Nanosecond Dynamics of Gαi1 Bound to Nucleotides or Ric-8A, a Gα Chaperone with GEF Activity

Resistance to Inhibitors of Cholinesterase A (Ric-8A) is a 60-kDa cytosolic protein that has chaperone and guanine nucleotide exchange (GEF) activity toward heterotrimeric G protein α subunits of the i, q, and 12/13 classes, catalyzing the release of GDP from Gα and subsequent binding of GTP. In the absence of GTP or GTP analogs, and subsequent to GDP release, Gα forms a stable nucleotide-free complex with Ric-8A. In this study, time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements were employed to detect local motions of Gαi1 labeled at selected sites with Alexa 488 (C5) fluorescent dye (Ax) in the GDP, GTPγS (collectively, GXP), and Ric-8A-bound states. Sites selected for Alexa 488 (C5) derivatization were in the α-helical domain (residue 106), the α-helical domain-Ras-like domain hinge (residue 63), Switch I (residue 180), Switch II (residue 209), Switch III (residue 238), the α4 helix (residue 305), and at the junction between the purine-binding subsite in the β6-α5 loop and the C-terminal α helix (residue 330). In the GXP-bound states, the Alexa fluorophore reports local motions with correlation times ranging from 1.0 to 1.8 ns. The dynamics at Ax180 is slower in Gαi1•GDP than in Gαi1•GTPγS. The reverse is true at Ax209. The order parameters, S(2), for Alexa probes at switch residues are high (0.78-0.88) in Gαi1•GDP and lower (0.67-0.75) in Gαi1•GTPγS, although in crystal structures, switch segments are more ordered in the latter. Local motions at Ax63, Ax180, Ax209, and Ax330 are all markedly slower (2.3-2.8 ns) in Gαi1:Ric-8A than in Gαi1•GXP, and only modest (± 0.1) differences in S(2) are observed at most sites in Gαi1:Ric-8A relative to Gαi1•GXP. The slow dynamics suggests long-range correlated transitions within an ensemble of states and, particularly in the hinge and switch segments that make direct contact with Ric-8A. Induction of Gαi1 structural heterogeneity by Ric-8A provides a mechanism for nucleotide release

Measurement of Energy Correlators inside Jets and Determination of the Strong Coupling Formula Presented

Energy correlators that describe energy-weighted distances between two or three particles in a hadronic jet are measured using an event sample of $\sqrt{s}$=13 TeV proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb$^{−1}$. The measured distributions are consistent with the trends in the simulation that reveal two key features of the strong interaction: confinement and asymptotic freedom. By comparing the ratio of the measured three- and two-particle energy correlator distributions with theoretical calculations that resum collinear emissions at approximate next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy matched to a next-to-leading-order calculation, the strong coupling is determined at the Z boson mass: α$_S$ (m$_Z$)=0.1229 $\frac{0.0040}{-0.0050}$ , the most precise α$_S$m$_Z$ value obtained using jet substructure observable

Search for heavy neutral leptons in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying tau leptons in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) of Majorana or Dirac type using proton-proton collision data at = 13 TeV is presented. The data were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. Events with three charged leptons (electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying tau leptons) are selected, corresponding to HNL production in association with a charged lepton and decay of the HNL to two charged leptons and a standard model (SM) neutrino. The search is performed for HNL masses between 10 GeV and 1.5 TeV. No evidence for an HNL signal is observed in data. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are found for the squared coupling strength of the HNL to SM neutrinos, considering exclusive coupling of the HNL to a single SM neutrino generation, for both Majorana and Dirac HNLs. The limits exceed previously achieved experimental constraints for a wide range of HNL masses, and the limits on tau neutrino coupling scenarios with HNL masses above the W boson mass are presented for the first time

Muon identification using multivariate techniques in the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at (s)=13\sqrt{(s)} = 13 TeV

The identification of prompt and isolated muons, as well as muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays, is an important task. We developed two multivariate techniques to provide highly efficient identification for muons with transverse momentum greater than 10 GeV. One provides a continuous variable as an alternative to a cut-based identification selection and offers a better discrimination power against misidentified muons. The other one selects prompt and isolated muons by using isolation requirements to reduce the contamination from nonprompt muons arising in heavy-flavour hadron decays. Both algorithms are developed using 59.7 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions data at a centre-of-mass energy of √(s)=13 TeV collected in 2018 with the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC

