More Like this

1. Search for light Higgs bosons from supersymmetric cascade decays in $$\text {pp}$$ collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,\textrm{TeV}$$

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11581-0  

   Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Andrejkovic, J. W.; Bergauer, T.; Chatterjee, S.; Damanakis, K.; Dragicevic, M.; Valle, A. Escalante; Frühwirth, R.; Jeitler, M.; et al (July 2023, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract A search is reported for pairs of light Higgs bosons ($${\textrm{H}} _1$$ ${\text{H}}_1$) produced in supersymmetric cascade decays in final states with small missing transverse momentum. A data set of LHC$$\hbox {pp}$$ $\text{pp}$collisions collected with the CMS detector at$$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {TeV} $$ $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ ${\text{fb}}^{-1}$is used. The search targets events where both$${\textrm{H}} _1$$ ${\text{H}}_1$bosons decay into Equation missing<#comment/>pairs that are reconstructed as large-radius jets using substructure techniques. No evidence is found for an excess of events beyond the background expectations of the standard model (SM). Results from the search are interpreted in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric extension of the SM, where a “singlino” of small mass leads to squark and gluino cascade decays that can predominantly end in a highly Lorentz-boosted singlet-like$${\textrm{H}} _1$$ ${\text{H}}_1$and a singlino-like neutralino of small transverse momentum. Upper limits are set on the product of the squark or gluino pair production cross section and the square of the Equation missing<#comment/>branching fraction of the$${\textrm{H}} _1$$ ${\text{H}}_1$in a benchmark model containing almost mass-degenerate gluinos and light-flavour squarks. Under the assumption of an SM-like Equation missing<#comment/>branching fraction,$${\textrm{H}} _1$$ ${\text{H}}_1$bosons with masses in the range 40–120$$\,\text {GeV}$$ $\text{GeV}$arising from the decays of squarks or gluinos with a mass of 1200–2500$$\,\text {GeV}$$ $\text{GeV}$are excluded at 95% confidence level. 

   more » « less
2. Measurements of Higgs boson production in the decay channel with a pair of $$\uptau $$ leptons in proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11452-8  

   Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Andrejkovic, J. W.; Bergauer, T.; Chatterjee, S.; Damanakis, K.; Dragicevic, M.; Valle, A. Escalante; Frühwirth, R.; Jeitler, M.; et al (July 2023, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract Measurements of Higgs boson production, where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of$$\uptau $$ $\tau$leptons, are presented, using a sample of proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of Equation missing<#comment/>, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ ${\text{fb}}^{-1}$. Three analyses are presented. Two are targeting Higgs boson production via gluon fusion and vector boson fusion: a neural network based analysis and an analysis based on an event categorization optimized on the ratio of signal over background events. These are complemented by an analysis targeting vector boson associated Higgs boson production. Results are presented in the form of signal strengths relative to the standard model predictions and products of cross sections and branching fraction to$$\uptau $$ $\tau$leptons, in up to 16 different kinematic regions. For the simultaneous measurements of the neural network based analysis and the analysis targeting vector boson associated Higgs boson production signal strengths are found to be$$0.82\pm 0.11$$ $0.82\pm 0.11$for inclusive Higgs boson production,$$0.67\pm 0.19$$ $0.67\pm 0.19$($$0.81\pm 0.17$$ $0.81\pm 0.17$) for the production mainly via gluon fusion (vector boson fusion), and$$1.79\pm 0.45$$ $1.79\pm 0.45$for vector boson associated Higgs boson production. 

   more » « less
3. Measurements of the Higgs boson production cross section and couplings in the W boson pair decay channel in proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {Te\hspace{-.08em}V} $$

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11632-6  

   Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Andrejkovic, J. W.; Bergauer, T.; Chatterjee, S.; Damanakis, K.; Dragicevic, M.; Escalante Del Valle, A.; Hussain, P. S.; Jeitler, M.; et al (July 2023, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract Production cross sections of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a pair of W bosons are measured in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13$$\,\text {Te\hspace{-.08em}V}$$ $\text{Te}\text{V}$. The analysis targets Higgs bosons produced via gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and in association with a W or Z boson. Candidate events are required to have at least two charged leptons and moderate missing transverse momentum, targeting events with at least one leptonically decaying W boson originating from the Higgs boson. Results are presented in the form of inclusive and differential cross sections in the simplified template cross section framework, as well as couplings of the Higgs boson to vector bosons and fermions. The data set collected by the CMS detector during 2016–2018 is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ ${\text{fb}}^{-1}$. The signal strength modifier$$\mu $$ $\mu$, defined as the ratio of the observed production rate in a given decay channel to the standard model expectation, is measured to be$$\mu = 0.95^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$$ $\mu =0.{95}_{-0.09}^{+0.10}$. All results are found to be compatible with the standard model within the uncertainties. 

