The normalized differential cross section for top quark pair (tt-bar) production is measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the CERN LHC using the CMS detector in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurements are performed in the lepton + jets (e/mu + jets) and in the dilepton (e+e-, mu+mu-, and e+-mu-+) decay channels. The tt-bar cross section is measured as a function of the kinematic properties of the charged leptons, the jets associated to b quarks, the top quarks, and the tt-bar system. The data are compared with several predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics up to approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order precision. No significant deviations are observed relative to the standard model predictions.

Dijet angular distributions are measured over a wide range of dijet invariant masses in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, at the CERN LHC. The event sample, recorded with the CMS detector, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns. The data are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of perturbative QCD, and yield no evidence of quark compositeness. With a modified frequentist approach, a lower limit on the contact interaction scale for left-handed quarks of Lambda = 5.6 TeV (6.7 TeV) for destructive (constructive) interference is obtained at the 95% confidence level.

Measurements of dijet azimuthal decorrelations in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using the CMS detector at the CERN LHC are presented. The analysis is based on an inclusive dijet event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 inverse picobarns. The results are compared to predictions from perturbative QCD calculations and various Monte Carlo event generators. The dijet azimuthal distributions are found to be sensitive to initial-state gluon radiation.

A measurement of the b-hadron production cross section in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV is presented. The dataset, corresponding to 85 inverse nanobarns, was recorded with the CMS experiment at the LHC using a low-threshold single-muon trigger. Events are selected by the presence of a muon with transverse momentum greater than 6 GeV with respect to the beam direction and pseudorapidity less than 2.1. The transverse momentum of the muon with respect to the closest jet discriminates events containing b hadrons from background. The inclusive b-hadron production cross section is presented as a function of muon transverse momentum and pseudorapidity. The measured total cross section in the kinematic acceptance is sigma(pp to b+X to mu + X') =1.32 +/- 0.01 (stat) +/- 0.30 (syst) +/- 0.15 (lumi) microbarns.

Invariant mass spectra for jets reconstructed using the anti-kt and Cambridge-Aachen algorithms are studied for different jet "grooming" techniques in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns, recorded with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Leading-order QCD predictions for inclusive dijet and W/Z+jet production combined with parton-shower Monte Carlo models are found to agree overall with the data, and the agreement improves with the implementation of jet grooming methods used to distinguish merged jets of large transverse momentum from softer QCD gluon radiation.

Measurements of the normalized rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (qT) distributions of Drell-Yan muon and electron pairs in the Z-boson mass region (60<M(ll)<120 GeV) are reported. The results are obtained using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns. The distributions are measured over the ranges |y|<3.5 and qT<600 GeV and compared with QCD calculations using recent parton distribution functions. Overall agreement is observed between the models and data for the rapidity distribution, while no single model describes the Z transverse-momentum distribution over the full range.

The inclusive b-jet production cross section in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is measured using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The cross section is presented as a function of the jet transverse momentum in the range 18 < pT < 200 GeV for several rapidity intervals. The results are also given as the ratio of the b-jet production cross section to the inclusive jet production cross section. The measurement is performed with two different analyses, which differ in their trigger selection and b-jet identification: a jet analysis that selects events with a b jet using a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 inverse picobarns, and a muon analysis requiring a b jet with a muon based on an integrated luminosity of 3 inverse picobarns. In both approaches the b jets are identified by requiring a secondary vertex. The results from the two methods are in agreement with each other and with next-to-leading order calculations, as well as with predictions based on the PYTHIA event generator.

A search for quark compositeness using dijet angular distributions from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The search has been carried out using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Normalized dijet angular distributions have been measured for dijet invariant masses from 0.4 TeV to above 3 TeV and compared with a variety of contact interaction models, including those which take into account the effects of next-to-leading-order QCD corrections. The data are found to be in agreement with the predictions of perturbative QCD, and lower limits are obtained on the contact interaction scale, ranging from 7.5 up to 14.5 TeV at 95% confidence level.

