This Letter reports measurements of differential cross sections for the production of two Z bosons in association with jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 and 13 TeV. The analysis is based on data samples collected at the LHC with the CMS detector, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 19.7 and 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ at 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes ZZ $\to\ell^+ \ell^- \ell'^+ \ell'^-$, where $\ell,\ell' =$ e, $\mu$. The differential cross sections as a function of the jet multiplicity, the transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$, and pseudorapidity of the $p_\mathrm{T}$-leading and subleading jets are presented. In addition, the differential cross sections as a function of variables sensitive to the vector boson scattering, such as the invariant mass of the two $p_\mathrm{T}$-leading jets and their pseudorapidity separation, are reported. The results are compared to theoretical predictions and found in good agreement within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties.

The transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) distributions of $\Lambda$, $\Xi^-$, and $\Omega^-$ baryons, their antiparticles, and K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ mesons are measured in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV over a broad rapidity range. The data, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 40.2 nb$^{-1}$ and 15.6 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ for pp and pPb collisions, respectively, were collected by the CMS experiment. The nuclear modification factor $R_\mathrm{pPb}$, defined as the ratio of the particle yield in pPb collisions and a scaled pp reference, is measured for each particle. A strong dependence on particle species is observed in the $p_\mathrm{T}$ range from 2 to 7 GeV, where $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ for K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ is consistent with unity, while an enhancement ordered by strangeness content and/or particle mass is observed for the three baryons. In pPb collisions, the strange hadron production is asymmetric about the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass rapidity. Enhancements, which depend on the particle type, are observed in the direction of the Pb beam. The results are compared to predictions from EPOS LHC, which includes parametrized radial flow. The model is in qualitative agreement with the $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ data, but fails to describe the dependence on particle species in the yield asymmetries measured away from mid-rapidity in pPb collisions.

The pseudorapidity distributions of dijets as a function of their average transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}^\text{ave}$) are measured in proton-lead (pPb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions. The data samples were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. A significant modification of the pPb spectra with respect to the pp spectra is observed in all $p_\mathrm{T}^\text{ave}$ intervals investigated. The ratios of the pPb and pp distributions are compared to next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations with unbound nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs). These results give the first evidence that the gluon PDF at large Bjorken $x$ in lead ions is strongly suppressed with respect to the PDF in unbound nucleons.

Evidence for the light-by-light scattering process, $\gamma\gamma$ $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$, in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV is reported. The analysis is conducted using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 390 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Light-by-light scattering processes are selected in events with two photons exclusively produced, each with transverse energy E$_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma}$ $>$ 2 GeV, pseudorapidity $|\eta^{\gamma}|$ $\lt$ 2.4, diphoton invariant mass $m^{\gamma\gamma}$ $\gt$ 5 GeV, diphoton transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma\gamma}$ $\lt$ 1 GeV, and diphoton acoplanarity below 0.01. After all selection criteria are applied, 14 events are observed, compared to expectations of 9.0 $\pm$ 0.9 (theo) events for the signal and 4.0 $\pm$ 1.2 (stat) for the background processes. The excess observed in data relative to the background-only expectation corresponds to a significance of 3.7 standard deviations, and has properties consistent with those expected for the light-by-light scattering signal. The measured fiducial light-by-light scattering cross section, $\sigma_\mathrm{fid} (\gamma\gamma$ $\to$ $\gamma\gamma) =$ 120 $\pm$ 46 (stat) $\pm$ 28 (syst) $\pm$ 12 (theo) nb, is consistent with the standard model prediction. The $m^{\gamma\gamma}$ distribution is used to set new exclusion limits on the production of pseudoscalar axion-like particles, via the $\gamma\gamma$ $\to$ a $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$ process, in the mass range $m_{\mathrm{a}} =$ 5-90 GeV.

The observation of Higgs boson production in association with a top quark-antiquark pair is reported, based on a combined analysis of proton-proton collision data at center-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}=$ 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 5.1, 19.7, and 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The results of statistically independent searches for Higgs bosons produced in conjunction with a top quark-antiquark pair and decaying to pairs of W bosons, Z bosons, photons, $\tau$ leptons, or bottom quark jets are combined to maximize sensitivity. An excess of events is observed, with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations, over the expectation from the background-only hypothesis. The corresponding expected significance from the standard model for a Higgs boson mass of 125.09 GeV is 4.2 standard deviations. The combined best fit signal strength normalized to the standard model prediction is 1.26 ${^{+0.31}_{-0.26}}$.