   more » « less
4. Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of pseudoscalars in the $$\upmu \upmu \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ and $$\uptau \uptau \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ final states

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-12727-4  

   Hayrapetyan, A; Tumasyan, A; Adam, W; Andrejkovic, J W; Bergauer, T; Chatterjee, S; Damanakis, K; Dragicevic, M; Del_Valle, A Escalante; Hussain, P S; et al (May 2024, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson ($$\text {H}$$ $\text{H}$) with a mass of 125$$\,\text {Ge}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V}$$ $\text{Ge}\text{V}$to a pair of light pseudoscalars$$\text {a}_{1} $$ ${\text{a}}_1$is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two$${\textrm{b}}$$ $\text{b}$quarks and the other to a pair of muons or$$\tau $$ $\tau$leptons. A data sample of proton–proton collisions at$$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {Te}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V} $$ $\sqrt{s}=13\text{Te}\text{V}$corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ ${\text{fb}}^{-1}$recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level ($$\text {CL}$$ $\text{CL}$) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to$$\upmu \upmu \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ $\mu \mu \text{b}\text{b}$and to$$\uptau \uptau \text{ b } \text{ b },$$ $\tau \tau \text{b}\text{b},$via a pair of$$\text {a}_{1} $$ ${\text{a}}_1$s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass$$m_{\text {a}_{1}}$$ $m_{{\text{a}}_1}$and are observed to be in the range (0.17–3.3) $$\times 10^{-4}$$ $\times {10}^{-4}$and (1.7–7.7) $$\times 10^{-2}$$ $\times {10}^{-2}$in the$$\upmu \upmu \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ $\mu \mu \text{b}\text{b}$and$$\uptau \uptau \text{ b } \text{ b } $$ $\tau \tau \text{b}\text{b}$final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine upper limits on the branching fraction$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} \rightarrow \ell \ell \text{ b } \text{ b})$$ $B(\text{H}\to {\text{a}}_1{\text{a}}_1\to \ell \ell \text{b}\text{b})$at 95%$$\text {CL}$$ $\text{CL}$, with$$\ell $$ $\ell$being a muon or a$$\uptau $$ $\tau$lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} )$$ $B(\text{H}\to {\text{a}}_1{\text{a}}_1)$are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space,$${\mathcal {B}}(\text {H} \rightarrow \text {a}_{1} \text {a}_{1} )$$ $B(\text{H}\to {\text{a}}_1{\text{a}}_1)$values above 0.23 are excluded at 95%$$\text {CL}$$ $\text{CL}$for$$m_{\text {a}_{1}}$$ $m_{{\text{a}}_1}$values between 15 and 60$$\,\text {Ge}\hspace{-.08em}\text {V}$$ $\text{Ge}\text{V}$. 

   more » « less
5. JUNO sensitivity to invisible decay modes of neutrons

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13638-0  

   Abusleme, Angel; Adam, Thomas; Adamowicz, Kai; Ahmad, Shakeel; Ahmed, Rizwan; Aiello, Sebastiano; An, Fengpeng; An, Qi; Andronico, Giuseppe; Anfimov, Nikolay; et al (January 2025, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract We explore the decay of bound neutrons in the JUNO liquid scintillator detector into invisible particles (e.g.,$$n\rightarrow 3 \nu $$ $n\to 3\nu$or$$nn \rightarrow 2 \nu $$ $nn\to 2\nu$), which do not produce an observable signal. The invisible decay includes two decay modes:$$ n \rightarrow { inv} $$ $n\to \mathrm{inv}$and$$ nn \rightarrow { inv} $$ $nn\to \mathrm{inv}$. The invisible decays ofs-shell neutrons in$$^{12}\textrm{C}$$ $_{}^{12}\text{C}$will leave a highly excited residual nucleus. Subsequently, some de-excitation modes of the excited residual nuclei can produce a time- and space-correlated triple coincidence signal in the JUNO detector. Based on a full Monte Carlo simulation informed with the latest available data, we estimate all backgrounds, including inverse beta decay events of the reactor antineutrino$${\bar{\nu }}_e$$ ${\overline{\nu }}_e$, natural radioactivity, cosmogenic isotopes and neutral current interactions of atmospheric neutrinos. Pulse shape discrimination and multivariate analysis techniques are employed to further suppress backgrounds. With two years of exposure, JUNO is expected to give an order of magnitude improvement compared to the current best limits. After 10 years of data taking, the JUNO expected sensitivities at a 90% confidence level are$$\tau /B( n \rightarrow { inv} ) > 5.0 \times 10^{31} \, \textrm{years}$$ $\tau /B(n\to \mathrm{inv})>5.0\times {10}^{31}\text{years}$and$$\tau /B( nn \rightarrow { inv} ) > 1.4 \times 10^{32} \, \textrm{years}$$ $\tau /B(nn\to \mathrm{inv})>1.4\times {10}^{32}\text{years}$. 

   more » « less