A search for nonresonant excesses in the invariant mass spectra of electron and muon pairs is presented. The analysis is based on data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment in 2016, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 36 fb$^{-1}$. No significant deviation from the standard model is observed. Limits are set at 95% confidence level on energy scales for two general classes of nonresonant models. For a class of fermion contact interaction models, lower limits ranging from 20 to 32 TeV are set on the characteristic compositeness scale $\Lambda$. For the Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali model of large extra dimensions, the first results in the dilepton final state at 13 TeV are reported, and values of the ultraviolet cutoff parameter $\Lambda_\mathrm{T}$ below 6.9 TeV are excluded. A combination with recent CMS diphoton results improves this exclusion to $\Lambda_\mathrm{T}$ below 7.7 TeV, providing the most sensitive limits to date in nonhadronic final states.

A search for long-lived particles decaying into jets is presented. Data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The search examines the distinctive topology of displaced tracks and secondary vertices. The selected events are found to be consistent with standard model predictions. For a simplified model in which long-lived neutral particles are pair produced and decay to two jets, pair production cross sections larger than 0.2 fb are excluded at 95% confidence level for a long-lived particle mass larger than 1000 GeV and proper decay lengths between 3 and 130 mm. Several supersymmetry models with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking or $R$-parity violation, where pair-produced long-lived gluinos or top squarks decay to several final-state topologies containing displaced jets, are also tested. For these models, in the mass ranges above 200 GeV, gluino masses up to 2300-2400 GeV and top squark masses up to 1350-1600 GeV are excluded for proper decay lengths approximately between 10 and 100 mm. These are the most restrictive limits to date on these models.

Searches for resonant and nonresonant pair-produced Higgs bosons (HH) decaying respectively into ll nu nu, through either W or Z bosons, and bbbar are presented. The analyses are based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns. Data and predictions from the standard model are in agreement within uncertainties. For the standard model HH hypothesis, the data exclude at 95% confidence level a product of the production cross section and branching fraction larger than 72 fb, corresponding to 79 times the prediction, consistent with expectations. Constraints are placed on different scenarios considering anomalous couplings, which could affect the rate and kinematics of HH production. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section of narrow-width spin-0 and spin-2 particles decaying to Higgs boson pairs, the latter produced with minimal gravity-like coupling.

A search for top squark pair production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV is performed using events with a single isolated electron or muon, jets, and a large transverse momentum imbalance. The results are based on data collected in 2016 with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess of events is observed above the expectation from standard model processes. Exclusion limits are set in the context of supersymmetric models of pair production of top squarks that decay either to a top quark and a neutralino or to a bottom quark and a chargino. Depending on the details of the model, we exclude top squarks with masses as high as 1120 GeV. Detailed information is also provided to facilitate theoretical interpretations in other scenarios of physics beyond the standard model.

Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in proton-proton collisions in the final state with a single lepton; multiple jets, including at least one b-tagged jet; and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a sample of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns. The observed event yields in the signal regions are consistent with those expected from standard model backgrounds. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of supersymmetry involving gluino pair production, with gluino decay into either on- or off-mass-shell top squarks. Assuming that the top squarks decay into a top quark plus a stable, weakly interacting neutralino, scenarios with gluino masses up to about 1.9 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for neutralino masses up to about 1 TeV.

A search for physics beyond the standard model in the final state with two same-flavour leptons (electrons or muons) and two quarks produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV is presented. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The observed data are in good agreement with the standard model background prediction. The results of the measurement are interpreted in the framework of a recently proposed model in which a heavy Majorana neutrino, N(l), stems from a composite-fermion scenario. Exclusion limits are set for the first time on the mass of the heavy composite Majorana neutrino, m[N(l)], and the compositeness scale Lambda. For the case m[N(l)] = Lambda, the existence of N(e) (N(mu)) is excluded for masses up to 4.60 (4.70) TeV at 95% confidence level.

