A study of the associated production of a Z boson and a charm quark jet (Z + c), and a comparison to production with a b quark jet (Z + b), in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV are presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The Z boson candidates are identified through their decays into pairs of electrons or muons. Jets originating from heavy flavour quarks are identified using semileptonic decays of c or b flavoured hadrons and hadronic decays of charm hadrons. The measurements are performed in the kinematic region with two leptons with $p_{\rm T}^{\ell} > $ 20 GeV, ${|\eta^{\ell}|} < $ 2.1, 71 $ < m_{\ell\ell} < $ 111 GeV, and heavy flavour jets with $p_{\rm T}^{{\rm jet}} > $ 25 GeV and ${|\eta^{{\rm jet}}|} < $ 2.5. The Z + c production cross section is measured to be $\sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{c} + \mathrm{X}) {\cal B}(\mathrm{Z} \rightarrow \ell^+\ell^-) = $ 8.8 $ \pm $ 0.5 (stat) $ \pm $ 0.6 (syst) pb. The ratio of the Z + c and Z + b production cross sections is measured to be $\sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{c} + \mathrm{X}) / \sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{b} + \mathrm{X}) = $ 2.0 $ \pm $ 0.2 (stat) $ \pm $ 0.2 (syst). The Z + c production cross section and the cross section ratio are also measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the Z boson and of the heavy flavour jet. The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions.
Normalized differential cross sections for top quark pair production are measured in the dilepton (e$^+$e$^-$, $\mu^+\mu^-$, and $\mu^\mp$e$^\pm$) decay channels in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measurements are performed with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.1 fb$^{-1}$ using the CMS detector at the LHC. The cross sections are measured differentially as a function of the kinematic properties of the leptons, jets from bottom quark hadronization, top quarks, and top quark pairs at the particle and parton levels. The results are compared to several Monte Carlo generators that implement calculations up to next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics interfaced with parton showering, and also to fixed-order theoretical calculations of top quark pair production up to next-to-next-to-leading order.
A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model, based on measurements of dijet angular distributions in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The observed distributions are found to be in agreement with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics that include electroweak corrections. Constraints are placed on models containing quark contact interactions, extra spatial dimensions, quantum black holes, or dark matter using the detector-level distributions. In a benchmark model where only left-handed quarks participate, contact interactions are excluded at the 95% confidence level up to a scale of 12.8 or 17.5 TeV, for destructive or constructive interference, respectively. The most stringent lower limits to date are set on the ultraviolet cutoff in the Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulos-Dvali model of extra dimensions. In the Giudice-Rattazzi-Wells convention, the cutoff scale is excluded up to 10.1 TeV. The production of quantum black holes is excluded for masses below 5.9 and 8.2 TeV, depending on the model. For the first time, lower limits between 2.0 and 4.6 TeV are set on the mass of a dark matter mediator for (axial-)vector mediators, for the universal quark coupling $g_\mathrm{q}\geq$ 1.
A measurement is presented of differential cross sections for $t$-channel single top quark and antiquark production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. From a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, events containing one muon or electron and two or three jets are analysed. The cross section is measured as a function of the top quark transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$), rapidity, and polarisation angle, the charged lepton $p_\mathrm{T}$ and rapidity, and the $p_\mathrm{T}$ of the W boson from the top quark decay. In addition, the charge ratio is measured differentially as a function of the top quark, charged lepton, and W boson kinematic observables. The results are found to be in agreement with standard model predictions using various next-to-leading-order event generators and sets of parton distribution functions. Additionally, the spin asymmetry, sensitive to the top quark polarisation, is determined from the differential distribution of the polarisation angle at parton level to be 0.440 $\pm$ 0.070, in agreement with the standard model prediction.
