The measurement of the cross section for the production of a Z boson, decaying to dielectrons or dimuons, in association with at least one bottom quark jet are performed with proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC during 2016-2018. The integrated cross sections for Z + $\ge$ 1 b jet and Z + $\ge$ 2 b jets are reported for the electron, muon, and combined channels. The fiducial cross sections in the combined channel are 6.52 $\pm$ 0.04 (stat) $\pm$ 0.40 (syst) $\pm$ 0.14 (theo) pb for Z + $\ge$ 1 b jet and 0.65 $\pm$ 0.03 (stat) $\pm$ 0.07 (syst) $\pm$ 0.02 (theo) pb for Z + $\ge$ 2 b jets. The differential cross section distributions are measured as functions of various kinematic observables that are useful for precision tests of perturbative quantum chromodynamics predictions. The ratios of integrated and differential cross sections for Z + $\ge$ 2 b jets and Z + $\ge$ 1 b jet processes are also determined. The value of the integrated cross section ratio measured in the combined channel is 0.100 $\pm$ 0.005 (stat) $\pm$ 0.007 (syst) $\pm$ 0.003 (theo). All measurements are compared with predictions from various event generators.

Results are presented from a search for physics beyond the standard model in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV in channels with two Higgs bosons, each decaying via the process H $\to$$\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$, and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The search is motivated by models of supersymmetry that predict the production of neutralinos, the neutral partners of the electroweak gauge and Higgs bosons. The observed event yields in the signal regions are found to be consistent with the standard model background expectations. The results are interpreted using simplified models of supersymmetry. For the electroweak production of nearly mass-degenerate higgsinos, each of whose decay chains yields a neutralino ($\tilde{\chi}^0_1$) that in turn decays to a massless goldstino and a Higgs boson, $\tilde{\chi}^0_1$ masses in the range 175 to 1025 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. For the strong production of gluino pairs decaying via a slightly lighter $\tilde{\chi}^0_2$ to H and a light $\tilde{\chi}^0_1$, gluino masses below 2330 GeV are excluded.

A search for new long-lived particles decaying to leptons using proton-proton collision data produced by the CERN LHC at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV is presented. Events are selected with two leptons (an electron and a muon, two electrons, or two muons) that both have transverse impact parameter values between 0.01 and 10 cm and are not required to form a common vertex. Data used for the analysis were collected with the CMS detector in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 118 (113) fb$^{-1}$ in the ee channel (e$\mu$ and $\mu\mu$ channels). The search is designed to be sensitive to a wide range of models with displaced e$\mu$, ee, and $\mu\mu$ final states. The results constrain several well-motivated models involving new long-lived particles that decay to displaced leptons. For some areas of the available phase space, these are the most stringent constraints to date.

A measurement of the inclusive jet production in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV is presented. The double-differential cross sections are measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$ and the absolute jet rapidity $\lvert y \rvert$. The anti-$k_\mathrm{T}$ clustering algorithm is used with distance parameter of 0.4 (0.7) in a phase space region with jet $p_\mathrm{T}$ from 97 GeV up to 3.1 TeV and $\lvert y \rvert\lt$ 2.0. Data collected with the CMS detector are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb$^{-1}$ (33.5 fb$^{-1}$). The measurement is used in a comprehensive QCD analysis at next-to-next-to-leading order, which results in significant improvement in the accuracy of the parton distributions in the proton. Simultaneously, the value of the strong coupling constant at the Z boson mass is extracted as $\alpha_\mathrm{S}$(Z) = 0.1170 $\pm$ 0.0019. For the first time, these data are used in a standard model effective field theory analysis at next-to-leading order, where parton distributions and the QCD parameters are extracted simultaneously with imposed constraints on the Wilson coefficient $c_1$ of 4-quark contact interactions. Note added: in the Addendum to this paper, available as Appendix B in this document, an improved value of $\alpha_\mathrm{S}$(Z) = 0.1166 $\pm$ 0.0017 has been extracted. This result supersedes the number in the above abstract of the original publication.

A search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a charm quark-antiquark pair, H $\to$$\mathrm{c\bar{c}}$, produced in association with a leptonically decaying V (W or Z) boson is presented. The search is performed with proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Novel charm jet identification and analysis methods using machine learning techniques are employed. The analysis is validated by searching for Z $\to$$\mathrm{c\bar{c}}$ in VZ events, leading to its first observation at a hadron collider with a significance of 5.7 standard deviations. The observed (expected) upper limit on $\sigma$(VH)$ \mathcal{B}$(H $\to$$\mathrm{c\bar{c}}$) is 0.94 (0.50 $^{+0.22}_{-0.15}$) pb at 95% confidence level (CL), corresponding to 14 (7.6 $^{+3.4}_{-2.3}$) times the standard model prediction. For the Higgs-charm Yukawa coupling modifier, $\kappa_\mathrm{c}$, the observed (expected) 95% CL interval is 1.1 $\lt$ $\vert\kappa_\mathrm{C}\vert$ $\lt$ 5.5 ($\vert\kappa_\mathrm{c}\vert$ $\lt$ 3.4), the most stringent constraint to date.