A search is presented for the decay of the 125 GeV Higgs boson (H) to a pair of new light pseudoscalar bosons (a), followed by the prompt decay of each a boson to a bottom quark-antiquark pair, H $\to$ aa $\to$$\mathrm{b\bar{b}b\bar{b}}$. The analysis is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. To reduce the background from standard model processes, the search requires the Higgs boson to be produced in association with a leptonically decaying W or Z boson. The analysis probes the production of new light bosons in a 15 $\lt$$m_\mathrm{a}$$\lt$ 60 GeV mass range. Assuming the standard model predictions for the Higgs boson production cross sections for pp $\to$ WH and ZH, model independent upper limits at 95% confidence level are derived for the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ aa $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}b\bar{b}}$). The combined WH and ZH observed upper limit on the branching fraction ranges from 1.10 for $m_\mathrm{a} =$ 20 GeV to 0.36 for $m_\mathrm{a} =$ 60 GeV, complementing other measurements in the $\mu\mu\tau\tau$, $\tau\tau\tau\tau$ and bb$\ell\ell$ ($\ell=$ $\mu$,$\tau$) channels.

A test of lepton flavor universality in B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}\mu^+\mu^-$ and B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}$e$^+$e$^-$ decays, as well as a measurement of differential and integrated branching fractions of a nonresonant B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}\mu^+\mu^-$ decay are presented. The analysis is made possible by a dedicated data set of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded in 2018, by the CMS experiment at the LHC, using a special high-rate data stream designed for collecting about 10 billion unbiased b hadron decays. The ratio of the branching fractions $\mathcal{B}$(B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}\mu^+\mu^-$) to $\mathcal{B}$(B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}$e$^+$e$^-$) is determined from the measured double ratio $R$(K) of these decays to the respective branching fractions of the B$^\pm$$\to$ J/$\psi$K$^\pm$ with J/$\psi$$\to$$\mu^+\mu^-$ and e$^+$e$^-$ decays, which allow for significant cancellation of systematic uncertainties. The ratio $R$(K) is measured in the range 1.1 $\lt q^2 \lt$ 6.0 GeV$^2$, where $q$ is the invariant mass of the lepton pair, and is found to be $R$(K) = 0.78$^{+0.47}_{-0.23}$, in agreement with the standard model expectation $R$(K) $\approx$ 1. This measurement is limited by the statistical precision of the electron channel. The integrated branching fraction in the same $q^2$ range, $\mathcal{B}$(B$^{\pm}$$\to$ K$^{\pm}\mu^+\mu^-$) = (12.42 $\pm$ 0.68) $\times$ 10$^{-8}$, is consistent with the present world-average value and has a comparable precision.

A study of the anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson to vector bosons, including $CP$-violation effects, has been conducted using its production and decay in the WW channel. This analysis is performed on proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC during 2016-2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The different-flavor dilepton (e$\mu$) final state is analyzed, with dedicated categories targeting gluon fusion, electroweak vector boson fusion, and associated production with a W or Z boson. Kinematic information from associated jets is combined using matrix element techniques to increase the sensitivity to anomalous effects at the production vertex. A simultaneous measurement of four Higgs boson couplings to electroweak vector bosons is performed in the framework of a standard model effective field theory. All measurements are consistent with the expectations for the standard model Higgs boson and constraints are set on the fractional contribution of the anomalous couplings to the Higgs boson production cross section.

A search is described for the production of a pair of bottom-type vector-like quarks (B VLQs) with mass greater than 1000 GeV. Each B VLQ decays into a b quark and a Higgs boson, a b quark and a Z boson, or a t quark and a W boson. This analysis considers both fully hadronic final states and those containing a charged lepton pair from a Z boson decay. The products of the H $to$ bb boson decay and of the hadronic Z or W boson decays can be resolved as two distinct jets or merged into a single jet, so the final states are classified by the number of reconstructed jets. The analysis uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC from 2016 to 2018. No excess over the expected background is observed. Lower limits are set on the B VLQ mass at 95% confidence level. These depend on the B VLQ branching fractions and are 1570 and 1540 GeV for 100% B $\to$ bH and 100% B $\to$ bZ, respectively. In most cases, the mass limits obtained exceed previous limits by at least 100 GeV.

