A search for physics beyond the standard model in events with at least three charged leptons (electrons or muons) is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016-2018. The two targeted signal processes are pair production of type-III seesaw heavy fermions and production of a light scalar or pseudoscalar boson in association with a pair of top quarks. The heavy fermions may be manifested as an excess of events with large values of leptonic transverse momenta or missing transverse momentum. The light scalars or pseudoscalars may create a localized excess in the dilepton mass spectra. The results exclude heavy fermions of the type-III seesaw model for masses below 880 GeV at 95% confidence level in the scenario of equal branching fractions to each lepton flavor. This is the most restrictive limit on the flavor-democratic scenario of the type-III seesaw model to date. Assuming a Yukawa coupling of unit strength to top quarks, branching fractions of new scalar (pseudoscalar) bosons to dielectrons or dimuons above 0.004 (0.03) and 0.04 (0.03) are excluded at 95% confidence level for masses in the range 15-75 and 108-340 GeV, respectively. These are the first limits in these channels on an extension of the standard model with scalar or pseudoscalar particles.
The $M_{T}$ distribution in the WZ-enriched region. The last bin contains the overflow events.
The $L_{T}$ distribution in the ttZ-enriched region. The last bin contains the overflow events.
The $S_{T}$ distribution in the ZZ-enriched region. The last bin contains the overflow events.
A search is performed for a pseudoscalar Higgs boson, A, decaying into a 125 GeV Higgs boson h and a Z boson. The h boson is specifically targeted in its decay into a pair of tau leptons, while the Z boson decays into a pair of electrons or muons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. No excess above the standard model background expectations is observed in data. A model-independent upper limit is set on the product of the gluon fusion production cross section for the A boson and the branching fraction to Zh$\to\ell\ell\tau\tau$. The observed upper limit at 95% confidence level ranges from 27 to 5 fb for A boson masses from 220 to 400 GeV, respectively. The results are used to constrain the extended Higgs sector parameters for two benchmark scenarios of the minimal supersymmetric standard model.
The expected and observed 95% CL model-independent upper limits on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for the A boson (pseudoscalar Higgs boson).
A search for anomalous electroweak production of WW, WZ, and ZZ boson pairs in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV at the LHC is reported. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the CMS detector. Events are selected by requiring two jets with large rapidity separation and invariant mass, one or two leptons (electrons or muons), and a W or Z boson decaying hadronically. No excess of events with respect to the standard model background predictions is observed and constraints on the structure of quartic vector boson interactions in the framework of dimension-8 effective field theory operators are reported. Stringent limits on parameters of the effective field theory operators are obtained. The observed 95% confidence level limits for the S0, M0, and T0 operators are $-$2.7 $<$ f$_{\mathrm{S0}}/ \Lambda^{4}$ $<$ 2.7, $-$1.0 $<$ f$_{\mathrm{M0}}/ \Lambda^{4}$ $<$ 1.0, and $-$0.17 $<$ f$_{\mathrm{T0}}/ \Lambda^{4}$ $<$ 0.16, in units of TeV$^{-4}$. Constraints are also reported on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for vector boson fusion production of charged Higgs bosons as a function of mass from 600 to 2000 GeV. The results are interpreted in the context of the Georgi-Machacek model.
Expected yields from various background processes in $\mathrm{WV}$ and $\mathrm{ZV}$ final states. The combination of the statistical and systematic uncertainties are shown. The predicted yields are shown with their best-fit normalizations from the background-only fit. The aQGC signal yields are shown for two aQGC scenarios with $f_{T2}/ \Lambda^{4} = -0.5$ TeV$^{-4}$ and $f_{T2}/ \Lambda^{4} = -2.5$ TeV$^{-4}$ for the $\mathrm{WV}$ and $\mathrm{ZV}$ channels, respectively. The charged Higgs boson signal yields are also shown for values of $s_{\mathrm{H}}=0.5$ and $m_{\mathrm{H}_{5}}=500$ GeV in the GM model. The statistical uncertainties are shown for the expected signal yields.
