Observation of nuclear modifications in W± boson production in pPb collisions at sNN=8.16TeV

The production of W± bosons is studied in proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of sNN=8.16TeV. Measurements are performed in the W±→μ±νμ channel using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 173.4±6.1nb−1, collected by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC. The number of positively and negatively charged W bosons is determined separately in the muon pseudorapidity region in the laboratory frame |ηlabμ|25GeV/c. The W± boson differential cross sections, muon charge asymmetry, and the ratios of W± boson yields for the proton-going over the Pb-going beam directions are reported as a function of the muon pseudorapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass frame. The measurements are compared to the predictions from theoretical calculations based on parton distribution functions (PDFs) at next-to-leading-order. The results favour PDF calculations that include nuclear modifications and provide constraints on the nuclear PDF global fits

Measurement of charged pion, kaon, and proton production in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Transverse momentum spectra of charged pions, kaons, and protons are measured in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The particles, identified via their energy loss in the silicon tracker, are measured in the transverse momentum range of pT ∼ 0.1-1.7 GeV/c and rapidities /y/ < 1. The pT spectra and integrated yields are compared to previous results at smaller √s and to predictions of Monte Carlo event generators. The average pT increases with particle mass and charged particle multiplicity of the event. Comparisons with previous CMS results at √s = 0.9, 2.76, and 7 TeV show that the average pT and the ratios of hadron yields feature very similar dependences on the particle multiplicity in the event, independently of the center-of-mass energy of the pp collision

Measurement of ttˉ\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}} normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp{\text {p}}{\text {p}} collisions at s=13 TeV\sqrt{s}=13\,{\text {TeV}} , and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Normalised multi-differential cross sections for top quark pair ($$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$) production are measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13$$\,{\text {TeV}}$$ using events containing two oppositely charged leptons. The analysed data were recorded with the CMS detector in 2016 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of $$35.9{\,{\text {fb}}^{-1}}$$. The double-differential $$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$ cross section is measured as a function of the kinematic properties of the top quark and of the $$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$ system at parton level in the full phase space. A triple-differential measurement is performed as a function of the invariant mass and rapidity of the $$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$ system and the multiplicity of additional jets at particle level. The data are compared to predictions of Monte Carlo event generators that complement next-to-leading-order (NLO) quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations with parton showers. Together with a fixed-order NLO QCD calculation, the triple-differential measurement is used to extract values of the strong coupling strength $$\alpha _{S}$$ and the top quark pole mass ($$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$) using several sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs). The measurement of $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$ exploits the sensitivity of the $$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$ invariant mass distribution to $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$ near the production threshold. Furthermore, a simultaneous fit of the PDFs, $$\alpha _{S}$$, and $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$ is performed at NLO, demonstrating that the new data have significant impact on the gluon PDF, and at the same time allow an accurate determination of $$\alpha _{S}$$ and $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$. The values $$\alpha _{S}(m_{{\text {Z}}}) = 0.1135{}^{+0.0021}_{-0.0017}$$ and $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}} = 170.5 \pm 0.8 \,{\text {GeV}}$$ are extracted, which account for experimental and theoretical uncertainties, the latter being estimated from NLO scale variations. Possible effects from Coulomb and soft-gluon resummation near the $$\hbox {t}{\bar{\hbox {t}}}$$ production threshold are neglected in these parameter extractions. A rough estimate of these effects indicates an expected correction of $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$ of the order of $$+1 \,{\text {GeV}}$$, which can be regarded as additional theoretical uncertainty in the current $$m_{{\text {t}}}^{{\text {pole}}}$$ extraction

Search for a light charged Higgs boson decaying to c-sbar in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV

see paper for full list of authorsInternational audienceA search for a light charged Higgs boson, originating from the decay of a top quark and subsequently decaying into a charm quark and a strange antiquark, is presented. The data used in the analysis correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse-femtobarns recorded in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed in the process t tbar to W+/- b H-/+ bbar, where the W boson decays to a lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino. The decays lead to a final state comprising an isolated lepton, at least four jets and large missing transverse energy. No significant deviation is observed in the data with respect to the standard model predictions, and model-independent upper limits are set on the branching fraction BF( t to H+ b ), ranging from 1.2 to 6.5% for a charged Higgs boson with mass between 90 and 160 GeV, under the assumption that BF( H+ to c sbar ) = 100%

Search for an excited lepton that decays via a contact interaction to a lepton and two jets in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

Results are presented from a search for events containing an excited lepton (electron or muon) produced in association with an ordinary lepton of the same flavor and decaying to a lepton and two hadronic jets. Both the production and the decay of the excited leptons are assumed to occur via a contact interaction with a characteristic energy scale Λ. The branching fraction for the decay mode under study increases with the mass of the excited lepton and is the most sensitive channel for very heavy excited leptons. The analysis uses a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at $$\sqrt{s}$$= 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 77.4 fb−1. The four-body invariant mass of the two lepton plus two jet system is used as the primary discriminating variable. No significant excess of events beyond the expectation for standard model processes is observed. Assuming that Λ is equal to the mass of the excited leptons, excited electrons and muons with masses below 5.6 and 5.7 TeV, respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level. These are the best limits to date

Study of central exclusive production in proton-proton collisions at s=5.02\sqrt{s} = 5.02 and 13TeV

Central exclusive and semiexclusive production of pairs is measured with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at center-of-mass energies of 5.02 and 13TeV. The theoretical description of these nonperturbative processes, which have not yet been measured in detail at the LHC, poses a significant challenge to models. The two pions are measured and identified in the CMS silicon tracker based on specific energy loss, whereas the absence of other particles is ensured by calorimeter information. The total and differential cross sections of exclusive and semiexclusive central production are measured as functions of invariant mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity of the system in the fiducial region defined as transverse momentum and pseudorapidity . The production cross sections for the four resonant channels , , , and are extracted using a simple model. These results represent the first measurement of this process at the LHC collision energies of 5.02 and 13TeV

Measurement of the ratio B(t›Wb)/B(t›Wq) in pp collisions at s=8 TeV

The ratio of the top-quark branching fractions R=B(t›Wb)/B(t›Wq), where the denominator includes the sum over all down-type quarks (q=b,s,d), is measured in the tt¯ dilepton final state with proton–proton collision data at s=8 TeV from an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb-1, collected with the CMS detector. In order to quantify the purity of the signal sample, the cross section is measured by fitting the observed jet multiplicity, thereby constraining the signal and background contributions. By counting the number of b jets per event, an unconstrained value of R=1.014±0.003(stat.)±0.032(syst.) is measured, in a good agreement with current precision measurements in electroweak and flavour sectors. A lower limit R>0.955 at the 95% confidence level is obtained after requiring R?1, and a lower limit on the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix element |Vtb|>0.975 is set at 95% confidence level. The result is combined with a previous CMS measurement of the t-channel single-top-quark cross section to determine the top-quark total decay width, ?t=1.36±0.02(stat.)-0.11 +0.14(syst.) GeV. © 2014 The Author