A search for long-lived particles (LLPs) decaying in the CMS muon detectors is presented. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ recorded at the LHC in 2016-2018, is used. The decays of LLPs are reconstructed as high multiplicity clusters of hits in the muon detectors. In the context of twin Higgs models, the search is sensitive to LLP masses from 0.4 to 55 GeV and a broad range of LLP decay modes, including decays to hadrons, $\tau$ leptons, electrons, or photons. No excess of events above the standard model background is observed. The most stringent limits to date from LHC data are set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to a pair of LLPs with masses below 10 GeV. This search also provides the best limits for various intervals of LLP proper decay length and mass. Finally, this search sets the first limits at the LHC on a dark quantum chromodynamic sector whose particles couple to the Higgs boson through gluon, Higgs boson, photon, vector, and dark-photon portals, and is sensitive to branching fractions of the Higgs boson to dark quarks as low as 2$\times$10$^{-3}$.

A search is presented for new Higgs bosons in proton-proton (pp) collision events in which a same-sign top quark pair is produced in association with a jet, via the pp $\to$ tH/A $\to$ t$\mathrm{\bar{t}}$c and pp $\to$ tH/A $\to$ t$\mathrm{\bar{t}}$u processes. Here, H and A represent the extra scalar and pseudoscalar boson, respectively, of the second Higgs doublet in the generalized two-Higgs-doublet model (g2HDM). The search is based on pp collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Final states with a same-sign lepton pair in association with jets and missing transverse momentum are considered. New Higgs bosons in the 200-1000 GeV mass range and new Yukawa couplings between 0.1 and 1.0 are targeted in the search, for scenarios in which either H or A appear alone, or in which they coexist and interfere. No significant excess above the standard model prediction is observed. Exclusion limits are derived in the context of the g2HDM.

A search for the lepton flavor violating $\tau \to $ 3$\mu$ decay is performed using proton-proton collision events at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2017-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 97.7 fb$^{-1}$. Tau leptons produced in both heavy-flavor hadron and W boson decays are exploited in the analysis. No evidence for the decay is observed. The results of this search are combined with an earlier null result based on data collected in 2016 to obtain a total integrated luminosity of 131 fb$^{-1}$. The observed (expected) upper limits on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$($\tau \to $ 3$\mu$) at confidence levels of 90 and 95% are 2.9$\times$10$^{-8}$ (2.4$\times$10$^{-8}$) and 3.6$\times$10$^{-8}$ (3.0$\times$10$^{-8}$), respectively.

Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in proton-proton collisions in the final state with a single, high transverse momentum lepton; multiple jets, including at least one b-tagged jet; and large missing transverse momentum. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search focuses on processes leading to high jet multiplicities, such as gluino pair production with gluinos to t t-bar neutralino[1]. The quantity M[J], defined as the sum of the masses of the large-radius jets in the event, is used in conjunction with other kinematic variables to provide discrimination between signal and background and as a key part of the background estimation method. The observed event yields in the signal regions in data are consistent with those expected for standard model backgrounds, estimated from control regions in data. Exclusion limits are obtained for a simplified model corresponding to gluino pair production with three-body decays into top quarks and neutralinos. Gluinos with a mass below 1600 GeV are excluded at a 95% confidence level for scenarios with low neutralino[1] mass, and neutralinos with a mass below 800 GeV are excluded for a gluino mass of about 1300 GeV. For models with two-body gluino decays producing on-shell top squarks, the excluded region is only weakly sensitive to the top squark mass.

