Search for: All records

Measurements of the associated production of a W boson and a charm ($${\text {c}}$$$\text{c}$) quark in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8$$\,\text {TeV}$$$\text{TeV}$are reported. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 19.7$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$${\text{fb}}^{-1}$collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. The W bosons are identified through their leptonic decays to an electron or a muon, and a neutrino. Charm quark jets are selected using distinctive signatures of charm hadron decays. The product of the cross section and branching fraction$$\sigma (\text {p}\text {p}\rightarrow \text {W}+ {\text {c}}+ \text {X}) {\mathcal {B}}(\text {W}\rightarrow \ell \upnu )$$$\sigma (\text{pp}\to \text{W}+\text{c}+\text{X})B(\text{W}\to \ell \nu )$, where$$\ell = \text {e}$$$\ell =\text{e}$or$$\upmu $$$\mu$, and the cross section ratio$$\sigma (\text {p}\text {p}\rightarrow {{\text {W}}^{+} + \bar{{\text {c}}} + \text {X}}) / \sigma (\text {p}\text {p}\rightarrow {{\text {W}}^{-} + {\text {c}}+ \text {X}})$$$\sigma (\text{pp}\to {\text{W}}^{+}+\overline{\text{c}}+\text{X})/\sigma (\text{pp}\to {\text{W}}^{-}+\text{c}+\text{X})$are measured in a fiducial volume and differentially as functions of the pseudorapidity and of the transverse momentum of the lepton from the W boson decay. The results are compared with theoretical predictions. The impact of these measurements on the determination of the strange quark distribution is assessed.

 

Abstract A search for low-mass dilepton resonances in Higgs boson decays is conducted in the four-lepton final state. The decay is assumed to proceed via a pair of beyond the standard model particles, or one such particle and a $${\mathrm{Z}}$$ Z boson. The search uses proton–proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 , at a center-of-mass energy $$\sqrt{s} = 13\,\text {TeV} $$ s = 13 TeV . No significant deviation from the standard model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on model-independent Higgs boson decay branching fractions. Additionally, limits on dark photon and axion-like particle production, based on two specific models, are reported. 

Abstract A search for dark matter in the form of strongly interacting massive particles (SIMPs) using the CMS detector at the LHC is presented. The SIMPs would be produced in pairs that manifest themselves as pairs of jets without tracks. The energy fraction of jets carried by charged particles is used as a key discriminator to suppress efficiently the large multijet background, and the remaining background is estimated directly from data. The search is performed using proton–proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 16.1 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 , collected with the CMS detector in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. For the simplified dark matter model under consideration, SIMPs with masses up to 100 $$\,\text {GeV}$$ GeV are excluded and further sensitivity is explored towards higher masses. 

Abstract A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton–proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 $$\,\text {Te}\text {V}$$ Te at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on the model, the combined result excludes a top squark mass up to 1325 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge for a massless neutralino, and a neutralino mass up to 700 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge for a top squark mass of 1150 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge . Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge , for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge , with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 $$\,\text {Ge}\text {V}$$ Ge . 

