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 measurement of electroweak-induced production of W gamma and two jets is performed, where the W boson decays leptonically. The data used in the analysis correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS experiment in sqrt(s) = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions produced at the LHC. Candidate events are selected with exactly one muon or electron, missing transverse momentum, one photon, and two jets with large rapidity separation. An excess over the hypothesis of the standard model without electroweak production of W gamma with two jets is observed with a significance of 2.7 standard deviations. The cross section measured in the fiducial region is 10.8 +/- 4.1 (stat) +/- 3.4 (syst) +/- 0.3 (lumi) fb, which is consistent with the standard model electroweak predictions. The total cross section for W gamma production in association with 2 jets in the same fiducial region is measured to be 23.2 +/- 4.3 (stat) +/- 1.7 (syst) +/- 0.6 (lumi) fb, which is consistent with the standard model prediction from the combination of electroweak- and quantum chromodynamics-induced processes. No deviations are observed from the standard model predictions and experimental limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings f[M, 0-7] / Lambda^4, f[T, 0-2] / Lambda^4, and f[T, 5-7] / Lambda^4 are set at 95% confidence level.

Measurements are presented of the t-channel single-top-quark production cross section in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The results are based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC. The cross section is measured inclusively, as well as separately for top (t) and antitop (t-bar), in final states with a muon or an electron. The measured inclusive t-channel cross section is sigma[t-ch] = 83.6 +/- 2.3 (stat.) +/- 7.4 (syst.) pb. The single t and t-bar cross sections are measured to be sigma[t-ch,t] = 53.8 +/- 1.5 (stat.) +/- 4.4 (syst.) pb and sigma[t-ch,t-bar] = 27.6 +/- 1.3 (stat.) +/- 3.7 (syst.) pb, respectively. The measured ratio of cross sections is R[t-ch] = sigma[t-ch,t]/sigma[t-ch,t-bar] = 1.95 +/- 0.10 (stat.) +/- 0.19 (syst.), in agreement with the standard model prediction. The modulus of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element Vtb is extracted and, in combination with a previous CMS result at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, a value abs(Vtb) = 0.998 +/- 0.038 (exp.) +/- 0.016 (theo.) is obtained.

A search is performed for heavy Majorana neutrinos (N) decaying into a W boson and a lepton using the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. A signature of two jets and either two same sign electrons or a same sign electron-muon pair is searched for using 19.7 inverse femtobarns of data collected during 2012 in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with the expected standard model (SM) background and, in the context of a Type-1 seesaw mechanism, upper limits are set on the cross section times branching fraction for production of heavy Majorana neutrinos in the mass range between 40 and 500 GeV. The results are additionally interpreted as limits on the mixing between the heavy Majorana neutrinos and the SM neutrinos. In the mass range considered, the upper limits range between 0.00015 - 0.72 for |V[eN]|^2 and 6.6E-5 - 0.47 for |V[eN] V*[muN]|^2 / ( |V[eN]|^2 + |V[muN]|^2 ), where V[lN] is the mixing element describing the mixing of the heavy neutrino with the SM neutrino of flavour l. These limits are the most restrictive direct limits for heavy Majorana neutrino masses above 200 GeV.

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.

This Letter presents the measurement of differential cross sections of isolated prompt photons produced in association with a b-jet or a c-jet. These final states provide sensitivity to the heavy-flavour content of the proton and aspects related to the modelling of heavy-flavour quarks in perturbative QCD. The measurement uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 20.2 fb$^{-1}$. The differential cross sections are measured for each jet flavour with respect to the transverse energy of the leading photon in two photon pseudorapidity regions: $|\eta^\gamma|<1.37$ and $1.56<|\eta^\gamma|<2.37$. The measurement covers photon transverse energies $25 < E_\textrm{T}^\gamma<400$ GeV and $25 < E_\textrm{T}^\gamma<350$ GeV respectively for the two $|\eta^\gamma|$ regions. For each jet flavour, the ratio of the cross sections in the two $|\eta^\gamma|$ regions is also measured. The measurement is corrected for detector effects and compared to leading-order and next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations, based on various treatments and assumptions about the heavy-flavour content of the proton. Overall, the predictions agree well with the measurement, but some deviations are observed at high photon transverse energies. The total uncertainty in the measurement ranges between 13% and 66%, while the central $\gamma+b$ measurement exhibits the smallest uncertainty, ranging from 13% to 27%, which is comparable to the precision of the theoretical predictions.

Normalized double-differential cross sections for top quark pair (t t-bar) production are measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in the dilepton e+/- mu-/+ final state. The t t-bar cross section is determined as a function of various pairs of observables characterizing the kinematics of the top quark and t t-bar system. The data are compared to calculations using perturbative quantum chromodynamics at next-to-leading and approximate next-to-next-to-leading orders. They are also compared to predictions of Monte Carlo event generators that complement fixed-order computations with parton showers, hadronization, and multiple-parton interactions. Overall agreement is observed with the predictions, which is improved when the latest global sets of proton parton distribution functions are used. The inclusion of the measured t t-bar cross sections in a fit of parametrized parton distribution functions is shown to have significant impact on the gluon distribution.

The production cross section of a W boson in association with two b jets is measured using a sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.8 inverse femtobarns. The W bosons are reconstructed via their leptonic decays, W to l nu, where l = mu or e. The fiducial region studied contains exactly one lepton with transverse momentum pt[l] > 30 GeV and pseudorapidity abs(eta[l]) < 2.1, with exactly two b jets with pt > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 2.4 and no other jets with pt > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 4.7. The cross section is measured to be sigma(pp to W (l nu)+ bb-bar) = 0.64 +/- 0.03 (stat) +/- 0.10 (syst) +/- 0.06 (theo) +/- 0.02 (lumi) pb, in agreement with standard model predictions.

The cross section for Higgs boson production in pp collisions is studied using the H to WW decay mode, followed by leptonic decays of the W bosons to an oppositely charged electron-muon pair in the final state. The measurements are performed using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.4 inverse femtobarns. The Higgs boson transverse momentum (pT) is reconstructed using the lepton pair pT and missing pT. The differential cross section times branching fraction is measured as a function of the Higgs boson pT in a fiducial phase space defined to match the experimental acceptance in terms of the lepton kinematics and event topology. The production cross section times branching fraction in the fiducial phase space is measured to be 39 +/- 8 (stat) +/- 9 (syst) fb. The measurements are found to agree, within experimental uncertainties, with theoretical calculations based on the standard model.

Jet multiplicity distributions in top quark pair (t t-bar) events are measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in the dilepton decay channels (e+ e-, mu+ mu-, and e+/- mu-/+). The absolute and normalized differential cross sections for t t-bar production are measured as a function of the jet multiplicity in the event for different jet transverse momentum thresholds and the kinematic properties of the leading additional jets. The differential t t-bar b and t t-bar b b-bar cross sections are presented for the first time as a function of the kinematic properties of the leading additional b jets. Furthermore, the fraction of events without additional jets above a threshold is measured as a function of the transverse momenta of the leading additional jets and the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of all additional jets. The data are compared and found to be consistent with predictions from several perturbative quantum chromodynamics event generators and a next-to-leading order calculation.