Observed and expected lower and upper 95\% CL limits on the parameters of the quartic operators S0, S1, M0, M1, M6, M7, T0, T1, and T2 in $\mathrm{WV}$ and $\mathrm{ZV}$ channels. The last two columns show the observed and expected limits for the combination of the $\mathrm{WV}$ and $\mathrm{ZV}$ channels.
Expected and observed exclusion limits at the 95\% CL as a function of $m(\mathrm{H}^{\pm})$ for $\sigma_\mathrm{VBF}(\mathrm{H}^{\pm}) \, \mathcal{B}(\mathrm{H}^{\pm} \rightarrow \mathrm{W}^{\pm}\mathrm{Z})$ in the $\mathrm{WV}$ final state.
A search for narrow and broad resonances with masses greater than 1.8 TeV decaying to a pair of jets is presented. The search uses proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV collected at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$. The background arising from standard model processes is predicted with the fit method used in previous publications and with a new method. The dijet invariant mass spectrum is well described by both data-driven methods, and no significant evidence for the production of new particles is observed. Model independent upper limits are reported on the production cross sections of narrow resonances, and broad resonances with widths up to 55% of the resonance mass. Limits are presented on the masses of narrow resonances from various models: string resonances, scalar diquarks, axigluons, colorons, excited quarks, color-octet scalars, W' and Z' bosons, Randall-Sundrum gravitons, and dark matter mediators. The limits on narrow resonances are improved by 200 to 800 GeV relative to those reported in previous CMS dijet resonance searches. The limits on dark matter mediators are presented as a function of the resonance mass and width, and on the associated coupling strength as a function of the mediator mass. These limits exclude at 95% confidence level a dark matter mediator with a mass of 1.8 TeV and width 1% of its mass or higher, up to one with a mass of 4.8 TeV and a width 45% of its mass or higher.
The observed and expected 95% CL upper limits on the universal quark coupling $g_{q}$ as a function of resonance mass for a vector mediator of interactions between quarks and dark matter.
The observed and expected 95% CL upper limits on the universal quark coupling $g_{q}^{'}$ as a function of resonance mass for a vector mediator of interactions between quarks.
Observed differential dijet spectrum. The cross-section is calculated by dividing the event yield by the bin width and luminosity.
A search is presented for three additional operators that would lead to anomalous WW$\gamma$ or WWZ couplings with respect to those in the standard model. They are constrained by studying events with two vector bosons; a W boson decaying to e$\nu$ or $\mu\nu$, and a W or Z boson decaying hadronically, reconstructed as a single, massive, large-radius jet. The search uses a data set of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Using the reconstructed diboson invariant mass, 95% confidence intervals are obtained for the anomalous coupling parameters of $-1.58< c_\mathrm{WWW}/\Lambda^2$ $<$ 1.59 TeV$^{-2}$, $-$2.00 $<$ $c_\mathrm{W}/\Lambda^2$ $<$ 2.65 TeV$^{-2}$, and $-$8.78 $<$ $c_\mathrm{B}/\Lambda^2$ $<$ 8.54 TeV$^{-2}$, in agreement with standard model expectations of zero for each parameter. These are the strictest bounds on these parameters to date.
aTGC limits on EFT parameters in lepton + jet events in WW and WZ production
aTGC limits in LEP parametrization in lepton + jet events in WW and WZ production
2-dimensional aTGC limits in lepton + jet events in WW and WZ production
A search is presented for the production of a Higgs boson in association with a single top quark, based on data collected in 2016 by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The production cross section for this process is highly sensitive to the absolute values of the top quark Yukawa coupling, $y_t$, the Higgs boson coupling to vector bosons, $g_\mathrm{HVV}$, and, uniquely, to their relative sign. Analyses using multilepton signatures, targeting H $\to$ WW, H $\to$ $\tau\tau$, and H $\to$ ZZ decay modes, and signatures with a single lepton and a $\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ pair, targeting the H $\to$ $\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ decay, are combined with a reinterpretation of a measurement in the H $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$ channel to constrain $y_\mathrm{t}$. For a standard model-like value of $g_\mathrm{HVV}$, the data favor positive values of $y_\mathrm{t}$ and exclude values of $y_\mathrm{t}$ below about $-$0.9 $y_\mathrm{t}^\mathrm{SM}$.
