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Creators/Authors contains: "Hovstad, Knut Anders"

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  1. Abstract A model based on a$$U(1)_{T^3_R}$$ U ( 1 ) T R 3 extension of the Standard Model can address the mass hierarchy between generations of fermions, explain thermal dark matter abundance, and the muon$$g - 2$$ g - 2 ,$$R_{(D)}$$ R ( D ) , and$$R_{(D^*)}$$ R ( D ) anomalies. The model contains a light scalar boson$$\phi '$$ ϕ and a heavy vector-like quark$$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u that can be probed at CERN’s large hadron collider (LHC). We perform a phenomenology study on the production of$$\phi '$$ ϕ and$${\chi }_u$$ χ u particles from proton–proton$$(\textrm{pp})$$ ( pp ) collisions at the LHC at$$\sqrt{s}=13.6$$ s = 13.6 TeV, primarily through$$g{-g}$$ g - g and$$t{-\chi _\textrm{u}}$$ t - χ u fusion. We work under a simplified model approach and directly take the$$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u and$$\phi '$$ ϕ masses as free parameters. We perform a phenomenological analysis considering$$\chi _\textrm{u}$$ χ u final states to b-quarks, muons, and neutrinos, and$$\phi '$$ ϕ decays to$$\mu ^+\mu ^-$$ μ + μ - . A machine learning algorithm is used to maximize the signal sensitivity, considering an integrated luminosity of 3000$$\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 . The proposed methodology can be a key mode for discovery over a large mass range, including low masses, traditionally considered difficult due to experimental constraints. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 1, 2026
  2. A<sc>bstract</sc> We present a detailed study concerning a new physics scenario involving four fermion operators of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio type characterized by a strong-coupling ultraviolet fixed point where composite particles are formed as bound states of elementary fermions at the scale$$ \Lambda =\mathcal{O}\left(\textrm{TeV}\right) $$ Λ = O TeV . After implementing the model in the Universal FeynRules Output format, we focus on the phenomenology of the scalar leptoquarks at the LHC and the High-Luminosity option. Leptoquark particles have undergone extensive scrutiny in the literature and experimental searches, primarily relying on pair production and, more recently, incorporating single, Drell-Yan t-channel, and lepton-induced processes. This study marks, for the first time, the examination of these production modes at varying jet multiplicities. Novel mechanisms emerge, enhancing the total production cross section. A global strategy is devised to capture all final state particles produced in association with leptoquarks or originating from their decay, which we termed “exclusive”, in an analogy to the nomenclature used in nuclear reactions. The assessment of the significance in current and future LHC runs, focusing on the case of a leptoquark coupling to a muon–cquark pair, reveals greater sensitivity compared to ongoing searches. Given this heightened discovery potential, we advocate the incorporation of exclusive leptoquark searches in future investigations at the LHC. 
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  3. Abstract Leptoquarks ($$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ s) are hypothetical particles that appear in various extensions of the Standard Model (SM), that can explain observed differences between SM theory predictions and experimental results. The production of these particles has been widely studied at various experiments, most recently at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and stringent bounds have been placed on their masses and couplings, assuming the simplest beyond-SM (BSM) hypotheses. However, the limits are significantly weaker for$$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ models with family non-universal couplings containing enhanced couplings to third-generation fermions. We present a new study on the production of a$$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ at the LHC, with preferential couplings to third-generation fermions, considering proton-proton collisions at$$\sqrt{s} = 13 \, \textrm{TeV}$$ s = 13 TeV and$$\sqrt{s} = 13.6 \, \textrm{TeV}$$ s = 13.6 TeV . Such a hypothesis is well motivated theoretically and it can explain the recent anomalies in the precision measurements of$$\textrm{B}$$ B -meson decay rates, specifically the$$R_{D^{(*)}}$$ R D ( ) ratios. Under a simplified model where the$$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ masses and couplings are free parameters, we focus on cases where the$$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ decays to a$$\tau $$ τ lepton and a$$\textrm{b}$$ b quark, and study how the results are affected by different assumptions about chiral currents and interference effects with other BSM processes with the same final states, such as diagrams with a heavy vector boson,$$\textrm{Z}^{\prime }$$ Z . The analysis is performed using machine learning techniques, resulting in an increased discovery reach at the LHC, allowing us to probe new physics phase space which addresses the$$\textrm{B}$$ B -meson anomalies, for$$\textrm{LQ}$$ LQ masses up to$$5.00\, \textrm{TeV}$$ 5.00 TeV , for the high luminosity LHC scenario. 
