A search for exclusive or quasi-exclusive gamma gamma to W+W- production, via pp to p(*) W+W- p(*) to p(*) mu+/- e-/+ at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, is reported using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. Events are selected by requiring the presence of an electron-muon pair with large transverse momentum pt(mu+/- e-/+) > 30 GeV, and no associated charged particles detected from the same vertex. The 8 TeV results are combined with the previous 7 TeV results (obtained for 5.05 inverse femtobarns of data). In the signal region, 13 (2) events are observed over an expected background of 3.9 +/- 0.6 (0.84 +/-0.15) events for 8 (7) TeV, resulting in a combined excess of 3.4 standard deviations over the background-only hypothesis. The observed yields and kinematic distributions are compatible with the standard model prediction for exclusive and quasi-exclusive gamma gamma to W+W- production. Upper limits on the anomalous quartic gauge coupling operators a[W;0,C] (dimension-6) and f[M0,1,2,3] (dimension-8), the most stringent to date, are derived from the measured dilepton transverse momentum spectrum.

For the first time at LHC energies, the forward rapidity gap spectra from proton-lead collisions for both proton and lead dissociation processes are presented. The analysis is performed over 10.4 units of pseudorapidity at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 8.16 TeV, almost 300 times higher than in previous measurements of diffractive production in proton-nucleus collisions. For lead dissociation processes, which correspond to the pomeron-lead event topology, the EPOS-LHC generator predictions are a factor of two below the data, but the model gives a reasonable description of the rapidity gap spectrum shape. For the pomeron-proton topology, the EPOS-LHC, QGSJET II, and HIJING predictions are all at least a factor of five lower than the data. The latter effect might be explained by a significant contribution of ultra-peripheral photoproduction events mimicking the signature of diffractive processes. These data may be of significant help in understanding the high energy limit of quantum chromodynamics and for modeling cosmic ray air showers.

The yields and average transverse momenta of pions, kaons, and antiprotons produced at the Fermilab p¯p collider at s=300, 540, 1000, and 1800 GeV are presented and compared with data from the energies reached at the CERN collider. We also present data on the dependence of average transverse momentum 〈pt〉 and particle ratios as a function of charged particle density dNcdη; data for particle densities as high as six times the average value, corresponding to a Bjorken energy density 6 GeV/fm3, are reported. These data are relevant to the search for quark-gluon phase of QCD.

The W+W- and ZZ production cross sections are measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC in data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 5.3 inverse femtobarns. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes W+W- to l' nu l'' nu and ZZ to 2l 2l', where l = e, mu and l'(l'') = e, mu, tau. The measured cross sections sigma(pp to W+W-) = 69.9 +/- 2.8 (stat.) +/- 5.6 (syst.) +/- 3.1 (lumi.) pb and sigma(pp to ZZ) = 8.4 +/- 1.0 (stat.) +/- 0.7 (syst.) +/- 0.4 (lumi.) pb, for both Z bosons produced in the mass region 60 < m[Z] < 120 GeV, are consistent with standard model predictions. These are the first measurements of the diboson production cross sections at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV.

Measurements are reported of the WZ and ZZ production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV in final states where one Z boson decays to b-tagged jets. The other gauge boson, either W or Z, is detected through its leptonic decay (either $W \to e\nu, \mu\nu$ or $Z \to e^+ e^-, \mu^+ \mu^-$, or $\nu\bar{\nu})$. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 18.9 inverse-femtobarns collected with the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measured cross sections, $\sigma(pp \to WZ)$ = 30.7 $\pm$ 9.3 (stat.) $\pm$ 7.1 (syst.) $\pm$ 4.1 (th.) $\pm$ 1.0 (lum.) pb and $\sigma(pp \to ZZ)$ = 6.5 $\pm$ 1.7 (stat.) $\pm$ 1.0 (syst.) $\pm$ 0.9 (th.) $\pm$ 0.2 (lum.) pb, are consistent with next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics calculations.