Expected and observed 95% CL upper limits on the tH production cross section times $H \to WW/ZZ/\tau\tau/b\bar{b}/\gamma\gamma$ branching fraction for a scenario of inverted couplings ($\kappa_t=-1.0$ and $\kappa_V=1.0$, top rows), vanishing top quark Yukawa coupling ($\kappa_t=0.0$ and $\kappa_V=1.0$, middle rows), and for an SM-like signal ($\kappa_t=1.0$ and $\kappa_V=1.0$, bottom rows), in pb. The Higgs to vector boson couplings is considered to be SM-like. The expected limit is calculated on a background-only data set, i.e., without tH contribution, but including a coupling dependent contribution from the ttH production. The ttH normalization is kept fixed in the fit, while the tH cross section is allowed to float. Limits can be compared to the expected product of tH cross sections and branching fractions of 0.83, 0.28, and 0.077 pb for the inverted top quark Yukawa coupling, the vanishing top-Yukawa and the SM-like scenario.
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limit on the tH cross section times combined $HH \to WW/ZZ/\tau\tau/b\bar{b}/\gamma\gamma$ branching fraction for different values of the top-Yukawa coupling modifier, assuming SM-like Higgs to vector boson couplings. The expected limit is calculated on a background-only data set, i.e., without tH contribution, but including a coupling dependent contribution from the ttH production. The ttH normalization is kept fixed in the fit, while the tH cross section is allowed to float.
This paper reports on a search for an extended scalar sector of the standard model, where a new CP-even (odd) boson decays to a Z boson and a lighter CP-odd (even) boson, and the latter further decays to a b quark pair. The Z boson is reconstructed via its decays to electron or muon pairs. The analysed data were recorded in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC during 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Data and predictions from the standard model are in agreement within the uncertainties. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section times branching fraction, with masses of the new bosons up to 1000 GeV. The results are interpreted in the context of the two-Higgs-doublet model.
The dijet mass distribution in data and simulated background events after requiring all the analysis selections, for μμ + ee events. The various signal hypotheses displayed have been scaled to a cross section of 1 pb for display purposes.
The llbb mass distribution in data and simulated background events after requiring all the analysis selections, for μμ + ee events. The various signal hypotheses displayed have been scaled to a cross section of 1 pb for display purposes.
The rho distributions for the same-flavour category events corresponding to a signal hypothesis with mH = 261 GeV and mA = 150 GeV. The signal is normalised to its theoretical cross section.
A search for a narrow resonance with a mass between 350 and 700 GeV, and decaying into a pair of jets, is performed using proton-proton collision events containing at least three jets. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 18.3 fb$^{-1}$ recorded at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV with the CMS detector. Data are collected with a technique known as "data scouting", in which the events are reconstructed, selected, and recorded at a high rate in a compact form by the high-level trigger. The three-jet final state provides sensitivity to lower resonance masses than in previous searches using the data scouting technique. The spectrum of the dijet invariant mass, calculated from the two jets with the largest transverse momenta in the event, is used to search for a resonance. No significant excess over a smoothly falling background is found. Limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section of a narrow dijet resonance and compared with the cross section of a vector dark matter mediator coupling to dark matter particles and quarks. Translating to a model where the narrow vector resonance interacts only with quarks, upper limits on this coupling range between 0.10 and 0.15, depending on the resonance mass. These results represent the most stringent upper limits in the mass range between 350 and 450 GeV obtained with a flavor-inclusive dijet resonance search.
Dijet mass spectrum (points) compared to a fitted parameterization of the background (solid curve), where the fit is performed in the range 290 < $m_{jj}$ < 1000 GeV in the background-only hypothesis. The horizontal bars show the widths of each bin in dijet mass. The dashed lines represent the dijet mass distribution from 400, 550, and 700 GeV resonance signals expected to be excluded at 95% CL by this analysis.