Abstract Production cross sections of the Higgs boson are measured in the $${\mathrm{H}} \rightarrow {\mathrm{Z}} {\mathrm{Z}} \rightarrow 4\ell $$ H → Z Z → 4 ℓ ( $$\ell ={\mathrm{e}},{{{\upmu }}_{\mathrm{}}^{\mathrm{}}} $$ ℓ = e , μ ) decay channel. A data sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 $$\,\text {Te}\text {V}$$ Te , collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 is used. The signal strength modifier $$\mu $$ μ , defined as the ratio of the Higgs boson production rate in the $$4\ell $$ 4 ℓ channel to the standard model (SM) expectation, is measured to be $$\mu =0.94 \pm 0.07 \,\text {(stat)} ^{+0.09}_{-0.08} \,\text {(syst)} $$ μ = 0.94 ± 0.07 (stat) - 0.08 + 0.09 (syst) at a fixed value of $$m_{{\mathrm{H}}} = 125.38\,\text {Ge}\text {V} $$ m H = 125.38 Ge . The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also reported. The inclusive fiducial cross section for the $${\mathrm{H}} \rightarrow 4\ell $$ H → 4 ℓ process is measured to be $$2.84^{+0.23}_{-0.22} \,\text {(stat)} ^{+0.26}_{-0.21} \,\text {(syst)} \,\text {fb} $$ 2 . 84 - 0.22 + 0.23 (stat) - 0.21 + 0.26 (syst) fb , which is compatible with the SM prediction of $$2.84 \pm 0.15 \,\text {fb} $$ 2.84 ± 0.15 fb for the same fiducial region. Differential cross sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet are measured. A new set of cross section measurements in mutually exclusive categories targeted to identify production mechanisms and kinematical features of the events is presented. The results are in agreement with the SM predictions. 

Abstract The rate for Higgs ( $${\mathrm{H}} $$ H ) bosons production in association with either one ( $${\mathrm{t}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t H ) or two ( $${\mathrm{t}} {{\overline{{{\mathrm{t}}}}}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t t ¯ H ) top quarks is measured in final states containing multiple electrons, muons, or tau leptons decaying to hadrons and a neutrino, using proton–proton collisions recorded at a center-of-mass energy of $$13\,\text {TeV} $$ 13 TeV by the CMS experiment. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 $$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 . The analysis is aimed at events that contain $${\mathrm{H}} \rightarrow {\mathrm{W}} {\mathrm{W}} $$ H → W W , $${\mathrm{H}} \rightarrow {\uptau } {\uptau } $$ H → τ τ , or $${\mathrm{H}} \rightarrow {\mathrm{Z}} {\mathrm{Z}} $$ H → Z Z decays and each of the top quark(s) decays either to lepton+jets or all-jet channels. Sensitivity to signal is maximized by including ten signatures in the analysis, depending on the lepton multiplicity. The separation among $${\mathrm{t}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t H , $${\mathrm{t}} {{\overline{{{\mathrm{t}}}}}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t t ¯ H , and the backgrounds is enhanced through machine-learning techniques and matrix-element methods. The measured production rates for the $${\mathrm{t}} {{\overline{{{\mathrm{t}}}}}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t t ¯ H and $${\mathrm{t}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t H signals correspond to $$0.92 \pm 0.19\,\text {(stat)} ^{+0.17}_{-0.13}\,\text {(syst)} $$ 0.92 ± 0.19 (stat) - 0.13 + 0.17 (syst) and $$5.7 \pm 2.7\,\text {(stat)} \pm 3.0\,\text {(syst)} $$ 5.7 ± 2.7 (stat) ± 3.0 (syst) of their respective standard model (SM) expectations. The corresponding observed (expected) significance amounts to 4.7 (5.2) standard deviations for $${\mathrm{t}} {{\overline{{{\mathrm{t}}}}}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t t ¯ H , and to 1.4 (0.3) for $${\mathrm{t}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t H production. Assuming that the Higgs boson coupling to the tau lepton is equal in strength to its expectation in the SM, the coupling $$y_{{\mathrm{t}}}$$ y t of the Higgs boson to the top quark divided by its SM expectation, $$\kappa _{{\mathrm{t}}}=y_{{\mathrm{t}}}/y_{{\mathrm{t}}}^{\mathrm {SM}}$$ κ t = y t / y t SM , is constrained to be within $$-0.9< \kappa _{{\mathrm{t}}}< -0.7$$ - 0.9 < κ t < - 0.7 or $$0.7< \kappa _{{\mathrm{t}}}< 1.1$$ 0.7 < κ t < 1.1 , at 95% confidence level. This result is the most sensitive measurement of the $${\mathrm{t}} {{\overline{{{\mathrm{t}}}}}} {\mathrm{H}} $$ t t ¯ H production rate to date.