Measurement of the polarizations of prompt and non-prompt J/ψ and ψ (2S) mesons produced in pp collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

The polarizations of prompt and non-prompt J∕ψ and ψ(2S) mesons are measured in proton-proton collisions at √ = 13 TeV, using data samples collected by the CMS experiment in 2017 and 2018, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 103.3 fb$^{−1}$. Based on the analysis of the dimuon decay angular distributions in the helicity frame, the polar anisotropy, , is measured as a function of the transverse momentum, $_T$, of the charmonium states, in the 25–120 and 20–100 GeV ranges for the J∕ψ and ψ(2S), respectively. The non-prompt polarizations agree with predictions based on the hypothesis that, for T ≳ 25 GeV, the non-prompt J∕ψ and ψ(2S) are predominantly produced in two-body B meson decays. The prompt results clearly exclude strong transverse polarizations, even for $_T$ exceeding 30 times the J∕ψ mass, where tends to an asymptotic value around 0.3. Taken together with previous measurements, by CMS and LHCb at √ = 7 TeV, the prompt polarizations show a significant variation with $_T$, at low $_T$

Search for a vector-like quark T′ → tH via the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for the electroweak production of a vector-like quark T′, decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson is presented. The search is based on a sample of proton-proton collision events recorded at the LHC at = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. This is the first T′ search that exploits the Higgs boson decay to a pair of photons. For narrow isospin singlet T′ states with masses up to 1.1 TeV, the excellent diphoton invariant mass resolution of 1–2% results in an increased sensitivity compared to previous searches based on the same production mechanism. The electroweak production of a T′ quark with mass up to 960 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a coupling strength κT = 0.25 and a relative decay width Γ/MT′ < 5%

Measurement of the cross section of top quark-antiquark pair production in association with a W boson in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

The production of a top quark-antiquark pair in association with a W boson $(t\bar{t}W)$ is measured in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The analyzed data was recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. Events with two or three leptons (electrons and muons) and additional jets are selected. In events with two leptons, a multiclass neural network is used to distinguish between the signal and background processes. Events with three leptons are categorized based on the number of jets and of jets originating from b quark hadronization, and the lepton charges. The inclusive $(t\bar{t}W)$ production cross section in the full phase space is measured to be 868 ± 40(stat) ± 51(syst) fb. The $(t\bar{t}W)+$ and $(t\bar{t}W)−$ cross sections are also measured as 553 ± 30(stat) ± 30(syst) and 343 ± 26(stat) ± 25(syst) fb, respectively, and the corresponding ratio of the two cross sections is found to be 1.61±0.15(stat)$^{+0.07}_{−0.05}$(syst). The measured cross sections are larger than but consistent with the standard model predictions within two standard deviations, and represent the most precise measurement of these cross sections to date

Search for long-lived particles decaying in the CMS muon detectors in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

A search for long-lived particles (LLPs) decaying in the CMS muon detectors is presented. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at √=13  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb−1, recorded at the LHC in 2016–2018, is used. The decays of LLPs are reconstructed as high multiplicity clusters of hits in the muon detectors. In the context of twin Higgs models, the search is sensitive to LLP masses from 0.4 to 55 GeV and a broad range of LLP decay modes, including decays to hadrons, leptons, electrons, or photons. No excess of events above the standard model background is observed. The most stringent limits to date from LHC data are set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to a pair of LLPs with masses below 10 GeV. This search also provides the best limits for various intervals of LLP proper decay length and mass. Finally, this search sets the first limits at the LHC on a dark quantum chromodynamic sector whose particles couple to the Higgs boson through gluon, Higgs boson, photon, vector, and dark-photon portals, and is sensitive to branching fractions of the Higgs boson to dark quarks as low as 2×10−3

Search for new physics in multijet events with at least one photon and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

A search for new physics in final states consisting of at least one photon, multiple jets, and large missing transverse momentum is presented, using proton-proton collision events at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb−1, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC from 2016 to 2018. The events are divided into mutually exclusive bins characterized by the missing transverse momentum, the number of jets, the number of b-tagged jets, and jets consistent with the presence of hadronically decaying W, Z, or Higgs bosons. The observed data are found to be consistent with the prediction from standard model processes. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of pair production of supersymmetric particles via strong and electroweak interactions. Depending on the details of the signal models, gluinos and squarks of masses up to 2.35 and 1.43 TeV, respectively, and electroweakinos of masses up to 1.23 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level