The first observation is reported of the combined production of three massive gauge bosons (VVV with V=W, Z) in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The analysis is based on a data sample recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb^{-1}. The searches for individual WWW, WWZ, WZZ, and ZZZ production are performed in final states with three, four, five, and six leptons (electrons or muons), or with two same-sign leptons plus one or two jets. The observed (expected) significance of the combined VVV production signal is 5.7 (5.9) standard deviations and the corresponding measured cross section relative to the standard model prediction is 1.02_{-0.23}^{+0.26}. The significances of the individual WWW and WWZ production are 3.3 and 3.4 standard deviations, respectively. Measured production cross sections for the individual triboson processes are also reported.
Ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions recreate in the laboratory the thermodynamical conditions prevailing in the early universe up to 10^{-6} sec, thereby allowing the study of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), a state of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) matter with deconfined partons. The top quark, the heaviest elementary particle known, is accessible in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN LHC, and constitutes a novel probe of the QGP. Here, we report the first evidence for the production of top quarks in nucleus-nucleus collisions, using lead-lead collision data at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment. Two methods are used to measure the cross section for top quark pair production (σ_{tt[over ¯]}) via the selection of charged leptons (electrons or muons) and bottom quarks. One method relies on the leptonic information alone, and the second one exploits, in addition, the presence of bottom quarks. The measured cross sections, σ_{tt[over ¯]}=2.54_{-0.74}^{+0.84} and 2.03_{-0.64}^{+0.71} μb, respectively, are compatible with expectations from scaled proton-proton data and QCD predictions.
This Letter describes a search for Higgs boson pair production using the combined results from four final states: bbγγ, bbττ, bbbb, and bbVV, where V represents a W or Z boson. The search is performed using data collected in 2016 by the CMS experiment from LHC proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1}. Limits are set on the Higgs boson pair production cross section. A 95% confidence level observed (expected) upper limit on the nonresonant production cross section is set at 22.2 (12.8) times the standard model value. A search for narrow resonances decaying to Higgs boson pairs is also performed in the mass range 250-3000 GeV. No evidence for a signal is observed, and upper limits are set on the resonance production cross section.
The modification of jet shapes in Pb-Pb collisions, relative to those in pp collisions, is studied for jets associated with an isolated photon. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. Jet shapes are constructed from charged particles with track transverse momenta (p_{T}) above 1 GeV/c in annuli around the axes of jets with p_{T}^{jet}>30 GeV/c associated with an isolated photon with p_{T}^{γ}>60 GeV/c. The jet shape distributions are consistent between peripheral Pb-Pb and pp collisions, but are modified for more central Pb-Pb collisions. In these central Pb-Pb events, a larger fraction of the jet momentum is observed at larger distances from the jet axis compared to pp, reflecting the interaction between the partonic medium created in heavy ion collisions and the traversing partons.
For the first time, a search for the rare decay of the W boson to three charged pions has been performed. Proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 77.3 fb^{-1}, have been analyzed. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation. An upper limit of 1.01×10^{-6} is set at 95% confidence level on the branching fraction of the W boson to three charged pions. This provides a strong motivation for theoretical calculations of this branching fraction.
A search for heavy, narrow resonances decaying to a Higgs boson and a photon (Hγ) has been performed in proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1} collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016. Events containing a photon and a Lorentz-boosted hadronically decaying Higgs boson reconstructed as a single, large-radius jet are considered, and the γ+jet invariant mass spectrum is analyzed for the presence of narrow resonances. To increase the sensitivity of the search, events are categorized depending on whether or not the large-radius jet can be identified as a result of the merging of two jets originating from b quarks. Results in both categories are found to agree with the predictions of the standard model. Upper limits on the production rate of Hγ resonances are set as a function of their mass in the range of 720-3250 GeV, representing the most stringent constraints to date.
A search is performed for dark matter particles produced in association with a top quark pair in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1} recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. No significant excess over the standard model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted using simplified models of dark matter production via spin-0 mediators that couple to dark matter particles and to standard model quarks, providing constraints on the coupling strength between the mediator and the quarks. These are the most stringent collider limits to date for scalar mediators, and the most stringent for pseudoscalar mediators at low masses.
