A measurement of the inclusive WW+WZ diboson production cross section in proton-proton collisions is reported, based on events containing a leptonically decaying W boson and exactly two jets. The data sample, collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The measured value of the sum of the inclusive WW and WZ cross sections is sigma(pp to WW+WZ) = 68.9 +/- 8.7 (stat.) +/- 9.7 (syst.) +/- 1.5 (lum.) pb, consistent with the standard model prediction of 65.6 +/- 2.2 pb. This is the first measurement of WW+WZ production in pp collisions using this signature. No evidence for anomalous triple gauge couplings is found and upper limits are set on their magnitudes.
The first observation of the Z boson decaying to four leptons in proton-proton collisions is presented. The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.02 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV collected by the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. A pronounced resonance peak, with a statistical significance of 9.7 sigma, is observed in the distribution of the invariant mass of four leptons (electrons and/or muons) with mass and width consistent with expectations for Z boson decays. The branching fraction and cross section reported here are defined by phase space restrictions on the leptons, namely, 80 < m[4l] < 100 GeV, where m[4l] is the invariant mass of the four leptons, and m[ll] > 4 GeV for all pairs of leptons, where m[ll] is the two-lepton invariant mass. The measured branching fraction is B(Z to 4l) = (4.2 /+0.9/-0.8 (stat.) +/- 0.2 (syst.)) 10E-6 and agrees with the standard model prediction of 4.45 10E-6. The measured cross section times branching fraction is sigma(pp to Z) B(Z to 4 l) = 112 +23/-20 (stat.) +7/-5 (syst.) +3/-2 (lumi.) fb, also consistent with the standard model prediction of 120 fb. The four-lepton mass peak arising from Z to 4 l decays provides a calibration channel for the Higgs boson search in the H to ZZ to 4 l decay mode.
A measurement is presented of the ZZ production cross section in the ZZ to 2l 2l' decay mode with l = e, mu and l' = e, mu, tau in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The measured cross section sigma(pp to ZZ) = 6.24 [+0.86/-0.80] (stat.) [+0.41/-0.32] (syst.) +/- 0.14 (lumi.) pb is consistent with the standard model predictions. The following limits on ZZZ and ZZ gamma anomalous trilinear gauge couplings are set at 95% confidence level: -0.011 < f[4;Z] < 0.012, -0.012 < f[5;Z] < 0.012, -0.013 < f[4;gamma] < 0.015, and -0.014 < f[5,gamma] < 0.014.
A measurement of the t t-bar production cross section in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. Selected events are required to have one isolated, high transverse momentum electron or muon, large missing transverse energy, and hadronic jets, at least one of which must be consistent with having originated from a b quark. The measured cross section is 158.1 +/- 2.1 (stat.) +/- 10.2 (syst.) +/- 3.5 (lum.) pb, in agreement with standard model predictions.
A measurement is presented of the inelastic proton-proton cross section at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. Using the CMS detector at the LHC, the inelastic cross section is measured through two independent methods based on information from (i) forward calorimetry (for pseudorapidity 3 < abs(eta) < 5), in collisions where at least one proton loses more than 5E-6 of its longitudinal momentum, and (ii) the central tracker (abs(eta) < 2.4), in collisions containing an interaction vertex with more than 1, 2, or 3 tracks with transverse momenta pT > 200 MeV. The measurements cover a large fraction of the inelastic cross section for particle production over about 9 units of pseudorapidity and down to small transverse momenta. The results are compared with those of other experiments, and with models used to describe high-energy hadronic interactions.
A search for a heavy Higgs boson in the H to WW and H to ZZ decay channels is reported. The search is based upon proton-proton collision data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 5.1 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and up to 19.7 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. Several final states of the H to WW and H to ZZ decays are analyzed. The combined upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the product of the cross section and branching fraction exclude a Higgs boson with standard model-like couplings and decays in the range 145 < m[H] < 1000 GeV. We also interpret the results in the context of an electroweak singlet extension of the standard model.
The inclusive cross section for top quark pair production is measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to 5.0 and 19.7 invers-femtobarns, respectively, with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The cross sections are measured in the electron-muon channel using a binned likelihood fit to multi-differential final state distributions related to identified b quark jets and other jets in the event. The measured cross section values are 173.6 +/- 2.1 (stat) +4.5-4.0 (syst) +/- 3.8 (lumi) pb at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, and 244.9 +/- 1.4 (stat) +6.3-5.5 (syst) +/- 6.4 (lumi) pb at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, in good agreement with QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy. The ratio of the cross sections measured at 7 and 8 TeV is determined, as well as cross sections in the fiducial regions defined by the acceptance requirements on the two charged leptons in the final state. The cross section results are used to determine the top quark pole mass via the dependence of the theoretically predicted cross section on the mass, giving a best result of 173.8 +1.7-1.8 GeV. The data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV are also used to set limits, for two neutralino mass values, on the pair production of supersymmetric top squarks with masses close to the top quark mass.
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 ratio of the production cross sections times branching fractions (sigma(Bc+) B(Bc+ to J/psi pi+))/ (sigma(B+) B(B+ to J/psi K+)) is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The kinematic region investigated requires Bc+/- and B+/- mesons with transverse momentum pt > 15 GeV and rapidity abs(y) < 1.6. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 inverse femtobarns. The ratio is determined to be [0.48 +/- 0.05 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) +/- 0.05 (tau_{Bc})]% The J/psi pi+/- pi+/- pi-/+ decay mode is also observed in the same data sample. Using a model-independent method developed to measure the efficiency given the presence of resonant behaviour in the three-pion system, the ratio of the branching fractions B(Bc+/- to J/psi pi+/- pi+/- pi-/+) / B(Bc+/- to J/psi pi+/-) is measured to be 2.55 +/- 0.80 (stat) +/- 0.33 (syst) +0.04/-0.01 (tau[Bc+]), consistent with the previous LHCb result.
Measurements are presented of the cross section for the production of at least four jets, of which at least two originate from b quarks, in proton-proton collisions. Data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 inverse picobarns. The cross section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum for pt > 20 GeV, and of the jet pseudorapidity for abs(eta) < 2.4 (b jets), 4.7 (untagged jets). The correlations in azimuthal angle and pt between the jets are also studied. The inclusive cross section is measured to be sigma(pp to 2 b + 2 j + X) = 69 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 24 (syst) nb. The eta and pt distributions of the four jets and the correlations between them are well reproduced by event generators that combine perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading-order accuracy with contributions from parton showers and multiparton interactions.
Forum