Measurements are presented of the differential cross sections for Z bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV and decaying to muons and electrons. The data analyzed were collected in 2016 with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The measured fiducial inclusive product of cross section and branching fraction agrees with next-to-next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics calculations. Differential cross sections of the transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$, the optimized angular variable $\phi^*_\eta$, and the rapidity of lepton pairs are measured. The data are corrected for detector effects and compared to theoretical predictions using fixed order, resummed, and parton shower calculations. The uncertainties of the measured normalized cross sections are smaller than 0.5% for $\phi^*_\eta <$ 0.5 and for $p_\mathrm{T}^\mathrm{Z} <$ 50 GeV.
The differential cross sections of $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+$ baryon production are measured via the exclusive decay channel $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+ \to $pK$^-\pi^+$, as a function of transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) in proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurement is performed within the $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+$ rapidity interval $|y|<$1.0 in the $p_\mathrm{T}$ range of 5-20 GeV/$c$ in pp and 10-20 GeV/$c$ in PbPb collisions. The observed yields of $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+$ for $p_\mathrm{T}$ of 10-20 GeV/$c$ suggest a possible suppression in central PbPb collisions compared to pp collisions. The $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+/$D$^0$ production ratio in pp collisions is compared to theoretical models. In PbPb collisions, this ratio is consistent with the result from pp collisions in their common $p_\mathrm{T}$ range.
A search for supersymmetry is presented based on multijet events with large missing transverse momentum produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 13 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns, were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2016. The analysis utilizes four-dimensional exclusive search regions 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 evidence for a significant excess of events is observed relative to the expectation from the standard model. Limits on the cross sections for the pair production of gluinos and squarks are derived in the context of simplified models. Assuming the lightest supersymmetric particle to be a weakly interacting neutralino, 95% confidence level lower limits on the gluino mass as large as 1800 to 1960 GeV are derived, and on the squark mass as large as 960 to 1390 GeV, depending on the production and decay scenario.
Measurements of the differential jet cross section are presented as a function of jet mass in dijet events, in bins of jet transverse momentum, with and without a jet grooming algorithm. The data have been recorded by the CMS Collaboration in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb$^{-1}$. The absolute cross sections show slightly different jet transverse momentum spectra in data and Monte Carlo event generators for the settings used. Removing this transverse momentum dependence, the normalized cross section for ungroomed jets is consistent with the prediction from Monte Carlo event generators for masses below 30% of the transverse momentum. The normalized cross section for groomed jets is measured with higher precision than the ungroomed cross section. Semi-analytical calculations of the jet mass beyond leading logarithmic accuracy are compared to data, as well as predictions at leading order and next-to-leading order, which include parton showering and hadronization. Overall, in the normalized cross section, the theoretical predictions agree with the measured cross sections within the uncertainties for masses from 10 to 30% of the jet transverse momentum.
A measurement of the W$^+$W$^-$ boson pair production cross section in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV is presented. The data used in this study are collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The W$^+$W$^-$ candidate events are selected by requiring two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons). Two methods for reducing background contributions are employed. In the first one, a sequence of requirements on kinematic quantities is applied allowing a measurement of the total production cross section: 117.6 $\pm$ 6.8 pb, which agrees well with the theoretical prediction. Fiducial cross sections are also reported for events with zero or one jet, and the change in the zero-jet fiducial cross section with the jet transverse momentum threshold is measured. Normalized differential cross sections are reported within the fiducial region. A second method for suppressing background contributions employs two random forest classifiers. The analysis based on this method includes a measurement of the total production cross section and also a measurement of the normalized jet multiplicity distribution in W$^+$W$^-$ events. Finally, a dilepton invariant mass distribution is used to probe for physics beyond the standard model in the context of an effective field theory, and constraints on the presence of dimension-6 operators are derived.
The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb$^{-1}$. The differential production cross sections of the D$^{*\pm}$, D$^\pm$, and D$^0$ ($\overline{\mathrm{D}}^{0}$) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 $\lt$$p_\mathrm{T}$$\lt$ 100 GeV and $\lvert\eta\rvert$$\lt$ 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.
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