A search is presented for decays beyond the standard model of the 125 GeV Higgs bosons to a pair of light bosons, based on models with extended scalar sectors. Light boson masses between 5 and 62.5 GeV are probed in final states containing four tau leptons, two muons and two b quarks, or two muons and two tau leptons. The results are from data in proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, accumulated by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. No evidence for such exotic decays is found in the data. Upper limits are set on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for several signal processes. The results are also compared to predictions of two-Higgs-doublet models, including those with an additional scalar singlet.
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.
The spectra of charged particles produced within the pseudorapidity window abs(eta) < 1 at sqrt(s[NN]) = 5.02 TeV are measured using 404 inverse microbarns of PbPb and 27.4 inverse picobarns of pp data collected by the CMS detector at the LHC in 2015. The spectra are presented over the transverse momentum ranges spanning 0.5 < pt < 400 GeV in pp and 0.7 < pt < 400 GeV in PbPb collisions. The corresponding nuclear modification factor, R[AA], is measured in bins of collision centrality. The R[AA] in the 5% most central collisions shows a maximal suppression by a factor of 7-8 in the pt region of 6-9 GeV. This dip is followed by an increase, which continues up to the highest pt measured, and approaches unity in the vicinity of pt = 200 GeV. The R[AA] is compared to theoretical predictions and earlier experimental results at lower collision energies. The newly measured pp spectrum is combined with the pPb spectrum previously published by the CMS Collaboration to construct the pPb nuclear modification factor, R[pA], up to 120 GeV. For pt > 20 GeV, R[pA] exhibits weak momentum dependence and shows a moderate enhancement above unity.
A measurement is presented of the associated production of a single top quark and a Z boson. The study uses data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Using final states with three leptons (electrons or muons), the tZq production cross section is measured to be $\sigma$(pp$\to$tZq$\to$Wb$\ell^+\ell^-$q) = $123 ^{+33}_{-31}$ (stat) $^{+29}_{-23}$ (syst) fb, where $\ell$ stands for electrons, muons, or $\tau$ leptons, with observed and expected significances of 3.7 and 3.1 standard deviations, respectively.
A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model, based on measurements of dijet angular distributions in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The observed distributions are found to be in agreement with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics that include electroweak corrections. Constraints are placed on models containing quark contact interactions, extra spatial dimensions, quantum black holes, or dark matter using the detector-level distributions. In a benchmark model where only left-handed quarks participate, contact interactions are excluded at the 95% confidence level up to a scale of 12.8 or 17.5 TeV, for destructive or constructive interference, respectively. The most stringent lower limits to date are set on the ultraviolet cutoff in the Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulos-Dvali model of extra dimensions. In the Giudice-Rattazzi-Wells convention, the cutoff scale is excluded up to 10.1 TeV. The production of quantum black holes is excluded for masses below 5.9 and 8.2 TeV, depending on the model. For the first time, lower limits between 2.0 and 4.6 TeV are set on the mass of a dark matter mediator for (axial-)vector mediators, for the universal quark coupling $g_\mathrm{q}\geq$ 1.
The production yields of Upsilon(1S), Upsilon(2S), and Upsilon(3S) quarkonium states are measured through their decays into muon pairs in the CMS detector, in PbPb and pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 2.76 TeV. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 166 inverse microbarns and 5.4 inverse picobarns for PbPb and pp collisions, respectively. Differential production cross sections are reported as functions of Upsilon rapidity y up to 2.4, and transverse momentum pT up to 20 GeV/c. A strong centrality-dependent suppression is observed in PbPb relative to pp collisions, by factors of up to approximately 2 and 8, for the Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) states, respectively. No significant dependence of this suppression is observed as a function of y or pT. The Upsilon(3S) state is not observed in PbPb collisions, which corresponds to a suppression for the centrality-integrated data by at least a factor of approximately 7 at a 95% confidence level. The observed suppression is in agreement with theoretical scenarios modeling the sequential melting of quarkonium states in a quark gluon plasma.
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.
The cross section for pair production of top quarks (t-tbar) with high transverse momenta is measured in pp collisions, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC with sqrt(s) = 8 TeV in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed using lepton+jets events, where one top quark decays semileptonically, while the second top quark decays to a hadronic final state. The hadronic decay is reconstructed as a single, large-radius jet, and identified as a top quark candidate using jet substructure techniques. The integrated cross section and the differential cross sections as a function of top quark pt and rapidity are measured at particle level within a fiducial region related to the detector-level requirements and at parton level. The particle-level integrated cross section is found to be sigma[t-tbar] = 0.499 +/- 0.035 (stat+syst) +/- 0.095 (theory) +/- 0.013 (lumi) pb for top quark pt > 400 GeV. The parton-level measurement is sigma[t-tbar] = 1.44 +/- 0.10 (stat+syst) +/- 0.29 (theory) +/- 0.04 (lumi) pb. The integrated and differential cross section results are compared to predictions from several event generators.
This Letter presents a search for new physics manifested as anomalous triple gauge boson couplings in WW and WZ diboson production in proton-proton collisions. The search is performed using events containing a W boson that decays leptonically and a W or Z boson whose decay products are merged into a single reconstructed jet. The data, collected at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19 inverse femtobarns. No evidence for anomalous triple gauge couplings is found and the following 95% confidence level limits are set on their values: lambda ([-0.011, 0.011]), Delta kappa[gamma] ([-0.044, 0.063]), and Delta g[1,Z] ([-0.0087, 0.024]). These limits are also translated into their effective field theory equivalents: c[WWW] / Lambda^2 ([-2.7, 2.7] TeV^{-2}), c[B] / Lambda^2 ([-14, 17] TeV^{-2}), and c[W] / Lambda^2 ([-2.0, 5.7] TeV^{-2}).
Searches for invisible decays of the Higgs boson are presented. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to integrated luminosities of 5.1, 19.7, and 2.3 inverse femtobarns at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, respectively. The search channels target Higgs boson production via gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and in association with a vector boson. Upper limits are placed on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to invisible particles, as a function of the assumed production cross sections. The combination of all channels, assuming standard model production, yields an observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction of 0.24 (0.23) at the 95% confidence level. The results are also interpreted in the context of Higgs-portal dark matter models.
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