Forward physics with CMS

We describe several example analyses of the CMS forward physics program: A feasibility study for observing $W$ production in single diffractive dissociation, the analysis of exclusive $\mu\mu$ production and the measurement of very low-x parton distributions and search for evidence of BFKL dynamics with forward jets

Measurements of Rates, Asymmetries, and Angular Distributions in B -> K l+ l- and B -> K* l+ l- Decays

This dissertation describes studies of the rare decays B{sub d} {yields} K{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} and B{sub d} {yields} K*{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}, where {ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} is either an e{sup +}e{sup -} or a {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} pair. These decays are highly suppressed in the Standard Model, and could be strongly affected by physics beyond the Standard Model. The authors measure the total branching fractions {Beta}(B{sub d} {yields} K{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}) = (0.34 {+-} 0.07 {+-} 0.03) x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}(B{sub d} {yields} K*{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}) = (0.78{sub -0.17}{sup +0.19} {+-} 0.12) x 10{sup -6}. In addition, they measure the partial branching fractions, relative abundance of muons to electrons, direct CP asymmetry, dilepton forward-backward asymmetry, and longitudinal polarization of the K* in these modes. They also search for the lepton flavor-violating decays B{sub d} {yields} Ke{sup {+-}}{mu}{sup {-+}} and B{sub d} {yields} K*e{sup {+-}}{mu}{sup {-+}}. The measurements were performed at the SLAC PEP II storage ring running at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance

Search for heavy resonances in the W/Z-tagged dijet mass spectrum in pp collisions at 7 TeV

A search has been made for massive resonances decaying into a quark and a vector boson, qW or qZ, or a pair of vector bosons, WW, WZ, or ZZ, where each vector boson decays to hadronic final states. This search is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb^-^1 of proton-proton collisions collected in the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011 at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. For sufficiently heavy resonances the decay products of each vector boson are merged into a single jet, and the event effectively has a dijet topology. The background from QCD dijet events is reduced using recently developed techniques that resolve jet substructure. A 95% CL lower limit is set on the mass of excited quark resonances decaying into qW (qZ) at 2.38 TeV (2.15 TeV) and upper limits are set on the cross section for resonances decaying to qW, qZ, WW, WZ, or ZZ final states.Peer Reviewe

Search for a non-standard-model Higgs boson decaying to a pair of new light bosons in four-muon final states

Results are reported from a search for non-standard-model Higgs boson decays to pairs of new light bosons, each of which decays into the μ+μ− final state. The new bosons may be produced either promptly or via a decay chain. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at View the MathML source, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011. Such Higgs boson decays are predicted in several scenarios of new physics, including supersymmetric models with extended Higgs sectors or hidden valleys. Thus, the results of the search are relevant for establishing whether the new particle observed in Higgs boson searches at the LHC has the properties expected for a standard model Higgs boson. No excess of events is observed with respect to the yields expected from standard model processes. A model-independent upper limit of 0.86±0.06 fb on the product of the cross section times branching fraction times acceptance is obtained. The results, which are applicable to a broad spectrum of new physics scenarios, are compared with the predictions of two benchmark models as functions of a Higgs boson mass larger than 86 GeV/c2 and of a new light boson mass within the range 0.25–3.55 GeV/c2Peer Reviewe

Measurement of the Production Cross Section for Pairs of Isolated Photons in pppp collisions at s=7\sqrt{s}=7 TeV

The integrated and differential cross sections for the production of pairs of isolated photons is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. A data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns is analysed. A next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculation is compared to the measurements. A discrepancy is observed for regions of the phase space where the two photons have an azimuthal angle difference, $\Delta(\phi)$, less than approximately 2.8.Peer Reviewe

Inclusive search for supersymmetry using the razor variables in pppp collisions at s=7\sqrt{s}=7 TeV

An inclusive search is presented for new heavy particle pairs produced in $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC using 4.7 +/- 0.1 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity. The selected events are analyzed in the 2D razor space of MR, an event-by-event indicator of the heavy particle mass scale, and R, a dimensionless variable related to the missing transverse energy. The third-generation sector is probed using the event heavy-flavor content. The search is sensitive to generic supersymmetry models with minimal assumptions about the superpartner decay chains. No excess is observed in the number of events beyond that predicted by the standard model. Exclusion limits are derived in the CMSSM framework as well as for simplified models. Within the CMSSM parameter space considered, gluino masses up to 800 GeV and squark masses up to 1.35 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level depending on the model parameters. The direct production of pairs of stop or sbottom quarks is excluded for masses as high as 400 GeV.Peer Reviewe

Search for signatures of extra dimensions in the diphoton mass spectrum at the Large Hadron Collider

A search for signatures of extra dimensions in the diphoton invariant-mass spectrum has been performed with the CMS detector at the LHC. No excess of events above the standard model expectation is observed using a data sample collected in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns. In the context of the large-extra-dimensions model, lower limits are set on the effective Planck scale in the range of 2.3-3.8 TeV at the 95% confidence level. These limits are the most restrictive bounds on virtual-graviton exchange to date. The most restrictive lower limits to date are also set on the mass of the first graviton excitation in the Randall-Sundrum model in the range of 0.86-1.84 TeV, for values of the associated coupling parameter between 0.01 and 0.10.Peer Reviewe

Search for supersymmetry in events with opposite-sign dileptons and missing transverse energy using an artificial neural network

In this paper, a search for supersymmetry (SUSY) is presented in events with two opposite-sign isolated leptons in the final state, accompanied by hadronic jets and missing transverse energy. An artificial neural network is employed to discriminate possible SUSY signals from a standard model background. The analysis uses a data sample collected with the CMS detector during the 2011 LHC run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.98  fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Compared to other CMS analyses, this one uses relaxed criteria on missing transverse energy (E̸T>40  GeV) and total hadronic transverse energy (HT>120  GeV), thus probing different regions of parameter space. Agreement is found between standard model expectation and observations, yielding limits in the context of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model and on a set of simplified model

Event shapes and azimuthal correlations in ZZ + jets events in pppp collisions at s=7\sqrt{s}=7 TeV

Measurements of event shapes and azimuthal correlations are presented for events where a Z boson is produced in association with jets in proton-proton collisions. The data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The analysis provides a test of predictions from perturbative QCD for a process that represents a substantial background to many physics channels. Results are presented as a function of jet multiplicity, for inclusive Z boson production and for Z bosons with transverse momenta greater than 150 GeV, and compared to predictions from Monte Carlo event generators that include leading-order multiparton matrix-element (with up to four hard partons in the final state) and next-to-leading-order simulations of Z + 1-jet events. The experimental results are corrected for detector effects, and can be compared directly with other QCD models.Peer Reviewe

Studies of jet mass in dijet and W/Z + jet events

Invariant mass spectra for jets reconstructed using the anti-kt and Cambridge-Aachen algorithms are studied for different jet "grooming" techniques in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns, recorded with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Leading-order QCD predictions for inclusive dijet and W/Z+jet production combined with parton-shower Monte Carlo models are found to agree overall with the data, and the agreement improves with the implementation of jet grooming methods used to distinguish merged jets of large transverse momentum from softer QCD gluon radiation.Peer Reviewe