A search for the lepton-flavor violating decay of the Higgs boson and potential additional Higgs bosons with a mass in the range 110-160 GeV to an e$^{\pm}\mu^{\mp}$ pair is presented. The search is performed with a proton-proton collision dataset at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. No excess is observed for the Higgs boson. The observed (expected) upper limit on the e$^{\pm}\mu^{\mp}$ branching fraction for it is determined to be 4.4 (4.7) $\times$ 10$^{-5}$ at 95% confidence level, the most stringent limit set thus far from direct searches. The largest excess of events over the expected background in the full mass range of the search is observed at an e$^{\pm}\mu^{\mp}$ invariant mass of approximately 146 GeV with a local (global) significance of 3.8 (2.8) standard deviations.

A search for a light charged Higgs boson (H$^+$) decaying to a W boson and a CP-odd Higgs boson (A) in final states with e$\mu\mu$ or $\mu\mu\mu$ is performed using data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV, recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. In this search, it is assumed that the H$^+$ boson is produced in decays of top quarks, and the A boson decays to two oppositely charged muons. The presence of signals for H$^+$ boson masses between 100 and 160 GeV and A boson masses between 15 and 75 GeV is investigated. No evidence for the production of the H$^+$ boson is found. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are obtained on the combined branching fraction for the decay chain t $\to$ bH$^+$ $\to$ bW$^+$A $\to$ bW$^+\mu^+\mu^-$, of 1.9 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ to 8.6 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$, depending on the masses of the H$^+$ and A bosons. These are the first limits for these decay modes of the H$^+$ and A bosons.

Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in the final state with multiple jets and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV collected with the CMS detector in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, representing essentially the full LHC Run 2 data sample. The analysis is performed in a four-dimensional search region defined in terms of the number of jets, the number of tagged bottom quark jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, and the magnitude of the vector sum of jet transverse momenta. No significant excess in the event yield is observed relative to the expected background contributions from standard model processes. Limits on the pair production of gluinos and squarks are obtained in the framework of simplified models for supersymmetric particle production and decay processes. Assuming the lightest supersymmetric particle to be a neutralino, lower limits on the gluino mass as large as 2000 to 2310 GeV are obtained at 95% confidence level, while lower limits on the squark mass as large as 1190 to 1630 GeV are obtained, depending on the production scenario.

A search for long-lived particles decaying in the outer regions of the CMS silicon tracker or in the calorimeters is presented. The search is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. A novel technique, using trackless and out-of-time jet information combined in a deep neural network discriminator, is employed to identify decays of long-lived particles. The results are interpreted in a simplified model of chargino-neutralino production, where the neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle, is long-lived, and decays to a gravitino and either a Higgs or Z boson. This search is most sensitive to neutralino proper decay lengths of approximately 0.5 m, for which masses up to 1.18 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. The current search is the best result to date in the mass range from the kinematic limit imposed by the Higgs mass up to 1.8 TeV.

A search for heavy resonances decaying to a pair of Z bosons is performed using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Events are selected by requiring two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons), consistent with the decay of a Z boson, and large missing transverse momentum, which is interpreted as arising from the decay of a second Z boson to two neutrinos. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The hypothesis of a spin-2 bulk graviton (X) decaying to a pair of Z bosons is examined for 600 $\le m_\mathrm{X} \le$ 2500 GeV and upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction of X $\to$ ZZ ranging from 100 to 4 fb. For bulk graviton models characterized by a curvature scale parameter $\tilde{k} =$ 0.5 in the extra dimension, the region $m_\mathrm{X} < $ 800 GeV is excluded, providing the most stringent limit reported to date. Variations of the model considering the possibility of a wide resonance produced exclusively via gluon-gluon fusion or $\mathrm{q}\overline{\mathrm{q}}$ annihilation are also examined.