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pt) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MADGRAPH + PYTHIA and SHERPA, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BLACKHAT + SHERPA. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pt distributions of the leading jets at high pt values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.

The differential cross sections for the production of photons in Z to mu+ mu- gamma decays are presented as a function of the transverse energy of the photon and its separation from the nearest muon. The data for these measurements were collected with the CMS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 inverse femtobarns of pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV delivered by the CERN LHC. The cross sections are compared to simulations with POWHEG and PYTHIA, where PYTHIA is used to simulate parton showers and final-state photons. These simulations match the data to better than 5%.

The production of Z bosons is studied in the dimuon and dielectron decay channels in PbPb and pp collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV, using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The PbPb data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 150 inverse microbarns, while the pp data sample collected in 2013 at the same nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy has an integrated luminosity of 5.4 inverse picobarns. The Z boson yield is measured as a function of rapidity, transverse momentum, and collision centrality. The ratio of PbPb to pp yields, scaled by the number of inelastic nucleon-nucleon collisions, is found to be 1.06 +/- 0.05 (stat) +/- 0.08 (syst) in the dimuon channel and 1.02 +/- 0.08 (stat) +/- 0.15 (syst) in the dielectron channel, for centrality-integrated Z boson production. This binary collision scaling is seen to hold in the entire kinematic region studied, as expected for a colourless probe that is unaffected by the hot and dense QCD medium produced in heavy ion collisions.

Event-shape variables, which are sensitive to perturbative and nonperturbative aspects of quantum chromodynamic (QCD) interactions, are studied in multijet events recorded in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. Events are selected with at least one jet with transverse momentum pt > 110 GeV and pseudorapidity abs(eta) < 2.4, in a data sample corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 5 inverse femtobarns. The distributions of five event-shape variables in various leading jet pt ranges are compared to predictions from different QCD Monte Carlo event generators.

A search is presented for quark contact interactions and extra spatial dimensions in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV using dijet angular distributions. The search is based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. Dijet angular distributions are found to be in agreement with the perturbative QCD predictions that include electroweak corrections. Limits on the contact interaction scale from a variety of models at next-to-leading order in QCD corrections are obtained. A benchmark model in which only left-handed quarks participate is excluded up to a scale of 9.0 (11.7) TeV for destructive (constructive) interference at 95% confidence level. Lower limits between 5.9 and 8.4 TeV on the scale of virtual graviton exchange are extracted for the Arkani-Hamed--Dimopoulos--Dvali model of extra spatial dimensions.

The cross section for dijet production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented as a function of xi, a variable that approximates the fractional momentum loss of the scattered proton in single-diffractive events. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of 2.7 inverse nanobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at low instantaneous luminosities, and uses events with jet transverse momentum of at least 20 GeV. The dijet cross section results are compared to the predictions of diffractive and nondiffractive models. The low-xi data show a significant contribution from diffractive dijet production, observed for the first time at the LHC. The associated rapidity gap survival probability is estimated.

Measurements of the differential cross sections for the production of exactly four jets in proton-proton collisions are presented as a function of the transverse momentum pt and pseudorapidity eta, together with the correlations in azimuthal angle and the pt balance among the jets. The data sample was collected in 2010 at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, with an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns. The cross section for a final state with a pair of hard jets with pt > 50 GeV and another pair with pt > 20 GeV within abs(eta) < 4.7 is measured to be sigma = 330 +- 5 (stat.) +- 45 (syst.) nb. It is found that fixed-order matrix element calculations including parton showers describe the measured differential cross sections in some regions of phase space only, and that adding contributions from double parton scattering brings the Monte Carlo predictions closer to the data.

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.

A study of dijet production in proton-proton collisions was performed at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV for jets with pt > 35 GeV and abs(y) < 4.7 using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2010. Events with at least one pair of jets are denoted as 'inclusive'. Events with exactly one pair of jets are called 'exclusive'. The ratio of the cross section of all pairwise combinations of jets to the exclusive dijet cross section as a function of the rapidity difference between jets abs(Delta(y)) is measured for the first time up to abs(Delta(y)) = 9.2. The ratio of the cross section for the pair consisting of the most forward and the most backward jet from the inclusive sample to the exclusive dijet cross section is also presented. The predictions of the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 agree with the measurements. In both ratios the HERWIG++ generator exhibits a more pronounced rise versus abs(Delta(y)) than observed in the data. The BFKL-motivated generators CASCADE and HEJ+ARIADNE predict for these ratios a significantly stronger rise than observed.

