Differential Higgs boson (H) production cross sections are sensitive probes for physics beyond the standard model. New physics may contribute in the gluon-gluon fusion loop, the dominant Higgs boson production mechanism at the LHC, and manifest itself through deviations from the distributions predicted by the standard model. Combined spectra for the H $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$, H $\to$ ZZ, and H $\to$ $\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ decay channels and the inclusive Higgs boson production cross section are presented, based on proton-proton collision data recorded with the CMS detector at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The transverse momentum spectrum is used to place limits on the Higgs boson couplings to the top, bottom, and charm quarks, as well as its direct coupling to the gluon field. No significant deviations from the standard model are observed in any differential distribution. The measured total cross section is 61.1 $\pm$ 6.0 (stat) $\pm$ 3.7 (syst) pb, and the precision of the measurement of the differential cross section of the Higgs boson transverse momentum is improved by about 15% with respect to the H $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$ channel alone.

The first direct, model-independent measurement is presented of the modulus of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements $|V_\mathrm{tb}|$, $|V_\mathrm{td}|$, and $|V_\mathrm{ts}|$, in final states enriched in single top quark $t$-channel events. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data from the LHC, collected during 2016 by the CMS experiment, at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Processes directly sensitive to these matrix elements are considered at both the production and decay vertices of the top quark. In the standard model hypothesis of CKM unitarity, a lower limit of $|V_\mathrm{tb}|$ $>$ 0.970 is measured at the 95% confidence level. Several theories beyond the standard model are considered, and by releasing all constraints among the involved parameters, the values $|V_\mathrm{tb}| =$ 0.988 $\pm$ 0.024, and $|V_\mathrm{td}|^2 + |V_\mathrm{ts}|^2 =$ 0.06 $\pm$ 0.06, where the uncertainties include both statistical and systematic components, are measured.

The ratios of the production cross sections between the excited $\Upsilon$(2S) and $\Upsilon$(3S) mesons and the $\Upsilon$(1S) ground state, detected via their decay into two muons, are studied as a function of the number of charged particles in the event. The data are from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Evidence of a decrease in these ratios as a function of the particle multiplicity is observed, more pronounced at low transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}^{\mu\mu}$. For $\Upsilon$(nS) mesons with $p_\mathrm{T}^{\mu\mu}$ $\gt$ 7 GeV, where most of the data were collected, the correlation with multiplicity is studied as a function of the underlying event transverse sphericity and the number of particles in a cone around the $\Upsilon$(nS) direction. The ratios are found to be multiplicity independent for jet-like events. The mean $p_\mathrm{T}^{\mu\mu}$ values for the $\Upsilon$(nS) states as a function of particle multiplicity are also measured and found to grow more steeply as their mass increases.

The transverse energy ($E_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma}$) spectra of photons isolated from other particles are measured using proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at the LHC at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV with integrated luminosities of 27.4 pb$^{-1}$and 404 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ for pp and PbPb data, respectively. The results are presented for photons with 25 $<$ $E_\mathrm{T}^{\gamma}$ $<$ 200 GeV in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|$ $<$ 1.44, and for different centrality intervals for PbPb collisions. Photon production in PbPb collisions is consistent with that in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, demonstrating that photons do not interact with the quark-gluon plasma. Therefore, isolated photons can provide information about the initial energy of the associated parton in photon+jet measurements. The results are compared with predictions from the next-to-leading-order JETPHOX generator for different parton distribution functions (PDFs) and nuclear PDFs (nPDFs). The comparisons can help to constrain the nPDFs global fits.

The transverse momentum spectra of D$^0$ mesons from b hadron decays are measured at midrapidity ($|y|$ $<$ $1$) in pp and PbPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center of mass energy of 5.02 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The D$^0$ mesons from b hadron decays are distinguished from prompt D$^0$ mesons by their decay topologies. In PbPb collisions, the B $\to$ D$^0$ yield is found to be suppressed in the measured $p_\mathrm{T}$ range from 2 to 100 GeV$/c$ as compared to pp collisions. The suppression is weaker than that of prompt D$^0$ mesons and charged hadrons for $p_\mathrm{T}$ around 10 GeV$/c$. While theoretical calculations incorporating partonic energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma can successfully describe the measured B $\to$ D$^0$ suppression at higher $p_\mathrm{T}$, the data show an indication of larger suppression than the model predictions in the range of 2 $\lt$ $p_\mathrm{T}$ $\lt$ 5 GeV$/c$.

