188 Search Results

A search for t-channel exchange of leptoquarks (LQs) is performed in dimuon and dielectron spectra using proton-proton collision data collected at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹. Eight scenarios are considered, in which up or down quarks couple to muons or electrons via a scalar or vector LQ exchange, for dilepton invariant masses above 500 GeV. The LQ masses are probed up to 5 TeV, beyond a regime probed by previous pair-production and single-production searches. The differential distributions of dilepton events are fit to templates thatmore » model the nonresonant LQ exchange and various standard model background processes. Limits are set on LQ-fermion coupling strengths for scalar and vector LQ masses in the 1–5 TeV range at 95% confidence level, establishing stringent limits on first- and second-generation LQs.« less

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 decaysmore » terminating in prompt hadronic 𝑅-parity violating interactions.« less

A search for 𝛾⁢𝐻 production is performed with data from the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹ at a proton-proton center-of-mass collision energy of 13 TeV. The analysis focuses on the topology of a boosted Higgs boson recoiling against a high-energy photon. The final states of 𝐻 → $$b\bar{b}$$ and 𝐻 → 4⁢ℓ are analyzed. This study examines effective 𝐻⁡𝑍⁢𝛾 and 𝐻⁡𝛾⁢𝛾 anomalous couplings within the context of an effective field theory. In this approach, the production cross section is constrained to be 𝜎_𝛾⁢𝐻 < 16.4 fb at 95% confidence level (CL). Simultaneousmore » constraints on four anomalous couplings involving 𝐻⁡𝑍⁢𝛾 and 𝐻⁡𝛾⁢𝛾 are provided. Additionally, the production rate for 𝐻 → 4⁢ℓ is examined to assess potential enhancements in the Yukawa couplings between light quarks and the Higgs boson. Assuming the standard model values for the Yukawa couplings of the bottom and top quarks, the following simultaneous constraints are obtained: 𝜅_𝑢 =(0.0 ± 1.5) ×10³, 𝜅_𝑑 = (0.0$$^{+6.7}_{−6.8}$$) × 10², 𝜅_𝑠 = 0$$^{+30}_{−32}$$, and 𝜅_𝑐 =0.0$$^{+2.3}_{−2.8}$$. This rules out the hypothesis that up- or down-type quarks in the first or second generation have the same Yukawa couplings as those in the third generation, with a CL greater than 95%.« less

We propose a neural network training method capable of accounting for the effects of systematic variations of the data model in the training process and describe its extension towards neural network multiclass classification. The procedure is evaluated on the realistic case of the measurement of Higgs boson production via gluon fusion and vector boson fusion in the τ τ decay channel at the CMS experiment. The neural network output functions are used to infer the signal strengths for inclusive production of Higgs bosons as well as for their production via gluon fusion and vector boson fusion. We observe improvements ofmore » 12 and 16% in the uncertainty in the signal strengths for gluon and vector-boson fusion, respectively, compared with a conventional neural network training based on cross-entropy.« less

Several new physics models including versions of supersymmetry (SUSY) characterized by R-parity violation (RPV) or with additional hidden sectors predict the production of events with top quarks, low missing transverse momentum, and many additional quarks or gluons. The results of a search for top squarks decaying to two top quarks and six additional light-flavor quarks or gluons are reported. The search employs a novel machine learning method for background estimation from control samples in data using decorrelated discriminators. The search is performed using events with 0, 1, or 2 electrons or muons in conjunction with at least six jets. Nomore » requirement is placed on the magnitude of the missing transverse momentum. The result is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV corresponding to 138 fb⁻¹ of integrated luminosity collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016–2018. With no statistically significant excess of events observed beyond the expected contributions from the standard model, the data are used to determine upper limits on the top squark pair production cross section in the frameworks of RPV and stealth SUSY. Models with top squark masses less than 700 (930) GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for RPV (stealth) SUSY scenarios.« less

A first study is presented of the cross section for the scattering of same-sign W boson pairs via the detection of a τ lepton. The data from proton-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹. Events were selected that contain two jets with large pseudorapidity and large invariant mass, one τ lepton, one light lepton (e or μ), and significant missing transverse momentum. The measured cross section for electroweak same-sign WW scattering is $$1.44^{+0.63}_{-0.56}$$ times the standard model prediction. In addition,more » a search is presented for the indirect effects of processes beyond the standard model via the effective field theory framework, in terms of dimension-6 and dimension-8 operators.« less

A search for dark matter particles produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying into a pair of τ leptons is performed using data collected in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector. The analysis is based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb⁻¹ collected in 2017–2018. No significant excess over the expected standard model background is observed. This result is interpreted within the frameworks of the 2HDM+a and baryonic Z′ benchmark simplified models. The 2HDM+a model is a type-II two-Higgs-doublet model featuring a heavy pseudoscalar with an additionalmore » light pseudoscalar. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction for each of these two simplified models. Heavy pseudoscalar boson masses between 400 and 700 GeV are excluded for a light pseudoscalar mass of 100 GeV. For the baryonic Z′ model, a statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data set of 36 fb⁻¹ collected in 2016. In this model, Z′ boson masses up to 1050 GeV are excluded for a dark matter particle mass of 1 GeV.« less

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, $$b\overline{b}A$$. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹ collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHCmore » 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 $$b\overline{b}A$$ 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 $$M^{125}_{h,EFT}$$ benchmark scenario of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Values of tan β below 2.2 are excluded in this scenario at 95% confidence level for all mA values in the range from 225 to 350 GeV.« less

The polarization of the Λ and $$\bar{Λ}$$ hyperons along the beam direction has been measured in proton-lead (𝑝-Pb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 8.16 TeV. The data were obtained with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 186.0 ± 6.5 nb⁻¹. A significant azimuthal dependence of the hyperon polarization, characterized by the second-order Fourier sine coefficient 𝑃_𝑧,s⁢2, is observed. The 𝑃_𝑧,s⁢2 values decrease as a function of charged particle multiplicity, but increase with transverse momentum. A hydrodynamic model that describes the observed 𝑃_𝑧,s⁢2 values in nucleus-nucleus collisions by introducing vorticitymore » effects does not reproduce either the sign or the magnitude of the 𝑝-Pb results. These observations pose a challenge to the current theoretical implementation of spin polarization in heavy ion collisions and offer new insights into the origin of spin polarization in hadronic collisions at LHC energies.« less

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 ($$q\bar{q}$$) meson, a tetraquark ($$q\bar{q}$$$$q\bar{q}$$) exotic state, a kaon-antikaon ($$K\bar{K}$$) molecule, or a quark-antiquark-gluon ($$q\bar{q}$$g) hybrid. This paper reports strong evidence that the f₀(980) state is an ordinary $$q\bar{q}$$ meson, inferred from the scaling of elliptic anisotropies (v₂) with the number of constituent quarks (n_q), 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 recordedmore » by the CMS experiment at the LHC, and its v₂ is measured as a function of transverse momentum (p_T). It is found that the n_q = 2 ($$q\bar{q}$$ state) hypothesis is favored over n_q = 4 ($$q\bar{q}$$$$q\bar{q}$$ or $$K\bar{K}$$ states) by 7.7, 6.3, or 3.1 standard deviations in the p_T < 10, 8, or 6 GeV/c ranges, respectively, and over n_q = 3 ($$q\bar{q}$$g hybrid state) by 3.5 standard deviations in the p_T < 8 GeV/c range. 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.« less