A measurement of inclusive ZZ production cross section and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV are presented. A data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns was collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes ZZ to lll'l', where l = e, mu and l' = e, mu, tau. The measured total cross section, sigma(pp to ZZ) = 7.7 +/- 0.5 (stat.) +0.5-0.4 (syst.) +/- 0.4 (theo.) +/- 0.2 (lum.) pb for both Z bosons produced in the mass range 60 < m[Z] < 120 GeV, is consistent with standard model predictions. Differential cross sections are measured and well described by the theoretical predictions. The invariant mass distribution of the four-lepton system is used to set limits on anomalous ZZZ and ZZ gamma couplings at the 95% confidence level: -0.004 < f[4,Z] < 0.004, -0.004 < f[5,Z] < 0.004, -0.005 < f[4,gamma] < 0.005, and -0.005 < f[5,gamma] < 0.005.

Jet multiplicity distributions in top quark pair (t t-bar) events are measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in the dilepton decay channels (e+ e-, mu+ mu-, and e+/- mu-/+). The absolute and normalized differential cross sections for t t-bar production are measured as a function of the jet multiplicity in the event for different jet transverse momentum thresholds and the kinematic properties of the leading additional jets. The differential t t-bar b and t t-bar b b-bar cross sections are presented for the first time as a function of the kinematic properties of the leading additional b jets. Furthermore, the fraction of events without additional jets above a threshold is measured as a function of the transverse momenta of the leading additional jets and the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of all additional jets. The data are compared and found to be consistent with predictions from several perturbative quantum chromodynamics event generators and a next-to-leading order calculation.

A study of proton-proton collisions in which two b hadrons are produced in association with a Z boson is reported. The collisions were recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, for an integrated luminosity of 5.2 inverse femtobarns. The b hadrons are identified by means of displaced secondary vertices, without the use of reconstructed jets, permitting the study of b-hadron pair production at small angular separation. Differential cross sections are presented as a function of the angular separation of the b hadrons and the Z boson. In addition, inclusive measurements are presented. For both the inclusive and differential studies, different ranges of Z boson momentum are considered, and each measurement is compared to the predictions from different event generators at leading-order and next-to-leading-order accuracy.

A measurement of the differential cross sections for a W boson produced in association with jets in the muon decay channel is presented. The measurement is based on 13 TeV proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns, recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The cross sections are reported as functions of jet multiplicity, jet transverse momentum pT, jet rapidity, the scalar pT sum of the jets, and angular correlations between the muon and the jet for different jet multiplicities. The measured cross sections are in agreement with predictions that include multileg leading-order (LO) and next-to-LO matrix element calculations interfaced with parton showers, as well as a next-to-next-to-LO calculation for the W boson and one jet production.

Rapidity distributions are presented for events containing either a Z boson or a photon with a single jet in proton-proton collisions produced at the CERN LHC. The data, collected with the CMS detector at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The individual rapidity distributions of the boson and the jet are consistent within 5% with expectations from perturbative QCD. However, QCD predictions for the sum and the difference in rapidities of the two final-state objects show discrepancies with CMS data. In particular, next-to-leading-order QCD calculations, and two common Monte Carlo event generators using different methods to match matrix-element partons with parton showers, appear inconsistent with the data as well as with each other.