Upper limits at 95% CL on the product of the cross section, branching fraction, and acceptance as a function of resonance mass for a narrow vector resonance decaying into a pair of quark jets. The acceptance is calculated for the analysis selection, namely three wide jets with $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ > 72 GeV and |$\eta$| < 2.5, and |$\eta_{1}$ − $\eta_{2}$| < 1.1. The observed limits (solid curve), expected limits (dashed curve) and their variation at the 1 and 2 standard deviation levels (shaded bands) are shown. The dashed-dotted curve shows the expected cross section times acceptance for a DM mediator.
Figure 3: Upper limits at 95% CL on the universal quark coupling $g'_{\mathrm{q}}$ , as a function of resonance mass, for a narrow vector resonance that only couples to quarks. The observed limits (solid curve), expected limits (dashed curve) and their variation at the 1 and 2 standard deviation levels (shaded bands) are shown. The dashed-dotted curve shows the coupling strength for which the cross section for dijet production in this model is the same as for a DM mediator.
A search is presented for a Higgs boson that is produced in association with a Z boson and that decays to an undetected particle together with an isolated photon. The search is performed by the CMS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant excess of events above the expectation from the standard model background is found. The results are interpreted in the context of a theoretical model in which the undetected particle is a massless dark photon. An upper limit is set on the product of the cross section for associated Higgs and Z boson production and the branching fraction for such a Higgs boson decay, as a function of the Higgs boson mass. For a mass of 125 GeV, assuming the standard model production cross section, this corresponds to an observed (expected) upper limit on this branching fraction of 4.6 (3.6)% at 95% confidence level. These are the first limits on Higgs boson decays to final states that include an undetected massless dark photon.
Observed yields, background estimates after the fit to data, and signal predictions after the event selection in the signal region. The signal size corresponds to $0.1 \sigma_{\mathrm{\mathrm{ZH}}}$ for all three $m_{\mathrm{\mathrm{H}}}$ values shown. The combined statistical and systematic uncertainties are reported.
Observed yields, background estimates after the fit to data, and signal predictions after the event selection in the signal region. The signal size corresponds to $0.1 \sigma_{\mathrm{\mathrm{ZH}}}$ for all three $m_{\mathrm{\mathrm{H}}}$ values shown. The combined statistical and systematic uncertainties are reported.
Expected yields for different processes after several selection stages. The preselection requires two leptons and at least one photon with $\mathrm{p_\mathrm{T}}$ larger than 25, 20, and 25 GeV, respectively; in addition the dilepton $\mathrm{p_\mathrm{T}}$ must be larger than 60 GeV, and the $\mathrm{p_\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{miss}}$ larger than 70 GeV. The signal prediction corresponds to $0.1 \sigma_{\mathrm{\mathrm{ZH}}}$ at $m_{H}$ = 125 GeV.
A search for decays of the Higgs and Z boson to pairs of J/$\psi$ or $\Upsilon$(nS) (n=1, 2, 3) mesons, with their subsequent decay to $\mu^+\mu^-$ pairs, is presented. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2017 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37.5 fb$^{-1}$. While an observation of such a decay with this sample would indicate the presence of physics beyond the standard model, no significant excess is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the branching fractions of these decays. In the J/$\psi$ pair channel, the limits are 1.8$\times$10$^{-3}$ and 2.2$\times$10$^{-6}$ for the Higgs and Z boson, respectively, while in the combined $\Upsilon$(nS) pair channel, the limits are 1.4$\times$ 10$^{-3}$ and 1.5$\times$10$^{-6}$, respectively, when the mesons from the Higgs and Z boson decay are assumed to be unpolarized. When fully longitudinal and transverse polarizations are considered the limits reduce by about 22-29% and increase by about 10-13%, respectively.
Exclusion limits at 95% CL for the branching fractions ($\mathcal{B}$s) of the $H$ and $Z$ boson decays to $J/\psi$ or $\Upsilon$ mesons pairs. The second column lists the observed limits. The third column shows the median expected limits with the upper and lower bounds in the expected 68% CL intervals.
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