A measurement of the elliptic flow ($v_2$) of prompt J/$\psi$ mesons in high-multiplicity pPb collisions is reported using data collected by the CMS experiment at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 8.16 TeV. Prompt J/$\psi$ mesons decaying into two muons are reconstructed in the rapidity region in the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass frame ($y_\mathrm{cm}$), corresponding to either $-$2.86 $\lt y_{\mathrm{cm}} <$ $-$1.86 or 0.94 $\lt y_{\mathrm{cm}} <$ 1.94. The average $v_2$ result from the two rapidity ranges is reported over the transverse momentum (p$_\mathrm{T}$) range from 0.2 to 10 GeV. Positive $v_2$ values are observed for the prompt J/$\psi$ meson, as extracted from long-range two-particle correlations with charged hadrons, for 2 $\lt p_{\mathrm{T}}<$ 8 GeV. The prompt J/$\psi$ results are compared with previous CMS measurements of elliptic flow for open charm mesons (D$^0$) and strange hadrons. From these measurements, constraints can be obtained on the collective dynamics of charm quarks produced in high-multiplicity events arising from small systems.

Measurements of the pseudorapidity distributions of charged hadrons produced in xenon-xenon collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.44 TeV are presented. The measurements are based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The yield of primary charged hadrons produced in xenon-xenon collisions in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|$ $<$ 3.2 is determined using the silicon pixel detector in the CMS tracking system. For the 5% most central collisions, the charged-hadron pseudorapidity density in the midrapidity region $|\eta|$ $<$ 0.5 is found to be 1187 $\pm$ 36 (syst), with a negligible statistical uncertainty. The rapidity distribution of charged hadrons is also presented in the range $|y|$ $<$ 3.2 and is found to be independent of rapidity around $y =$ 0. Existing Monte-Carlo event generators are unable to simultaneously describe both results. Comparisons of charged-hadron multiplicities between xenon-xenon and lead-lead collisions at similar collision energies show that particle production at midrapidity is strongly dependent on the collision geometry in addition to the system size and collision energy.

The modification of jet shapes in PbPb collisions, relative to those in pp collisions, is studied for jets associated with an isolated photon. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. Jet shapes are constructed from charged particles with track transverse momenta ($p_\mathrm{T}$) above 1 GeV/c in annuli around the axes of jets with $p^\mathrm{jet}_\mathrm{T}$ $>$ 30 GeV/c associated with an isolated photon with $p^\gamma_\mathrm{T}$ $>$ 60 GeV/c. The jet shape distributions are consistent between peripheral PbPb and pp collisions, but are modified for more central PbPb collisions. In these central PbPb events, a larger fraction of the jet momentum is observed at larger distances from the jet axis compared to pp, reflecting the interaction between the partonic medium created in heavy ion collisions and the traversing partons.

The first evidence for X(3872) production in relativistic heavy ion collisions is reported. The X(3872) production is studied in lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, using the decay chain X(3872) $\to$ J$/\psi\, \pi^+\pi^- \to$ $\mu^+\mu^-\pi^+\pi^-$. The data were recorded with the CMS detector in 2018 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb$^{-1}$. The measurement is performed in the rapidity and transverse momentum ranges $|y|$ $\lt$ 1.6 and 15 $\lt$ $p_\mathrm{T}$ $\lt$ 50 GeV$/c$. The significance of the inclusive X(3872) signal is 4.2 standard deviations. The prompt X(3872) to $\psi$(2S) yield ratio is found to be $\rho^\mathrm{PbPb} = $ 1.08 $\pm$ 0.49 (stat) $\pm$ 0.52 (syst), to be compared with typical values of 0.1 for pp collisions. This result provides a unique experimental input to theoretical models of the X(3872) production mechanism, and of the nature of this exotic state.

The elliptic azimuthal anisotropy coefficient ($v_2$) is measured for charm (D$^0$) and strange (K$_\mathrm{S}^0$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi^-$, and $\Omega^-$) hadrons, using a data sample of pPb collisions collected by the CMS experiment, at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}} =$ 8.16 TeV. A significant positive $v_2$ signal from long-range azimuthal correlations is observed for all particle species in high-multiplicity pPb collisions. The measurement represents the first observation of possible long-range collectivity for open heavy flavor hadrons in small systems. The results suggest that charm quarks have a smaller $v_2$ than the lighter quarks, probably reflecting a weaker collective behavior. This effect is not seen in the larger PbPb collision system at $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}} =$ 5.02 TeV, also presented.