The observation of the $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0 \to$J/$\psi \Lambda \phi$ decay is reported using proton-proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 60 fb$^{-1}$. The ratio of the branching fractions $\mathcal{B}(\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0 \to$J/$\psi \Lambda \phi)/\mathcal{B}(\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0\to\psi \Lambda)$ is measured to be (8.26$\pm$0.90 (stat) $\pm$ 0.68 (syst) $\pm$ 0.11 $(\mathcal{B}))\times $10$^{-2}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the last uncertainty reflects the uncertainties in the world-average branching fractions of $\phi$ and $\psi$(2S) decays to the reconstructed final states.
A study of excited $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0$ baryons is reported, based on a data sample collected in 2016-2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 140 fb$^{-1}$. The existence of four excited $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0$ states: $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}$(5912)$^0$, $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}$(5920)$^0$, $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}$(6146)$^0$, and $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}$(6152)$^0$ in the $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0\pi^+\pi^-$ mass spectrum is confirmed, and their masses are measured. The $\Lambda_\mathrm{b}^0\pi^+\pi^-$ mass distribution exhibits a broad excess of events in the region of 6040-6100 MeV, whose origin cannot be discerned with the present data.
This paper presents a measurement of jet fragmentation functions in 0.49 nb$^{-1}$ of Pb+Pb collisions and 25 pb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV collected in 2015 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. These measurements provide insight into the jet quenching process in the quark-gluon plasma created in the aftermath of ultra-relativistic collisions between two nuclei. The modifications to the jet fragmentation functions are quantified by dividing the measurements in Pb+Pb collisions by baseline measurements in $pp$ collisions. This ratio is studied as a function of the transverse momentum of the jet, the jet rapidity, and the centrality of the collision. In both collision systems, the jet fragmentation functions are measured for jets with transverse momentum between 126 GeV and 398 GeV and with an absolute value of jet rapidity less than 2.1. An enhancement of particles carrying a small fraction of the jet momentum is observed, which increases with centrality and with increasing jet transverse momentum. Yields of particles carrying a very large fraction of the jet momentum are also observed to be enhanced. Between these two enhancements of the fragmentation functions a suppression of particles carrying an intermediate fraction of the jet momentum is observed in Pb+Pb collisions. A small dependence of the modifications on jet rapidity is observed.
Measurements of prompt $\psi$(2S) meson production cross sections in proton-lead (pPb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}}=$ 5.02 TeV are reported. The results are based on pPb and pp data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 34.6 nb$^{-1}$ and 28.0 pb$^{-1}$, respectively. The nuclear modification factor $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ is measured for prompt $\psi$(2S) in the transverse momentum range 4 $<$ p$_\mathrm{T}$ $<$ 30 GeV$/c$ and the center-of-mass rapidity range $-$2.4 $< y_\mathrm{cm} <$ 1.93. The results on $\psi$(2S) $R_\mathrm{pPb}$ are compared to the corresponding modification factor for prompt J$/\psi$ mesons and are found to be more suppressed than the J$/\psi$ states over the entire kinematic range studied.
A search is presented for a charged Higgs boson heavier than the top quark, produced in association with a top quark, or with a top and a bottom quark, and decaying into a top-bottom quark-antiquark pair. The search is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Events are selected by the presence of a single isolated charged lepton (electron or muon) or an opposite-sign dilepton (electron or muon) pair, categorized according to the jet multiplicity and the number of jets identified as originating from b quarks. Multivariate analysis techniques are used to enhance the discrimination between signal and background in each category. The data are compatible with the standard model, and 95% confidence level upper limits of 9.6-0.01 pb are set on the charged Higgs boson production cross section times branching fraction to a top-bottom quark-antiquark pair, for charged Higgs boson mass hypotheses ranging from 200 GeV to 3 TeV. The upper limits are interpreted in different minimal supersymmetric extensions of the standard model.
Jet substructure observables have significantly extended the search program for physics beyond the Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider. The state-of-the-art tools have been motivated by theoretical calculations, but there has never been a direct comparison between data and calculations of jet substructure observables that are accurate beyond leading-logarithm approximation. Such observables are significant not only for probing the collinear regime of QCD that is largely unexplored at a hadron collider, but also for improving the understanding of jet substructure properties that are used in many studies at the Large Hadron Collider. This Letter documents a measurement of the first jet substructure quantity at a hadron collider to be calculated at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm accuracy. The normalized, differential cross-section is measured as a function of log$_{10}\rho^2$, where $\rho$ is the ratio of the soft-drop mass to the ungroomed jet transverse momentum. This quantity is measured in dijet events from 32.9 fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector. The data are unfolded to correct for detector effects and compared to precise QCD calculations and leading-logarithm particle-level Monte Carlo simulations.
The differential cross sections for inclusive production of B+ hadrons are measured as a function of the B+ transverse momentum pT[B] and rapidity y[B] in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using data collected by the CMS experiment that correspond to an integrated luminosity of 49.4 inverse picobarns. The measurement uses the exclusive decay channel B+ to J/psi K+, with J/psi mesons that decay to a pair of muons. The results show a reasonable agreement with theoretical calculations within the uncertainties.
The problems of neutrino masses, matter-antimatter asymmetry, and dark matter could be successfully addressed by postulating right-handed neutrinos with Majorana masses below the electroweak scale. In this work, leptonic decays of $W$ bosons extracted from 32.9 fb$^{-1}$ to 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC are used to search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) that are produced through mixing with muon or electron neutrinos. The search is conducted using the ATLAS detector in both prompt and displaced leptonic decay signatures. The prompt signature requires three leptons produced at the interaction point (either $\mu\mu e$ or $e e\mu$) with a veto on same-flavour opposite-charge topologies. The displaced signature comprises a prompt muon from the $W$ boson decay and the requirement of a dilepton vertex (either $\mu\mu$ or $\mu e$) displaced in the transverse plane by 4-300 mm from the interaction point. The search sets constraints on the HNL mixing to muon and electron neutrinos for HNL masses in the range 4.5-50 GeV.
This paper presents measurements of charged-particle distributions sensitive to the properties of the underlying event in events containing a $Z$ boson decaying into a muon pair. The data were obtained using the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb$^{-1}$. Distributions of the charged-particle multiplicity and of the charged-particle transverse momentum are measured in regions of the azimuth defined relative to the $Z$ boson direction. The measured distributions are compared with the predictions of various Monte Carlo generators which implement different underlying-event models. The Monte Carlo model predictions qualitatively describe the data well, but with some significant discrepancies.
The polarizations of promptly produced $\chi_\mathrm{c1}$ and $\chi_\mathrm{c2}$ mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 8 TeV. The $\chi_\mathrm{c}$ states are reconstructed via their radiative decays $\chi_\mathrm{c}$ $\to$ $\mathrm{J}/\psi\, \gamma$, with the photons being measured through conversions to e$^+$e$^-$, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the $\chi_\mathrm{c2}$ to $\chi_\mathrm{c1}$ yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ $\to$ $\mu^+\mu^-$ decay, in three ranges of $\mathrm{J}/\psi$ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum.
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