The double differential cross sections of the Drell-Yan lepton pair ($\ell^+\ell^-$, dielectron or dimuon) production are measured as functions of the invariant mass $m_{\ell\ell}$, transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}(\ell\ell)$, and $\phi^*_\eta$. The $\phi^*_\eta$ observable, derived from angular measurements of the leptons and highly correlated with $p_\mathrm{T}(\ell\ell)$, is used to probe the low-$p_\mathrm{T}(\ell\ell)$ region in a complementary way. Dilepton masses up to 1 TeV are investigated. Additionally, a measurement is performed requiring at least one jet in the final state. To benefit from partial cancellation of the systematic uncertainty, the ratios of the differential cross sections for various $m_{\ell\ell}$ ranges to those in the Z mass peak interval are presented. The collected data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Measurements are compared with predictions based on perturbative quantum chromodynamics, including soft-gluon resummation.

Differential cross sections for the Drell-Yan process, including Z boson production, using the dimuon decay channel are measured in proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV. A data sample recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 173 nb$^{-1}$. The differential cross section as a function of the dimuon mass is measured in the range 15-600 GeV, for the first time in proton-nucleus collisions. It is also reported as a function of dimuon rapidity over the mass ranges 15-60 GeV and 60-120 GeV, and ratios for the p-going over the Pb-going beam directions are built. In both mass ranges, the differential cross sections as functions of the dimuon transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$ and of a geometric variable $\phi^*$ are measured, where $\phi^*$ highly correlates with $p_\mathrm{T}$ but is determined with higher precision. In the Z mass region, the rapidity dependence of the data indicate a modification of the distribution of partons within a lead nucleus as compared to the proton case. The data are more precise than predictions based upon current models of parton distributions.

Double-parton scattering is investigated using events with a Z boson and jets. The Z boson is reconstructed using only the dimuon channel. The measurements are performed with proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ collected in the year 2016. Differential cross sections of Z + $\geq$ 1 jet and Z + $\geq$ 2 jets are measured with transverse momentum of the jets above 20 GeV and pseudorapidity $|\eta|$$\lt$ 2.4. Several distributions with sensitivity to double-parton scattering effects are measured as functions of the angle and the transverse momentum imbalance between the Z boson and the jets. The measured distributions are compared with predictions from several event generators with different hadronization models and different parameter settings for multiparton interactions. The measured distributions show a dependence on the hadronization and multiparton interaction simulation parameters, and are important input for future improvements of the simulations.

Measurements of the differential cross section for the Drell-Yan process, based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment, are presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.8 (2.3) fb$^{-1}$ in the dimuon (dielectron) channel. The total and fiducial cross section measurements are presented as a function of dilepton invariant mass in the range 15 to 3000 GeV, and compared with the perturbative predictions of the standard model. The measured differential cross sections are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.

Azimuthal correlations between the two jets with the largest transverse momenta $ {p_{\mathrm{T}}} $ in inclusive 2-, 3-, and 4-jet events are presented for several regions of the leading jet $ {p_{\mathrm{T}}} $ up to 4 TeV. For 3- and 4-jet scenarios, measurements of the minimum azimuthal angles between any two of the three or four leading $ {p_{\mathrm{T}}} $ jets are also presented. The analysis is based on data from proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS Collaboration at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Calculations based on leading-order matrix elements supplemented with parton showering and hadronization do not fully describe the data, so next-to-leading-order calculations matched with parton shower and hadronization models are needed to better describe the measured distributions. Furthermore, we show that azimuthal jet correlations are sensitive to details of the parton showering, hadronization, and multiparton interactions. A next-to-leading-order calculation matched with parton showers in the MC@NLO method, as implemented in HERWIG 7, gives a better overall description of the measurements than the POWHEG method.

Differential cross sections for a W boson produced in association with jets are measured in a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded with the CMS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns. The W bosons are identified through their decay mode W to mu nu. The cross sections are reported as functions of jet multiplicity, transverse momenta, and the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT) for different jet multiplicities. Distributions of the angular correlations between the jets and the muon are examined, as well as the average number of jets as a function of HT and as a function of angular variables. The measured differential cross sections are compared with tree-level and higher-order recent event generators, as well as next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order theoretical predictions. The agreement of the generators with the measurements builds confidence in their use for the simulation of W+jets background processes in searches for new physics at the LHC.