Three of the most significant measured deviations from standard model predictions, the enhanced decay rate for B $\to$ D$^{(*)}\tau\nu$, hints of lepton universality violation in B $\to$ K$^{(*)}\ell\ell$ decays, and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, can be explained by the existence of leptoquarks (LQs) with large couplings to third-generation quarks and masses at the TeV scale. The existence of these states can be probed at the LHC in high energy proton-proton collisions. A novel search is presented for pair production of LQs coupled to a top quark and a muon using data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, recorded by the CMS experiment. No deviation from the standard model prediction has been observed and scalar LQs decaying exclusively into t$\mu$ are excluded up to masses of 1420 GeV. The results of this search are combined with those from previous searches for LQ decays into t$\tau$ and b$\nu$, which excluded scalar LQs below masses of 900 and 1080 GeV. Vector LQs are excluded up to masses of 1190 GeV for all possible combinations of branching fractions to t$\mu$, t$\tau$ and b$\nu$. With this analysis, all relevant couplings of LQs with an electric charge of -1/3 to third-generation quarks are probed for the first time.
The production cross sections of B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ and B$^+$ mesons are reported in proton-proton (pp) collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC with a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 302 pb$^{-1}$. The cross sections are based on measurements of the B$^0_\mathrm{s}$$\to$ J/$ψ(μ^+μ^-)ϕ$(1020) (K$^+$K$^-$) and B$^+$$\to$ J/$ψ(μ^+μ^-)$K$^+$ decay channels. Results are presented in the transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) range 7-50 GeV/$c$ and the rapidity interval $\lvert y \rvert$$\lt$ 2.4 for the B mesons. The measured $p_\mathrm{T}$-differential cross sections of B$^+$ and B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ in pp collisions are well described by fixed-order plus next-to-leading logarithm perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations. Using previous PbPb collision measurements at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy, the nuclear modification factors, $R_\mathrm{AA}$, of the B mesons are determined. For $p_\mathrm{T}$$\lt$ 10 GeV/$c$, both mesons are found to be suppressed in PbPb collisions (with $R_\mathrm{AA}$ values significantly below unity), with less suppression observed for the B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ mesons. In this $p_\mathrm{T}$ range, the $R_\mathrm{AA}$ values for the B$^+$ mesons are consistent with those for inclusive charged hadrons and D$^0$ mesons. Below 10 GeV/$c$, both B$^+$ and B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ are found to be less suppressed than either inclusive charged hadrons or D$^0$ mesons, with the B$^0_\mathrm{s}$$R_\mathrm{AA}$ value consistent with unity. The $R_\mathrm{AA}$ values found for the B$^+$ and B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ are compared to theoretical calculations, providing constraints on the mechanism of bottom quark energy loss and hadronization in the quark-gluon plasma, the hot and dense matter created in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions.
A search is presented for a third-generation leptoquark (LQ) coupled exclusively to a $\tau$ lepton and a b quark. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Events with $\tau$ leptons and a varying number of jets originating from b quarks are considered, targeting the single and pair production of LQs, as well as nonresonant $t$-channel LQ exchange. An excess is observed in the data with respect to the background expectation in the combined analysis of all search regions. For a benchmark LQ mass of 2 TeV and an LQ-b-$\tau$ coupling strength of 2.5, the excess reaches a local significance of up to 2.8 standard deviations. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are placed on the LQ production cross section in the LQ mass range 0.5-2.3 TeV, and up to 3 TeV for $t$-channel LQ exchange. Leptoquarks are excluded below masses of 1.22-1.88 TeV for different LQ models and varying coupling strengths up to 2.5. The study of nonresonant $\tau\tau$ production through $t$-channel LQ exchange allows lower limits on the LQ mass of up to 2.3 TeV to be obtained.