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  4. Abstract Despite the f0(980) hadron having been discovered half a century ago, the question about its quark content has not been settled: it might be an ordinary quark-antiquark ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}$$ q q ¯ ) meson, a tetraquark ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}{{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}$$ q q ¯ q q ¯ ) exotic state, a kaon-antikaon ($${{\rm{K}}}\overline{{{\rm{K}}}}$$ K K ¯ ) molecule, or a quark-antiquark-gluon ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}{{\rm{g}}}$$ q q ¯ g ) hybrid. This paper reports strong evidence that the f0(980) state is an ordinary$${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}$$ q q ¯ meson, inferred from the scaling of elliptic anisotropies (v2) with the number of constituent quarks (nq), as empirically established using conventional hadrons in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The f0(980) state is reconstructed via its dominant decay channel f0(980) →π+π, in proton-lead collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, and itsv2is measured as a function of transverse momentum (pT). It is found that thenq= 2 ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}$$ q q ¯ state) hypothesis is favored overnq= 4 ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}{{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}$$ q q ¯ q q ¯ or$${{\rm{K}}}\overline{{{\rm{K}}}}$$ K K ¯ states) by 7.7, 6.3, or 3.1 standard deviations in thepT< 10, 8, or 6 GeV/cranges, respectively, and overnq= 3 ($${{\rm{q}}}\overline{{{\rm{q}}}}{{\rm{g}}}$$ q q ¯ g hybrid state) by 3.5 standard deviations in thepT< 8 GeV/crange. This result represents the first determination of the quark content of the f0(980) state, made possible by using a novel approach, and paves the way for similar studies of other exotic hadron candidates. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 1, 2026
  5. A first search for beyond the standard model physics in jet multiplicity patterns of multilepton events is presented, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb 1 of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The search uses observed jet multiplicity distributions in one-, two-, and four-lepton events to explore possible enhancements in jet production rate in three-lepton events with and without bottom quarks. The data are found to be consistent with the standard model expectation. The results are interpreted in terms of supersymmetric production of electroweak chargino-neutralino superpartners with cascade decays terminating in prompt hadronic R -parity violating interactions. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 1, 2026
  6. A search for the rare decay D 0 μ + μ is reported using proton-proton collision events at s = 13.6 TeV collected by the CMS detector in 2022–2023, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 64.5 fb 1 . This is the first analysis to use a newly developed inclusive dimuon trigger, expanding the scope of the CMS flavor physics program. The search uses D 0 mesons obtained from D * + D 0 π + decays. No significant excess is observed. A limit on the branching fraction of B ( D 0 μ + μ ) < 2.4 × 10 9 at 95% confidence level is set. This is the most stringent upper limit set on any flavor changing neutral current decay in the charm sector. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2026
  7. A<sc>bstract</sc> A search for a heavy pseudoscalar Higgs boson, A, decaying to a 125 GeV Higgs boson h and a Z boson is presented. The h boson is identified via its decay to a pair of tau leptons, while the Z boson is identified via its decay to a pair of electrons or muons. The search targets the production of the A boson via the gluon-gluon fusion process, gg → A, and in association with bottom quarks,$$\text{b}\overline{\text{b}}\text{A }$$. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of$$\sqrt{s}=13$$TeV. Constraints are set on the product of the cross sections of the A production mechanisms and the A → Zh decay branching fraction. The observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level ranges from 0.049 (0.060) pb to 1.02 (0.79) pb for the gg → A process and from 0.053 (0.059) pb to 0.79 (0.61) pb for the$$\text{b}\overline{\text{b}}\text{A }$$process in the probed range of the A boson mass,mA, from 225 GeV to 1 TeV. The results of the search are used to constrain parameters within the$${\text{M}}_{\text{h},\text{EFT}}^{125}$$benchmark scenario of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Values of tanβbelow 2.2 are excluded in this scenario at 95% confidence level for allmAvalues in the range from 225 to 350 GeV. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2026
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