Signals consistent with the B_{c}^{+}(2S) and B_{c}^{*+}(2S) states are observed in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV, in an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 143 fb^{-1}, collected by the CMS experiment during the 2015-2018 LHC running periods. These excited b[over ¯]c states are observed in the B_{c}^{+}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass spectrum, with the ground state B_{c}^{+} reconstructed through its decay to J/ψπ^{+}. The two states are reconstructed as two well-resolved peaks, separated in mass by 29.1±1.5(stat)±0.7(syst) MeV. The observation of two peaks, rather than one, is established with a significance exceeding five standard deviations. The mass of the B_{c}^{+}(2S) meson is measured to be 6871.0±1.2(stat)±0.8(syst)±0.8(B_{c}^{+}) MeV, where the last term corresponds to the uncertainty in the world-average B_{c}^{+} mass.
The observation of single top quark production in association with a Z boson and a quark (tZq) is reported. Events from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV containing three charged leptons (either electrons or muons) and at least two jets are analyzed. The data were collected with the CMS detector in 2016 and 2017 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 77.4fb^{-1}. The increased integrated luminosity, a multivariate lepton identification, and a redesigned analysis strategy improve significantly the sensitivity of the analysis compared to previous searches for tZq production. The tZq signal is observed with a significance well over 5 standard deviations. The measured tZq production cross section is σ(pp→tZq→tℓ^{+}ℓ^{-}q)=111±13(stat)_{-9}^{+11}(syst) fb, for dilepton invariant masses above 30 GeV, in agreement with the standard model expectation.
The first observation of the tt[over ¯]H process in a single Higgs boson decay channel with the full reconstruction of the final state (H→γγ) is presented, with a significance of 6.6 standard deviations (σ). The CP structure of Higgs boson couplings to fermions is measured, resulting in an exclusion of the pure CP-odd structure of the top Yukawa coupling at 3.2σ. The measurements are based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=13 TeV collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb^{-1}. The cross section times branching fraction of the tt[over ¯]H process is measured to be σ_{tt[over ¯]H}B_{γγ}=1.56_{-0.32}^{+0.34} fb, which is compatible with the standard model prediction of 1.13_{-0.11}^{+0.08} fb. The fractional contribution of the CP-odd component is measured to be f_{CP}^{Htt}=0.00±0.33.
The Ξ_{b}^{-}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass spectrum is investigated with an event sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016-2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb^{-1}. The ground state Ξ_{b}^{-} is reconstructed via its decays to J/ψΞ^{-} and J/ψΛK^{-}. A narrow resonance, labeled Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-}, is observed at a Ξ_{b}^{-}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass of 6100.3±0.2(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.6(Ξ_{b}^{-}) MeV, where the last uncertainty reflects the precision of the Ξ_{b}^{-} baryon mass. The upper limit on the Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} natural width is determined to be 1.9 MeV at 95% confidence level. The low Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} signal yield observed in data does not allow a measurement of the quantum numbers of the new state. However, following analogies with the established excited Ξ_{c} baryon states, the new Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} resonance and its decay sequence are consistent with the orbitally excited Ξ_{b}^{-} baryon, with spin and parity quantum numbers J^{P}=3/2^{-}.
A fiducial cross section for Wγ production in proton-proton collisions is measured at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 137 fb^{-1} of data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The W→eν and μν decay modes are used in a maximum-likelihood fit to the lepton-photon invariant mass distribution to extract the combined cross section. The measured cross section is compared with theoretical expectations at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. In addition, 95% confidence level intervals are reported for anomalous triple-gauge couplings within the framework of effective field theory.
The CMS experiment at the LHC has measured the differential cross sections of Z bosons decaying to pairs of leptons, as functions of transverse momentum and rapidity, in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The measured Z boson elliptic azimuthal anisotropy coefficient is compatible with zero, showing that Z bosons do not experience significant final-state interactions in the medium produced in the collision. Yields of Z bosons are compared to Glauber model predictions and are found to deviate from these expectations in peripheral collisions, indicating the presence of initial collision geometry and centrality selection effects. The precision of the measurement allows, for the first time, for a data-driven determination of the nucleon-nucleon integrated luminosity as a function of lead-lead centrality, thereby eliminating the need for its estimation based on a Glauber model.
