A search is presented for rare decays of the Z and Higgs bosons to a photon and a J/$\psi$ or a $\psi$(2S) meson, with the charmonium state subsequentially decaying to a pair of muons. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 123 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. No evidence for branching fractions of these rare decay channels larger than predicted in the standard model is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set: $\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ J/$\psi \gamma$) $\lt$ 2.6 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$, $\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ $\psi$(2S)$\gamma$) $\lt$ 9.9 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$, $\mathcal{B}$(Z $\to$ J/$\psi \gamma$) $\lt$ 0.6 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$, and $\mathcal{B}$(Z $\to$ $\psi$(2S)$\gamma$) $\lt$ 1.3 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$. The ratio of the Higgs boson coupling modifiers $\kappa_\mathrm{c} / \kappa_\gamma$ is constrained to be in the interval ($-$157, $+$199) at 95% confidence level. Assuming $\kappa_\gamma = 1$, this interval becomes ($-$166, $+$208).

A full set of optimized observables is measured in an angular analysis of the decay B$^0$$\to$ K$^*$(892)$^0\mu^+\mu^-$ using a sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis is performed in six bins of the squared invariant mass of the dimuon system, $q^2$, over the range 1.1 $\lt$$q^2$$\lt$ 16 GeV$^2$. The results are among the most precise experimental measurements of the angular observables for this decay and are compared to a variety of predictions based on the standard model. Some of these predictions exhibit tension with the measurements.

A search is presented for the pair production of new heavy resonances, each decaying into a top quark (t) or antiquark and a gluon (g). The analysis uses data recorded with the CMS detector from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Events with one muon or electron, multiple jets, and missing transverse momentum are selected. After using a deep neural network to enrich the data sample with signal-like events, distributions in the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of all reconstructed objects are analyzed in the search for a signal. No significant deviations from the standard model prediction are found. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of cross section and branching fraction squared for the pair production of excited top quarks in the $\mathrm{t^*}$ $\to$ tg decay channel. The upper limits range from 120 to 0.8 fb for a $\mathrm{t^*}$ with spin-1/2 and from 15 to 1.0 fb for a $\mathrm{t^*}$ with spin-3/2. These correspond to mass exclusion limits up to 1050 and 1700 GeV for spin-1/2 and spin-3/2 $\mathrm{t^*}$ particles, respectively. These are the most stringent limits to date on the existence of $\mathrm{t^*}$ $\to$ tg resonances.

The inclusive WZ production cross section is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV, using data collected during 2022 with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34.7 fb$^{-1}$. The measurement uses multileptonic final states and a simultaneous likelihood fit to the number of events in four different lepton flavour categories: eee, ee$\mu$, $\mu\mu $e, and $\mu\mu\mu$. The selection is optimized to minimize the number of background events, and relies on an efficient prompt lepton discrimination strategy. The WZ production cross section is measured in a phase space defined within a 30 GeV window around the Z boson mass, as $\sigma_{\text{total}}$(pp $\to$ WZ) = 55.2 $\pm$ 1.2 (stat) $\pm$ 1.2 (syst) $\pm$ 0.8 (lumi) $\pm$ 0.3 (theo) pb. In addition, the cross section is measured in a fiducial phase space closer to the detector-level requirements. All the measurements presented in this paper are in agreement with standard model predictions.

A search for the production of a single top quark in association with invisible particles is performed using proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. In this search, a flavor-changing neutral current produces a single top quark or antiquark and an invisible state nonresonantly. The invisible state consists of a hypothetical spin-1 particle acting as a new mediator and decaying to two spin-1/2 dark matter candidates. The analysis searches for events in which the top quark or antiquark decays hadronically. No significant excess of events compatible with that signature is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the masses of the spin-1 mediator and the dark matter candidates, and are compared to constraints from the dark matter relic density measurements. In a vector (axial-vector) coupling scenario, masses of the spin-1 mediator are excluded up to 1.85 (1.85) TeV with an expectation of 2.0 (2.0) TeV, whereas masses of the dark matter candidates are excluded up to 0.75 (0.55) TeV with an expectation of 0.85 (0.65) TeV.

Several new physics models including versions of supersymmetry (SUSY) characterized by $R$-parity violation (RPV) or with additional hidden sectors predict the production of events with top quarks, low missing transverse momentum, and many additional quarks or gluons. The results of a search for top squarks decaying to two top quarks and six additional light-flavor quarks or gluons are reported. The search employs a novel machine learning method for background estimation from control samples in data using decorrelated discriminators. The search is performed using events with 0, 1, or 2 electrons or muons in conjunction with at least six jets. No requirement is placed on the magnitude of the missing transverse momentum. The result is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV corresponding to 138 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016$-$2018. The data are used to determine upper limits on the top squark pair production cross section in the frameworks of RPV and stealth SUSY. Models with top squark masses less than 700 (930) GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for RPV (stealth) SUSY scenarios.