A measurement is presented of differential cross sections for the Higgs boson (H) production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The analysis exploits the H to gamma gamma decay in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The cross section is measured as a function of the kinematic properties of the diphoton system and of the associated jets. Results corrected for detector effects are compared with predictions at next-to-leading order and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, as well as with predictions beyond the standard model. For isolated photons with pseudorapidities abs(eta) < 2.5, and with the photon of largest and next-to-largest transverse momentum (pt[gamma]) divided by the diphoton mass m[gamma-gamma] satisfying the respective conditions of pt[gamma] / m[gamma-gamma] > 1/3 and > 1/4, the total fiducial cross section is 32 +/- 10 fb.

A measurement is presented of the cross section for the electroweak production of a W boson in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data set was collected with the CMS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.3 inverse femtobarns. The measured fiducial cross section for W bosons decaying to electrons or muons and for pT(j1) > 60 GeV, pT(j2) > 50 GeV, |eta(j)| < 4.7, and m(jj) > 1000 GeV is 0.42 +/- 0.04 (stat) +/- 0.09 (syst) +/- 0.01 (lumi) pb. This result is consistent with the standard model leading-order prediction of 0.50 +/- 0.02 (scale) +/- 0.02 (PDF) pb obtained with MADGRAPH5_aMC@NLO 2.1 interfaced to PYTHIA 6.4. This is the first cross section measurement for this process.

A measurement of electroweak-induced production of W gamma and two jets is performed, where the W boson decays leptonically. The data used in the analysis correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns collected by the CMS experiment in sqrt(s) = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions produced at the LHC. Candidate events are selected with exactly one muon or electron, missing transverse momentum, one photon, and two jets with large rapidity separation. An excess over the hypothesis of the standard model without electroweak production of W gamma with two jets is observed with a significance of 2.7 standard deviations. The cross section measured in the fiducial region is 10.8 +/- 4.1 (stat) +/- 3.4 (syst) +/- 0.3 (lumi) fb, which is consistent with the standard model electroweak predictions. The total cross section for W gamma production in association with 2 jets in the same fiducial region is measured to be 23.2 +/- 4.3 (stat) +/- 1.7 (syst) +/- 0.6 (lumi) fb, which is consistent with the standard model prediction from the combination of electroweak- and quantum chromodynamics-induced processes. No deviations are observed from the standard model predictions and experimental limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings f[M, 0-7] / Lambda^4, f[T, 0-2] / Lambda^4, and f[T, 5-7] / Lambda^4 are set at 95% confidence level.

A measurement of total and fiducial inclusive W and Z boson production cross sections in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV is presented. Electron and muon final states are analyzed in a data sample collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 18.2 +/- 0.5 inverse-picobarns. The measured total inclusive cross sections times branching fractions are $\sigma(pp \to WX) \times B(W \to l\nu)$ = 12.21 +/- 0.03 (stat) +/- 0.24 (syst) +/- 0.32 (lum) nb, and $\sigma(pp \to ZX) \times B(Z \to l^{+}l^{-})$ = 1.15 +/- 0.01 (stat) +/- 0.02 (syst) +/- 0.03 (lum) nb, for the dilepton mass in the range of 60 to 120 GeV. The measured values agree with next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD cross section calculations. Ratios of cross sections are reported with a precision of 2%. This is the first measurement of inclusive W and Z boson production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV.

The consistency of the spin correlation strength in top quark pair production with the standard model (SM) prediction is tested in the muon + jets final state. The events are selected from pp collisions, collected by the CMS detector, at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The data are compared with the expectation for the spin correlation predicted by the SM and with the expectation of no correlation. Using a template fit method, the fraction of events that show SM spin correlations is measured to be 0.72 +/- 0.08 (stat) +0.15 -0.13 (syst), representing the most precise measurement of this quantity in the lepton + jets final state to date.