A search for heavy resonances decaying to a pair of Z bosons is performed using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Events are selected by requiring two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons), consistent with the decay of a Z boson, and large missing transverse momentum, which is interpreted as arising from the decay of a second Z boson to two neutrinos. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The hypothesis of a spin-2 bulk graviton (X) decaying to a pair of Z bosons is examined for 600 $\le m_\mathrm{X} \le$ 2500 GeV and upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction of X $\to$ ZZ ranging from 100 to 4 fb. For bulk graviton models characterized by a curvature scale parameter $\tilde{k} =$ 0.5 in the extra dimension, the region $m_\mathrm{X} < $ 800 GeV is excluded, providing the most stringent limit reported to date. Variations of the model considering the possibility of a wide resonance produced exclusively via gluon-gluon fusion or $\mathrm{q}\overline{\mathrm{q}}$ annihilation are also examined.
A measurement is presented of the associated production of a single top quark and a Z boson. The study uses data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Using final states with three leptons (electrons or muons), the tZq production cross section is measured to be $\sigma$(pp$\to$tZq$\to$Wb$\ell^+\ell^-$q) = $123 ^{+33}_{-31}$ (stat) $^{+29}_{-23}$ (syst) fb, where $\ell$ stands for electrons, muons, or $\tau$ leptons, with observed and expected significances of 3.7 and 3.1 standard deviations, respectively.
Results are reported from a search for physics beyond the standard model in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV. The search uses a signature of a single lepton, large jet and bottom quark jet multiplicities, and high sum of large-radius jet masses, without any requirement on the missing transverse momentum in an event. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. No significant excess beyond the prediction from standard model processes is observed. The results are interpreted in terms of upper limits on the production cross section for $R$-parity violating supersymmetric extensions of the standard model using a benchmark model of gluino pair production, in which each gluino decays promptly via $ {\mathrm{\widetilde{g}}} \rightarrow \mathrm{t} \mathrm{b} \mathrm{s} $. Gluinos with a mass below 1610 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.
A search for new physics using events containing an imbalance in transverse momentum and one or more energetic jets arising from initial-state radiation or the hadronic decay of W or Z bosons is presented. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, is used. The observed data are found to be in agreement with the expectation from standard model processes. The results are interpreted as limits on the dark matter production cross section in simplified models with vector, axial-vector, scalar, and pseudoscalar mediators. Interpretations in the context of fermion portal and nonthermal dark matter models are also provided. In addition, the results are interpreted in terms of invisible decays of the Higgs boson and set stringent limits on the fundamental Planck scale in the Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali model with large extra spatial dimensions.
Pseudorapidity, transverse momentum, and multiplicity distributions are measured in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta| <$ 2.4 for charged particles with transverse momenta satisfying $p_\mathrm{T} >$ 0.5 GeV in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. Measurements are presented in three different event categories. The most inclusive of the categories corresponds to an inelastic pp data set, while the other two categories are exclusive subsets of the inelastic sample that are either enhanced or depleted in single diffractive dissociation events. The measurements are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo event generators used to describe high-energy hadronic interactions in collider and cosmic-ray physics.
Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons are measured over a broad multiplicity range, from a few particles up to about 250 reconstructed charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The results are based on data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC during runs with a special low-pileup configuration. Three analysis techniques with different degrees of dependence on simulations are used to remove the non-Bose-Einstein background from the correlation functions. All three methods give consistent results. The measured lengths of homogeneity are studied as functions of particle multiplicity as well as average pair transverse momentum and mass. The results are compared with data from both CMS and ATLAS at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 TeV, as well as with theoretical predictions.
A search for an exotic decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of light pseudoscalar bosons is performed for the first time in the final state with two b quarks and two $\tau$ leptons. The search is motivated in the context of models of physics beyond the standard model (SM), such as two Higgs doublet models extended with a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), which include the next-to-minimal supersymmetric SM (NMSSM). The results are based on a data set of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, accumulated by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Masses of the pseudoscalar boson between 15 and 60 GeV are probed, and no excess of events above the SM expectation is observed. Upper limits between 3 and 12% are set on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(h $\to$ aa $\to$ 2$\tau$2b) assuming the SM production of the Higgs boson. Upper limits are also set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson to two light pseudoscalar bosons in different 2HDM+S scenarios. Assuming the SM production cross section for the Higgs boson, the upper limit on this quantity is as low as 20% for a mass of the pseudoscalar of 40 GeV in the NMSSM.
This Letter reports measurements of differential cross sections for the production of two Z bosons in association with jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 and 13 TeV. The analysis is based on data samples collected at the LHC with the CMS detector, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 19.7 and 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ at 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes ZZ $\to\ell^+ \ell^- \ell'^+ \ell'^-$, where $\ell,\ell' =$ e, $\mu$. The differential cross sections as a function of the jet multiplicity, the transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$, and pseudorapidity of the $p_\mathrm{T}$-leading and subleading jets are presented. In addition, the differential cross sections as a function of variables sensitive to the vector boson scattering, such as the invariant mass of the two $p_\mathrm{T}$-leading jets and their pseudorapidity separation, are reported. The results are compared to theoretical predictions and found in good agreement within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties.
Measurements of inclusive isolated-photon and photon+jet production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV are presented. The analysis uses data collected by the CMS experiment in 2015, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.26 fb$^{-1}$. The cross section for inclusive isolated photon production is measured as a function of the photon transverse energy in a fiducial region. The cross section for photon+jet production is measured as a function of the photon transverse energy in the same fiducial region with identical photon requirements and with the highest transverse momentum jet. All measurements are in agreement with predictions from next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD.
A search for charged Higgs boson decaying to a charm and a bottom quark (H$^+\to$ c$\overline{\mathrm{b}}$) is performed using 19.7 fb$^{-1}$ of pp collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV. The production mechanism investigated in this search is $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$ pair production in which one top quark decays to a charged Higgs boson and a bottom quark and the other decays to a charged lepton, a neutrino, and a bottom quark. Charged Higgs boson decays to $\mathrm{c\overline{b}}$ are searched for, resulting in a final state containing at least four jets, a charged lepton (muon or electron), and missing transverse momentum. A kinematic fit is performed to identify the pair of jets least likely to be the bottom quarks originating from direct top quark decays and the invariant mass of this pair is used as the final observable in the search. No evidence for the presence of a charged Higgs boson is observed and upper limits at 95% confidence level of 0.8-0.5% are set on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(t $\to$ H$^+$b), assuming $\mathcal{B}$(H$^+\to$ $\mathrm{c\overline{b}}) =$ 1.0 and $\mathcal{B}$(t $\to$ H$^+$b) $+$ $\mathcal{B}$(t $\to$ Wb) = 1.0, for the charged Higgs boson mass range 90-150 GeV.
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