Measurements of inclusive and normalized differential cross sections of the associated production of top quark-antiquark and bottom quark-antiquark pairs, ttbb, are presented. The results are based on data from proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The cross sections are measured in the lepton+jets decay channel of the top quark pair, using events containing exactly one isolated electron or muon and at least five jets. Measurements are made in four fiducial phase space regions, targeting different aspects of the ttbb process. Distributions are unfolded to the particle level through maximum likelihood fits, and compared with predictions from several event generators. The inclusive cross section measurements of this process in the fiducial phase space regions are the most precise to date. In most cases, the measured inclusive cross sections exceed the predictions with the chosen generator settings. The only exception is when using a particular choice of dynamic renormalization scale, $\mu_\mathrm{R}=\frac{1}{2} \prod_{i = \mathrm{t, \bar{t}, b, \bar{b}}} m_{\mathrm{T},i}^{1/4}$, where $m_{\mathrm{T}, i}^2 = m_i^2 + p^2_{\mathrm{T}, i}$ are the transverse masses of top and bottom quarks. The differential cross sections show varying degrees of compatibility with the theoretical predictions, and none of the tested generators with the chosen settings simultaneously describe all the measured distributions.
A search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks is presented. Events with hadronic jets and one or two oppositely charged leptons are selected from a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. In order to separate the signal from the larger t t-bar + jets background, this analysis uses a matrix element method that assigns a probability density value to each reconstructed event under signal or background hypotheses. The ratio between the two values is used in a maximum likelihood fit to extract the signal yield. The results are presented in terms of the measured signal strength modifier, mu, relative to the standard model prediction for a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV. The observed (expected) exclusion limit at a 95% confidence level is mu < 4.2 (3.3), corresponding to a best fit value mu-hat = 1.2 +1.6 -1.5.
A search is presented for the production of two Higgs bosons in final states containing two photons and two bottom quarks. Both resonant and nonresonant hypotheses are investigated. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV collected with the CMS detector. Good agreement is observed between data and predictions of the standard model (SM). Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on the production cross section of new particles and compared to the prediction for the existence of a warped extra dimension. When the decay to two Higgs bosons is kinematically allowed, assuming a mass scale Lambda[R] = 1 TeV for the model, the data exclude a radion scalar at masses below 980 GeV. The first Kaluza-Klein excitation mode of the graviton in the RS1 Randall-Sundrum model is excluded for masses between 325 and 450 GeV. An upper limit of 0.71 pb is set on the nonresonant two-Higgs-boson cross section in the SM-like hypothesis. Limits are also derived on nonresonant production assuming anomalous Higgs boson couplings.
A search for neutral Higgs bosons decaying into a b-bbar quark pair and produced in association with at least one additional b quark is presented. This signature is sensitive to the Higgs sector of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) with large values of the parameter tan(beta). The analysis is based on data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The results are combined with a previous analysis based on 7 TeV data. No signal is observed. Stringent upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction are derived for Higgs bosons with masses up to 900 GeV, and the results are interpreted within different MSSM benchmark scenarios, m[h,max], m[h,mod+], m[h,mod-], light-stau and light-stop. Observed 95% confidence level upper limits on tan(beta), ranging from 14 to 50, are obtained in the m[h,mod+] benchmark scenario.
We report on the production characteristics and total cross section for 9 beauty hadron pairs produced by a 600 GeV/ c π − beam, the first such information in this energy region. The events were detected in the hybrid emulsion spectrometer of Fermilab Experiment E653. The measured pair cross section for all χ F , assuming linear A dependence, is 33±11 (stat.)±6(syst.) nb/nucleon. Fits of the inclusive single-hadron production distribution to the forms d σ d χ F ∝ (1−|χ F −χ 0 |) n and d σ d p T 2 ∝ exp (−bp t 2 ) give n=5.0 −2.1−1.7 +2.7+1.7 , χ 0 =0.06 −0.07−0.03 +0.06+0.02 , and b=0.13 −0.04−0.02 +0.05+0.02 ( GeV /c −2 . .The pairs tend to be produced back-to-back.
This letter reports the results of a search for top and bottom squarks from gluino pair production in 4.7 fb^-1 of pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The search is performed in events with large missing transverse momentum and at least three jets identified as originating from a b-quark. Exclusion limits are presented for a variety of gluino-mediated models with gluino masses up to 1 TeV excluded.
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