Combination of searches for heavy resonances decaying to WW, WZ, ZZ, WH, and ZH boson pairs in proton–proton collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 8 and 13 TeV

A statistical combination of searches is presented for massive resonances decaying to WW, WZ, ZZ, WH, and ZH boson pairs in proton–proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The data were taken at centre-of-mass energies of 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to respective integrated luminosities of 19.7 and up to 2.7 $fb^{−1}$. The results are interpreted in the context of heavy vector triplet and singlet models that mimic properties of composite-Higgs models predicting W′ and Z′ bosons decaying to WZ, WW, WH, and ZH bosons. A model with a bulk graviton that decays into WW and ZZ is also considered. This is the first combined search for WW, WZ, WH, and ZH resonances and yields lower limits on masses at 95% confidence level for W′ and Z′ singlets at 2.3 TeV, and for a triplet at 2.4 TeV. The limits on the production cross section of a narrow bulk graviton resonance with the curvature scale of the warped extra dimension $\tilde{k}=0.5$, in the mass range of 0.6 to 4.0 TeV, are the most stringent published to date

Search for supersymmetry in pp collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 13 tev in the single-lepton final state using the sum of masses of large-radius jets

Results are reported from a search for supersymmetric particles in proton-proton collisions in the final state with a single lepton, multiple jets, including at least one b-tagged jet, and large missing transverse momentum. The search uses a sample of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9  $fb^{−1}$. The observed event yields in the signal regions are consistent with those expected from standard model backgrounds. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of supersymmetry involving gluino pair production, with gluino decay into either on- or off-mass-shell top squarks. Assuming that the top squarks decay into a top quark plus a stable, weakly interacting neutralino, scenarios with gluino masses up to about 1.9 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for neutralino masses up to about 1 TeV

Search for dark matter produced in association with heavy-flavor quark pairs in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search is presented for an excess of events with heavy-flavor quark pairs ($t\overline{t}$ and $b\overline{b}$) and a large imbalance in transverse momentum in data from proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 $fb^{−1}$ collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. No deviations are observed with respect to standard model predictions. The results are used in the first interpretation of dark matter production in $t\overline{t}$ and $b\overline{b}$ final states in a simplified model. This analysis is also the first to perform a statistical combination of searches for dark matter produced with different heavy-flavor final states. The combination provides exclusions that are stronger than those achieved with individual heavy-flavor final states

The CMS trigger system

This paper describes the CMS trigger system and its performance during Run 1 of the LHC. The trigger system consists of two levels designed to select events of potential physics interest from a GHz (MHz) interaction rate of proton-proton (heavy ion) collisions. The first level of the trigger is implemented in hardware, and selects events containing detector signals consistent with an electron, photon, muon, τ lepton, jet, or missing transverse energy. A programmable menu of up to 128 object-based algorithms is used to select events for subsequent processing. The trigger thresholds are adjusted to the LHC instantaneous luminosity during data taking in order to restrict the output rate to 100 kHz, the upper limit imposed by the CMS readout electronics. The second level, implemented in software, further refines the purity of the output stream, selecting an average rate of 400 Hz for offline event storage. The objectives, strategy and performance of the trigger system during the LHC Run 1 are described

Search for single production of vector-like quarks decaying into a b quark and a W boson in proton-proton collisions at s=13\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search is presented for a heavy vector-like quark, decaying into a b quark and a W boson, which is produced singly in association with a light flavor quark and a b quark. The analysis is performed using a data sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV collected at the LHC in 2015. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 $fb^{−1}$. The search is carried out using events containing one electron or muon, at least one b-tagged jet with large transverse momentum, at least one jet in the forward region of the detector, and missing transverse momentum. No excess over the standard model prediction is observed. Upper limits are placed on the production cross section of heavy exotic quarks: a T quark with a charge of 2/3, and a Y quark with a charge of −4/3. For Y quarks with coupling of 0.5 and $\mathcal{B}(Y→bW) = 100$, the observed (expected) lower mass limits are 1.40 (1.0)TeV. This is the most stringent limit to date on the single production of the Y vector-like quark

Search for Evidence of the Type-III Seesaw Mechanism in Multilepton Final States in Proton-Proton Collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for a signal consistent with the type-III seesaw mechanism in events with three or more electrons or muons is presented. The data sample consists of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13  TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 $fb^{−1}$. Selection criteria based on the number of leptons and the invariant mass of oppositely charged lepton pairs are used to distinguish the signal from the standard model background. The observations are consistent with the expectations from standard model processes. The results are used to place limits on the production of heavy fermions of the type-III seesaw model as a function of the branching ratio to each lepton flavor. In the scenario of equal branching fractions to each lepton flavor, heavy fermions with masses below 840 GeV are excluded. This is the most sensitive probe to date of the type-III seesaw mechanism

Measurement of the transverse momentum spectrum of the Higgs boson produced in pp collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV using H →\to WW decays

The cross section for Higgs boson production in pp collisions is studied using the H $\to$ W$^+$ W$^-$ decay mode, followed by leptonic decays of the W bosons to an oppositely charged electron-muon pair in the final state. The measurements are performed using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.4 fb$^{−1}$. The Higgs boson transverse momentum ($p_T$) is reconstructed using the lepton pair $p_T$ and missing $p_T$. The differential cross section times branching fraction is measured as a function of the Higgs boson $p_T$ in a fiducial phase space defined to match the experimental acceptance in terms of the lepton kinematics and event topology. The production cross section times branching fraction in the fiducial phase space is measured to be 39 $\pm$ 8 (stat) $\pm$ 9 (syst) fb. The measurements are found to agree, within experimental uncertainties, with theoretical calculations based on the standard model

Search for third-generation scalar leptoquarks and heavy right-handed neutrinos in final states with two tau leptons and two jets in proton-proton collisions at s=13\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search is performed for third-generation scalar leptoquarks and heavy right-handed neutrinos in events containing one electron or muon, one hadronically decaying τ lepton, and at least two jets, using a $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.9 $fb^{-1}$ collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016. The number of observed events is found to be in agreement with the standard model prediction. A limit is set at 95% confidence level on the product of the leptoquark pair production cross section and $β^2$, where β is the branching fraction of leptoquark decay to a τ lepton and a bottom quark. Assuming β = 1, third-generation leptoquarks with masses below 850 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. An additional search based on the same event topology involves heavy right-handed neutrinos, $N_R$, and right-handed W bosons, $W_R$, arising in a left-right symmetric extension of the standard model. In this search, $W_R$ bosons are assumed to decay to a tau lepton and $N_R$ followed by the decay of the $N_R$ to a tau lepton and an off-shell $W_R$ boson. Assuming the mass of the right-handed neutrino to be half of the mass of the right-handed W boson, $W_R$ boson masses below 2.9 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. These results improve on the limits from previous searches for third-generation leptoquarks and heavy right-handed neutrinos with τ leptons in the final state

Search for black holes in high-multiplicity final states in proton-proton collisions at s=13\sqrt{s}=13 TeV

A search for new physics in energetic, high-multiplicity final states has been performed using proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb$^{−1}$. The standard model background, dominated by multijet production, is determined exclusively from control regions in data. No statistically significant excess of events is observed. Model-independent limits on the product of the cross section and the acceptance of a new physics signal in these final states are set and further interpreted in terms of limits on the production of black holes. Semiclassical black holes and string balls with masses as high as 9.5 TeV, and quantum black holes with masses as high as 9.0 TeV are excluded by this search in the context of models with extra dimensions, thus significantly extending limits set at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the LHC Run 1 data