A search for the exotic decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of light pseudoscalars, each of which subsequently decays into a pair of photons, is presented. The search uses data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 132 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis probes pseudoscalar bosons with masses in the range 15-62 GeV, coming from the Higgs boson decay, which leads to four well-isolated photons in the final state. No significant deviation from the background-only hypothesis is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the Higgs boson production cross section and branching fraction into four photons. The observed (expected) limits range from 0.80 (1.00) fb for a pseudoscalar boson mass of 15 GeV to 0.26 (0.24) fb for a mass of 62 GeV at 95% confidence level.
Multiparticle azimuthal correlations of prompt D$^0$ mesons are measured in PbPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV. For the first time, a four-particle cumulant method is used to extract the second Fourier coefficient of the azimuthal distribution ($v_2$) of D$^0$ mesons as a function of event centrality and the D$^0$ transverse momentum. The ratios of the four-particle $v_2$ values to previously measured two-particle cumulant results provide direct experimental access to event-by-event fluctuations of charm quark azimuthal anisotropies. These ratios are also found to be comparable to those of inclusive charged particles in the event. However, hints of deviations are seen in the most central and peripheral collisions. To investigate the origin of flow fluctuations in the charm sector, these measurements are compared with models implementing fluctuations of charm quark energy loss via collisional or radiative processes in the quark-gluon plasma. These models cannot quantitatively describe the data over the full transverse momentum and centrality ranges, although the calculations with collisional energy loss provide a better description of the data.
A search for low-mass dilepton resonances in Higgs boson decays is conducted in the four-lepton final state. The decay is assumed to proceed via a pair of beyond the standard model particles, or one such particle and a Z boson. The search uses proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the standard model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on model-independent Higgs boson decay branching fractions. Additionally, limits on dark photon and axion-like particle production, based on two specific models, are reported.
A search for the electroweak production of a vector-like quark T$'$, decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson is presented. The search is based on a sample of proton-proton collision events recorded at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. This is the first T$'$ search that exploits the Higgs boson decay to a pair of photons. For narrow isospin singlet T$'$ states with masses up to 1.1 TeV, the excellent diphoton invariant mass resolution of 1-2% results in an increased sensitivity compared to previous searches based on the same production mechanism. The electroweak production of a T$'$ quark with mass up to 960 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a coupling strength $\kappa_\mathrm{T}$ = 0.25 and a relative decay width $\Gamma/M_{\mathrm{T}'}$ $\lt$ 5%.
The first measurement of the top quark pair ($\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$) production cross section in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13.6 TeV is presented. Data recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in Summer 2022, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.21 fb$^{-1}$, are analyzed. Events are selected with one or two charged leptons (electrons or muons) and additional jets. A maximum likelihood fit is performed in event categories defined by the number and flavors of the leptons, the number of jets, and the number of jets identified as originating from b quarks. An inclusive $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production cross section of 881 $\pm$ 23 (stat+syst) $\pm$ 20 (lumi) pb is measured, in agreement with the standard model prediction of 924 $^{+32}_{-40}$ pb.
The production of non-prompt ${\rm D}^{0}$ mesons from beauty-hadron decays was measured at midrapidity ($\left| y \right| < 0.5$) in Pb-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02~\mathrm{TeV}$ with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. Their nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm AA}$), measured for the first time down to $p_{\rm T}=1~\mathrm{GeV}/c$ in the $0-10$% and $30-50$% centrality classes, indicates a significant suppression, up to a factor of about three, for $p_{\rm T} > 5~\mathrm{GeV}/c$ in the $0-10$% central Pb-Pb collisions. The data are described by models that include both collisional and radiative processes in the calculation of beauty-quark energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma, and quark recombination in addition to fragmentation as a hadronisation mechanism. The ratio of the non-prompt to prompt ${\rm D}^{0}$-meson $R_{\rm AA}$ is larger than unity for $p_{\rm T} > 4~\mathrm{GeV}/c$ in the $0-10$% central Pb-Pb collisions, as predicted by models in which beauty quarks lose less energy than charm quarks in the quark-gluon plasma because of their larger mass.
The production yields of non-prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ mesons, namely $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ mesons from beauty-hadron decays, were measured for the first time as a function of the transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in central and semi-central Pb$-$Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ mesons and their charge conjugates were reconstructed from the hadronic decay channel $\mathrm{D_s}^{+} \to \phi\pi^+$, with $\phi \to {\rm K}^-{\rm K}^+$, in the $4 < p_{\rm T}<36$ GeV/$c$ and $2 < p_{\rm T}<24$ GeV/$c$ intervals for the 0$-$10% and 30$-$50% centrality classes, respectively. The measured yields of non-prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ mesons are compared to those of prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ and non-prompt $\mathrm{D^0}$ mesons by calculating the ratios of the production yields in Pb$-$Pb collisions and the nuclear modification factor $R_\mathrm{AA}$. The ratio between the $R_\mathrm{AA}$ of non-prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ and prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ mesons, and that between the $R_\mathrm{AA}$ of non-prompt $\mathrm{D_s}^{+}$ and non-prompt $\mathrm{D^0}$ mesons in central Pb$-$Pb collisions are found to be on average higher than unity in the $4< p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$ interval with a statistical significance of about $1.6\,\sigma$ and $1.7\,\sigma$, respectively. The measured $R_\mathrm{AA}$ ratios are compared with the predictions of theoretical models of heavy-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding QGP that incorporate hadronisation via quark recombination.
The observation of the production of four top quarks in proton-proton collisions is reported, based on a data sample collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016-2018 at the CERN LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Events with two same-sign, three, or four charged leptons (electrons and muons) and additional jets are analyzed. Compared to previous results in these channels, updated identification techniques for charged leptons and jets originating from the hadronization of b quarks, as well as a revised multivariate analysis strategy to distinguish the signal process from the main backgrounds, lead to an improved expected signal significance of 4.9 standard deviations above the background-only hypothesis. Four top quark production is observed with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations, and its cross section is measured to be 17.7 $^{+3.7}_{-3.5}$ (stat) $^{+2.3}_{-1.9}$ (syst) fb, in agreement with the available standard model predictions.
The production yield and angular anisotropy of prompt ${D_s^+}$ mesons were measured as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{ T}$) in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{ NN}} = 5.02$ TeV collected with the ALICE detector at the LHC. ${D_s^+}$ mesons and their charge conjugates were reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) from their hadronic decay channel ${D_s^+ \to \phi \pi^+}$, with ${\phi \to K^-K^+}$, in the $p_{ T}$ intervals $2
The production of prompt $\rm \Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ baryons at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) was measured in central (0-10%) and mid-central (30-50%) Pb-Pb collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector. The results are more precise, more differential in centrality, and reach much lower transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}=1$ GeV/$c$) with respect to previous measurements performed by the ALICE, STAR, and CMS Collaborations in nucleus-nucleus collisions, allowing for an extrapolation down to $p_{\rm T}=0$. The $p_{\rm T}$-differential $\rm \Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$/D$^0$ production ratio is enhanced with respect to the pp measurement for $4
Forum