The differential yields of charged particles having pseudorapidity within $|\eta|<$ 1 are measured using xenon-xenon (XeXe) collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.44 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.42 $\mu$b$^{-1}$, were collected in 2017 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The yields are reported as functions of collision centrality and transverse momentum, $p_\mathrm{T}$, from 0.5 to 100 GeV. A previously reported $p_\mathrm{T}$ spectrum from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV is used for comparison after correcting for the difference in center-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factors using this reference, $R_\mathrm{AA}^*$, are constructed and compared to previous measurements and theoretical predictions. In head-on collisions, the $R_\mathrm{AA}^*$ has a value of 0.17 in the $p_\mathrm{T}$ range of 6-8 GeV, but increases to approximately 0.7 at 100 GeV. Above $\approx$ 6 GeV, the XeXe data show a notably smaller suppression than previous results for lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV when compared at the same centrality (i.e., the same fraction of total cross section). However, the XeXe suppression is slightly greater than that for PbPb in events having a similar number of participating nucleons.

A search is presented for dark matter in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV using events with at least one high transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) muon, at least one high-$p_\mathrm{T}$ jet, and large missing transverse momentum. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2016 and 2017, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 77.4 fb$^{-1}$. In the examined scenario, a pair of scalar leptoquarks is assumed to be produced. One leptoquark decays to a muon and a jet while the other decays to dark matter and low-$p_\mathrm{T}$ standard model particles. The signature for signal events would be significant missing transverse momentum from the dark matter in conjunction with a peak at the leptoquark mass in the invariant mass distribution of the highest $p_\mathrm{T}$ muon and jet. The data are observed to be consistent with the background predicted by the standard model. For the first benchmark scenario considered, dark matter masses up to 500 GeV are excluded for leptoquark masses $M_\mathrm{LQ}$ $\approx$ 1400 GeV, and up to 300 GeV for $M_\mathrm{LQ}$ $\approx$ 1500 GeV. For the second benchmark scenario, dark matter masses up to 600 GeV are excluded for $M_\mathrm{LQ}$ $\approx$ 1400 GeV.

A search is presented for long-lived charged particles that decay within the CMS detector and produce the signature of a disappearing track. A disappearing track is an isolated track with missing hits in the outer layers of the silicon tracker, little or no energy in associated calorimeter deposits, and no associated hits in the muon detectors. This search uses data collected with the CMS detector in 2015 and 2016 from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38.4 fb$^{-1}$. The results of the search are interpreted in the context of the anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking model. The data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis. Limits are set on the product of the cross section for direct production of charginos and their branching fraction to a neutralino and a pion, as a function of the chargino mass and lifetime. At 95% confidence level, charginos with masses below 715 (695) GeV are excluded for a lifetime of 3 (7) ns, as are charginos with lifetimes from 0.5 to 60 ns for a mass of 505 GeV. These are the most stringent limits using a disappearing track signature on this signal model for chargino lifetimes above $\approx$ 0.7 ns.

A search for a heavy resonance decaying into a top quark and antiquark ($\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$) pair is performed using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The search uses the data set collected with the CMS detector in 2016, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis considers three exclusive final states and uses reconstruction techniques that are optimized for top quarks with high Lorentz boosts, which requires the use of nonisolated leptons and jet substructure techniques. No significant excess of events relative to the expected yield from standard model processes is observed. Upper limits on the production cross section of heavy resonances decaying to a $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ pair are calculated. Limits are derived for a leptophobic topcolor Z' resonance with widths of 1, 10, and 30%, relative to the mass of the resonance, and exclude masses up to 3.80, 5.25, and 6.65 TeV, respectively. Kaluza-Klein excitations of the gluon in the Randall-Sundrum model are excluded up to 4.55 TeV. To date, these are the most stringent limits on $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ resonances.

Measurements of $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ and $\mathrm{B}_\mathrm{s1}(5830)^0$ mesons are performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analysis studies $P$-wave $\mathrm{B}^0_\mathrm{S}$ meson decays into $\mathrm{B}^{(*)+}\mathrm{K}^-$ and $\mathrm{B}^{(*)0}\mathrm{K}^0_\mathrm{S}$, where the $\mathrm{B}^+$ and $\mathrm{B}^0$ mesons are identified using the decays $\mathrm{B}^+\to\mathrm{J}/\psi\,\mathrm{K}^+$ and $\mathrm{B}^0\to\mathrm{J}/\psi\,\mathrm{K}^*(892)^0$. The masses of the $P$-wave $\mathrm{B}^0_\mathrm{S}$ meson states are measured and the natural width of the $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ state is determined. The first measurement of the mass difference between the charged and neutral $\mathrm{B}^*$ mesons is also presented. The $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ decay to $\mathrm{B}^0\mathrm{K}^0_\mathrm{S}$ is observed, together with a measurement of its branching fraction relative to the $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0\to\mathrm{B}^+\mathrm{K}^-$ decay.