Since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, detailed studies of its properties have been ongoing. Besides its mass, its width - related to its lifetime - is an important parameter. One way to determine this quantity is by measuring its off-shell production, where the Higgs boson mass is far away from its nominal value, and relating it to its on-shell production, where the mass is close to the nominal value. Here, we report evidence for such off-shell contributions to the production cross section of two Z bosons with data from the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We constrain the total rate of the off-shell Higgs boson contribution beyond the Z boson pair production threshold, relative to its standard model expectation, to the interval [0.0061, 2.0] at 95% confidence level. The scenario with no off-shell contribution is excluded at a $p$-value of 0.0003 (3.6 standard deviations). We measure the width of the Higgs boson as $\Gamma_{\mathrm{H}}$ = 3.2 $_{-1.7}^{+2.4}$ MeV, in agreement with the standard model expectation of 4.1 MeV. In addition, we set constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings to W and Z boson pairs.

In July 2012, the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations at the CERN Large Hadron Collider announced the observation of a Higgs boson at a mass of around 125 GeV. Ten years later, and with the data corresponding to the production of 30 times larger number of Higgs bosons, we have learnt much more about the properties of the Higgs boson. The CMS experiment has observed the Higgs boson in numerous fermionic and bosonic decay channels, established its spin-parity quantum numbers, determined its mass and measured its production cross sections in various modes. Here the CMS Collaboration reports the most up-to-date combination of results on the properties of the Higgs boson, including the most stringent limit on the cross section for the production of a pair of Higgs bosons, on the basis of data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Within the uncertainties, all these observations are compatible with the predictions of the standard model of elementary particle physics. Much evidence points to the fact that the standard model is a low-energy approximation of a more comprehensive theory. Several of the standard model issues originate in the sector of Higgs boson physics. An order of magnitude larger number of Higgs bosons, expected to be examined over the next fifteen years, will help deepen our understanding of this crucial sector.

A search for new heavy resonances decaying to a pair of Higgs bosons (HH) in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is presented. Data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Resonances with a mass between 0.8 and 4.5 TeV are considered using events in which one Higgs boson decays into a bottom quark pair and the other into final states with either one or two charged leptons. Specifically, the single-lepton decay channel HH $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$WW$^*$ $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}\ell\nu q\bar{q}'$ and the dilepton decay channels HH $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$WW$^*$ $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}\ell\nu \ell\nu$ and HH $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}\tau\tau$ $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}\ell\nu\nu \ell\nu\nu$ are examined, where $\ell$ in the final state corresponds to an electron or muon. The signal is extracted using a two-dimensional maximum likelihood fit of the H $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$ jet mass and HH invariant mass distributions. No significant excess above the standard model expectation is observed in data. Model-independent exclusion limits are placed on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for narrow spin-0 and spin-2 massive bosons decaying to HH. The results are also interpreted in the context of radion and bulk graviton production in models with a warped extra spatial dimension. The results provide the most stringent limits to date for X $\to$ HH signatures with final-state leptons and at some masses provide the most sensitive limits of all X $\to$ HH searches.

A search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson produced via vector boson fusion (VBF) has been performed with 101 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV and collected by the CMS detector in 2017 and 2018. The sensitivity to the VBF production mechanism is enhanced by constructing two analysis categories, one based on missing transverse momentum, and a second based on the properties of jets. In addition to control regions with Z and W boson candidate events, a highly populated control region, based on the production of a photon in association with jets, is used to constrain the dominant irreducible background from the invisible decay of a Z boson produced in association with jets. The results of this search are combined with all previous measurements in the VBF topology, based on data collected in 2012 (at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV), 2015, and 2016, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 19.7, 2.3, and 36.3 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction of the Higgs boson is found to be 0.18 (0.10) at the 95% confidence level, assuming the standard model production cross section. The results are also interpreted in the context of Higgs-portal models.

Protons consist of three valence quarks, two up-quarks and one down-quark, held together by gluons and a sea of quark-antiquark pairs. Collectively, quarks and gluons are referred to as partons. In a proton-proton collision, typically only one parton of each proton undergoes a hard scattering - referred to as single-parton scattering - leaving the remainder of each proton only slightly disturbed. Here, we report the study of double- and triple-parton scatterings through the simultaneous production of three J/$\psi$ mesons, which consist of a charm quark-antiquark pair, in proton-proton collisions recorded with the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. We observed this process - reconstructed through the decays of J/$\psi$ mesons into pairs of oppositely charged muons - with a statistical significance above five standard deviations. We measured the inclusive fiducial cross section to be 272 $^{+141}_{-104}$ (stat) $\pm$ 17 (syst) fb, and compared it to theoretical expectations for triple-J/$\psi$ meson production in single-, double- and triple-parton scattering scenarios. Assuming factorization of multiple hard-scattering probabilities in terms of single-parton scattering cross sections, double- and triple-parton scattering are the dominant contributions for the measured process.