The first measurement of the dependence of γγ→μ^{+}μ^{-} production on the multiplicity of neutrons emitted very close to the beam direction in ultraperipheral heavy ion collisions is reported. Data for lead-lead interactions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of approximately 1.5 nb^{-1}, are collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The azimuthal correlations between the two muons in the invariant mass region 88.3. The back-to-back correlation structure from leading-order photon-photon scattering is found to be significantly broader for events with a larger number of emitted neutrons from each nucleus, corresponding to interactions with a smaller impact parameter. This observation provides a data-driven demonstration that the average transverse momentum of photons emitted from relativistic heavy ions has an impact parameter dependence. These results provide new constraints on models of photon-induced interactions in ultraperipheral collisions. They also provide a baseline to search for possible final-state effects on lepton pairs caused by traversing a quark-gluon plasma produced in hadronic heavy ion collisions.
The relative modification of the prompt ψ(2S) and J/ψ yields from pp to PbPb collisions, at the center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair, is presented. The analysis is based on pp and PbPb data samples collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2015, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 28.0 pb^{-1} and 464 μb^{-1}, respectively. The double ratio of measured yields of prompt charmonia reconstructed through their decays into muon pairs, (N_{ψ(2S)}/N_{J/ψ})_{PbPb}/(N_{ψ(2S)}/N_{J/ψ})_{pp}, is determined as a function of PbPb collision centrality and charmonium transverse momentum p_{T}, in two kinematic intervals: |y|<1.6 covering 6.5
Charge-dependent azimuthal particle correlations with respect to the second-order event plane in p-Pb and PbPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV have been studied with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurement is performed with a three-particle correlation technique, using two particles with the same or opposite charge within the pseudorapidity range |η|<2.4, and a third particle measured in the hadron forward calorimeters (4.4
Data from heavy ion collisions suggest that the evolution of a parton shower is modified by interactions with the color charges in the dense partonic medium created in these collisions, but it is not known where in the shower evolution the modifications occur. The momentum ratio of the two leading partons, resolved as subjets, provides information about the parton shower evolution. This substructure observable, known as the splitting function, reflects the process of a parton splitting into two other partons and has been measured for jets with transverse momentum between 140 and 500 GeV, in pp and PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. In central PbPb collisions, the splitting function indicates a more unbalanced momentum ratio, compared to peripheral PbPb and pp collisions.. The measurements are compared to various predictions from event generators and analytical calculations.
A search for physics beyond the standard model in events with one or more high-momentum Higgs bosons, H, decaying to pairs of b quarks in association with missing transverse momentum is presented. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1}, were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=13 TeV. The analysis utilizes a new b quark tagging technique based on jet substructure to identify jets from H→bb[over ¯]. Events are categorized by the multiplicity of H-tagged jets, jet mass, and the missing transverse momentum. No significant deviation from standard model expectations is observed. In the context of supersymmetry (SUSY), limits on the cross sections of pair-produced gluinos are set, assuming that gluinos decay to quark pairs, H (or Z), and the lightest SUSY particle, LSP, through an intermediate next-to-lightest SUSY particle, NLSP. With large mass splitting between the NLSP and LSP, and 100% NLSP branching fraction to H, the lower limit on the gluino mass is found to be 2010 GeV.
The observation of Higgs boson production in association with a top quark-antiquark pair is reported, based on a combined analysis of proton-proton collision data at center-of-mass energies of sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 5.1, 19.7, and 35.9 fb^{-1}, respectively. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The results of statistically independent searches for Higgs bosons produced in conjunction with a top quark-antiquark pair and decaying to pairs of W bosons, Z bosons, photons, τ leptons, or bottom quark jets are combined to maximize sensitivity. An excess of events is observed, with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations, over the expectation from the background-only hypothesis. The corresponding expected significance from the standard model for a Higgs boson mass of 125.09 GeV is 4.2 standard deviations. The combined best fit signal strength normalized to the standard model prediction is 1.26_{-0.26}^{+0.31}.
A search for a heavy neutral lepton N of Majorana nature decaying into a W boson and a charged lepton is performed using the CMS detector at the LHC. The targeted signature consists of three prompt charged leptons in any flavor combination of electrons and muons. The data were collected in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb^{-1}. The search is performed in the N mass range between 1 GeV and 1.2 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with the expected standard model background. Upper limits are set on the values of |V_{eN}|^{2} and |V_{μN}|^{2}, where V_{ℓN} is the matrix element describing the mixing of N with the standard model neutrino of flavor ℓ. These are the first direct limits for N masses above 500 GeV and the first limits obtained at a hadron collider for N masses below 40 GeV.