Results are reported from a search for physics beyond the standard model in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV. The search uses a signature of a single lepton, large jet and bottom quark jet multiplicities, and high sum of large-radius jet masses, without any requirement on the missing transverse momentum in an event. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. No significant excess beyond the prediction from standard model processes is observed. The results are interpreted in terms of upper limits on the production cross section for $R$-parity violating supersymmetric extensions of the standard model using a benchmark model of gluino pair production, in which each gluino decays promptly via $ {\mathrm{\widetilde{g}}} \rightarrow \mathrm{t} \mathrm{b} \mathrm{s} $. Gluinos with a mass below 1610 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.

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.

A search for physics beyond the standard model (SM) in final states with an electron or muon and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016–2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. No significant deviation from the SM prediction is observed. Model-independent limits are set on the production cross section of W’ bosons decaying into lepton-plus-neutrino final states. Within the framework of the sequential standard model, with the combined results from the electron and muon decay channels a W’ boson with mass less than 5.7 TeV is excluded at 95% confidence level. Results on a SM precision test, the determination of the oblique electroweak W parameter, are presented using LHC data for the first time. These results together with those from the direct W’ resonance search are used to extend existing constraints on composite Higgs scenarios. This is the first experimental exclusion on compositeness parameters using results from LHC data other than Higgs boson measurements.

A search is presented for high-mass exclusive diphoton production via photon-photon fusion in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV in events where both protons survive the interaction. The analysis utilizes data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 103 fb$^{-1}$ collected in 2016-2018 with the central CMS detector and the CMS and TOTEM precision proton spectrometer (PPS). Events that have two photons with high transverse momenta ($p_\mathrm{T}^\gamma > $ 100 GeV), back-to-back in azimuth, and with a large diphoton invariant mass ($m_{\gamma\gamma} \gt$ 350 GeV) are selected. To remove the dominant inclusive diphoton backgrounds, the kinematic properties of the protons detected in PPS are required to match those of the central diphoton system. Only events having opposite-side forward protons detected with a fractional momentum loss between 0.035 and 0.15 (0.18) for the detectors on the negative (positive) side of CMS are considered. One exclusive diphoton candidate is observed for an expected background of 1.1 events. Limits at 95% confidence level are derived for the four-photon anomalous coupling parameters $\lvert\zeta_1\rvert \lt$ 0.073 TeV$^{-4}$ and $\lvert\zeta_2\rvert \lt$ 0.15 TeV$^{-4}$, using an effective field theory. Additionally, upper limits are placed on the production of axion-like particles with coupling strength to photons $f^{-1}$ that varies from 0.03 TeV$^{-1}$ to 1 TeV$^{-1}$ over the mass range from 500 to 2000 GeV.

Results of a search for nonresonant production of Higgs boson pairs, with each Higgs boson decaying to a $\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ pair are presented. This search uses data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. No signal is observed, and a 95% confidence level upper limit of 847 fb is set on the cross section for standard model nonresonant Higgs boson pair production times the squared branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to a $\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ pair. The same signature is studied, and upper limits are set, in the context of models of physics beyond the standard model that predict modified couplings of the Higgs boson.

The production of Z boson pairs in proton-proton (pp) collisions, pp $\to$ (Z/$\gamma^*$)(Z/$\gamma^*$) $\to$ 2$\ell$ 2$\ell'$, where $\ell,\ell'$ = e or $\mu$, is studied at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$, collected during 2016-2018. The ZZ production cross section, $\sigma_{\text{tot}}$ (pp $\to$ ZZ) = 17.2 $\pm$ 0.3 (stat) $\pm$ 0.5 (syst) $\pm$ 0.4 (theo) $\pm$ 0.3 (lumi) pb, measured for events with two pairs of opposite-sign, same-flavor leptons produced in the mass region 60 $\lt$ $m_{\ell^+\ell^-}$ $\lt $ 120 GeV is consistent with standard model predictions. Differential cross sections are also measured and agree with theoretical predictions. The invariant mass distribution of the four-lepton system is used to set limits on anomalous ZZZ and ZZ$\gamma$ couplings.