of the vector sum of jet transverse momenta. No significant excess in the event yield is observed relative to the expected background contributions from standard model processes. Limits on the pair production of gluinos and squarks are obtained in the framework of simplified models for supersymmetric particle production and decay processes. Assuming the lightest supersymmetric particle to be a neutralino, lower limits on the gluino mass as large as 2000 to 2310 GeV are obtained at 95% confidence level, while lower limits on the squark mass as large as 1190 to 1630 GeV are obtained, depending on the production scenario.
A first measurement of the top quark mass using the decay channel t to (W to l nu) (b to J/psi + X to mu+ mu- + X) is presented. The analysis uses events selected from the proton-proton collisions recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, with 666 t t-bar and single top quark candidate events containing a reconstructed J/psi candidate decaying into an oppositely-charged muon pair. The mass of the (J/psi + l) system, where l is an electron or a muon from W boson decay, is used to extract a top quark mass of 173.5 +/- 3.0 (stat) +/- 0.9 (syst) GeV.
Measurements of the ZZ production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV are presented. Candidate events for the leptonic decay mode ZZ to 2 l 2 nu, where l denotes an electron or a muon, are reconstructed and selected from data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 (19.6) inverse femtobarns at 7 (8) TeV collected with the CMS experiment. The measured cross sections, sigma(pp to ZZ) = 5.1 -1.4 +1.5 (stat) -1.1 +1.4 (syst) +/- 0.1 (lumi) pb at 7 TeV, and 7.2 -0.8 +0.8 (stat.) -1.5 +1.9 (syst) +/- 0.2 (lumi) pb at 8 TeV, are in good agreement with the standard model predictions with next-to-leading-order accuracy. The selected data are analyzed to search for anomalous triple gauge couplings involving the ZZ final state. In the absence of any deviation from the standard model predictions, limits are set on the relevant parameters. These limits are then combined with the previously published CMS results for ZZ in 4 l final states, yielding the most stringent constraints on the anomalous couplings.