A search for a heavy pseudoscalar Higgs boson, A, decaying to a 125 GeV Higgs boson h and a Z boson is presented. The h boson is identified via its decay to a pair of tau leptons, while the Z boson is identified via its decay to a pair of electrons or muons. The search targets the production of the A boson via the gluon-gluon fusion process, gg $\to$ A, and in association with bottom quarks, $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$A. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. Constraints are set on the product of the cross sections of the A production mechanisms and the A $\to$ Zh decay branching fraction. The observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level ranges from 0.049 (0.060) pb to 1.02 (0.79) pb for the gg $\to$ A process and from 0.053 (0.059) pb to 0.79 (0.61) pb for the $\text{b}\bar{\text{b}}$A process in the probed range of the A boson mass, $m_\text{A}$, from 225 GeV to 1 TeV. The results of the search are used to constrain parameters within the ${\text{M}_{\text{h,EFT}}^{\text{125}}}$ benchmark scenario of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Values of $\tanβ$ below 2.2 are excluded in this scenario at 95% confidence level for all $m_\text{A}$ values in the range from 225 to 350 GeV.

The first observation of coherent $\phi$(1020) meson photoproduction off heavy nuclei is presented using ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.36 TeV. The data were collected by the CMS experiment and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.68 $\mu$b$^{-1}$. The $\phi$(1020) meson signals are reconstructed via the K$^+$K$^-$ decay channel. The production cross section is presented as a function of the $\phi$(1020) meson rapidity in the range 0.3 $\lt$$\lvert y\rvert$$\lt$ 1.0, probing gluons that carry a fraction of the nucleon momentum ($x$) around $10^{-4}$. The observed cross section exhibits little dependence on rapidity and is significantly suppressed, by a factor of ${\sim}$5, compared to a baseline model that treats a nucleus as a collection of free nucleons. Theoretical models that incorporate either nuclear shadowing or gluon saturation predict suppression of the $\phi$(1020) meson cross section with only a small dependence on rapidity, but the magnitude of the predicted suppression varies greatly. Models considering only nuclear shadowing effects result in the best agreement with the experimental data. This study establishes a powerful new tool for exploring nuclear effects and nuclear gluonic structure in the small-$x$ regime at a unique energy scale bridging the perturbative and nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics domains.

Incoherent J/$ψ$ photoproduction in heavy ion ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) provides a sensitive probe of localized, fluctuating gluonic structures within heavy nuclei. This study reports the first measurement of the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy ($W_{γ\mathrm{N}}$) dependence of this process in PbPb UPCs at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV, using 1.52 nb$^{-1}$ of data recorded by the CMS experiment. The measurement covers a wide $W_{γ\mathrm{N}}$ range of $\approx$ 40-400 GeV, probing gluons carrying a fraction $x$ of nucleon momentum down to an unexplored region of 6.5 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$. Compared to baseline predictions neglecting nuclear effects, the measured cross sections exhibit significantly greater suppression at lower $x$. Additionally, the ratio of incoherent to coherent photoproduction is found to be constant across the probed $W_{γ\mathrm{N}}$ and $x$ range, disfavoring the establishment of the black disk limit. This study provides critical insights into the $x$-dependent evolution of fluctuating gluonic structures within nuclei and calls for further advancements in theoretical models incorporating nuclear shadowing and gluon saturation.

Measurements of light-by-light scattering (LbL, $γγ$$\to$$γγ$) and the Breit-Wheeler process (BW, $γγ$$\to$$\mathrm{e^+e^-}$) are reported in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV. The data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb$^{-1}$, was collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2018. Events with an exclusively produced $γγ$ or $\mathrm{e^+e^-}$ pair with invariant masses $m^{γγ,\mathrm{ee}}$$>$ 5 GeV, along with other fiducial criteria, are selected. The measured BW fiducial production cross section, $σ_\text{fid}$($γγ$$\to$$\mathrm{e^+e^-}$) = 263.5 $\pm$ 1.8 (stat) $\pm$ 17.8 (syst) $μ$b, as well as the differential distributions for various kinematic observables, are in agreement with leading-order quantum electrodynamics predictions complemented with final-state photon radiation. The measured differential BW cross sections allow discriminating between different theoretical descriptions of the photon flux of the lead ion. In the LbL final state, 26 exclusive diphoton candidate events are observed compared with 12.0 $\pm$ 2.9 expected for the background. Combined with previous results, the observed significance of the LbL signal with respect to the background-only hypothesis is above five standard deviations. The measured fiducial LbL scattering cross section, $σ_\text{fid} (γγ$$\to$$γγ)$ = 107 $\pm$ 24 (stat) $\pm$ 13 (syst) nb, is in agreement with next-to-leading-order predictions. Limits on the production of axion-like particles coupled to photons are set over the mass range 5-100 GeV, including the most stringent limits to date in the range of 5-10 GeV.