The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, delivering proton-proton collisions at much higher energies and far higher luminosities than previous machines, has enabled a comprehensive programme of measurements of the standard model (SM) processes by the CMS experiment. These unprecedented capabilities facilitate precise measurements of the properties of a wide array of processes, the most fundamental being cross sections. The discovery of the Higgs boson and the measurement of its mass became the keystone of the SM. Knowledge of the mass of the Higgs boson allows precision comparisons of the predictions of the SM with the corresponding measurements. These measurements span the range from one of the most copious SM processes, the total inelastic cross section for proton-proton interactions, to the rarest ones, such as Higgs boson pair production. They cover the production of Higgs bosons, top quarks, single and multibosons, and hadronic jets. Associated parameters, such as coupling constants, are also measured. These cross section measurements can be pictured as a descending stairway, on which the lowest steps represent the rarest processes allowed by the SM, some never seen before.
A search is reported for charge-parity D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ $CP$ violation in D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ decays, using data collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment in 2018. The analysis uses a dedicated data set that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 41.6 fb$^{-1}$, which consists of about 10 billion events containing a pair of \b hadrons, nearly all of which decay to charm hadrons. The flavor of the neutral D meson is determined by the pion charge in the reconstructed decays D$^{*+}$ $\to$ D$^0\pi^+$ and D$^{*-}$ $\to$ D$^0\pi^-$. The D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ $CP$ asymmetry in D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ is measured to be $A_{CP}$( K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$) = (6.2 $\pm$ 3.0 $\pm$ 0.2 $\pm$ 0.8)%, where the three uncertainties represent the statistical uncertainty, the systematic uncertainty, and the uncertainty in the measurement of the D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ $CP$ asymmetry in the D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}\pi^+\pi^-$ decay. This is the first D$^0$ $\to$ K$^0_\mathrm{S}$K$^0_\mathrm{S}$ $CP$ asymmetry measurement by CMS in the charm sector as well as the first to utilize a fully hadronic final state.
A search is presented for heavy bosons decaying to Z($\nu\bar{\nu}$)V(qq'), where V can be a W or a Z boson. A sample of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV was collected by the CMS experiment during 2016-2018. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$. The event categorization is based on the presence of high-momentum jets in the forward region to identify production through weak vector boson fusion. Additional categorization uses jet substructure techniques and the presence of large missing transverse momentum to identify W and Z bosons decaying to quarks and neutrinos, respectively. The dominant standard model backgrounds are estimated using data taken from control regions. The results are interpreted in terms of radion, W' boson, and graviton models, under the assumption that these bosons are produced via gluon-gluon fusion, Drell-Yan, or weak vector boson fusion processes. No evidence is found for physics beyond the standard model. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on various types of hypothetical new bosons. Observed (expected) exclusion limits on the masses of these bosons range from 1.2 to 4.0 (1.1 to 3.7) TeV.
Production cross sections of Υ(1S), Υ(2S), and Υ(3S) states decaying into μ^+μ^- in proton-lead (pPb) collisions are reported using data collected by the CMS experiment at √(s_NN) = 5.02 TeV. A comparison is made with corresponding cross sections obtained with pp data measured at the same collision energy and scaled by the Pb nucleus mass number. The nuclear modification factor for Υ(1S) is found to be R_pPb(Υ(1S)) = 0.806 ± 0.024 (stat) ± 0.059 (syst). Similar results for the excited states indicate a sequential suppression pattern, such that R_pPb(Υ(1S)) R_pPb(Υ(2S)) R_pPb(Υ(3S)). The suppression is much less pronounced in pPb than in PbPb collisions, and independent of transverse momentum p_T^Υ and center-of-mass rapidity y_CM^Υ of the individual Υ state in the studied range p_T^Υ 30 GeV/c and | y_CM^Υ| 1.93. Models that incorporate sequential suppression of bottomonia in pPb collisions are in better agreement with the data than those which only assume initial-state modifications.
A search for new heavy resonances decaying to pairs of bosons ($WW$, $WZ$, or $WH$) is presented. The analysis uses data from proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $137\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. One of the bosons is required to be a W boson decaying to an electron or muon and a neutrino, while the other boson is required to be reconstructed as a single jet with mass and substructure compatible with a quark pair from a $W$, $Z$, or Higgs boson decay. The search is performed in the resonance mass range between 1.0 and 4.5 TeV and includes a specific search for resonances produced via vector boson fusion. The signal is extracted using a two-dimensional maximum likelihood fit to the jet mass and the diboson invariant mass distributions. No significant excess is observed above the estimated background. Model-independent upper limits on the production cross sections of spin-0, spin-1, and spin-2 heavy resonances are derived as functions of the resonance mass and are interpreted in the context of bulk radion, heavy vector triplet, and bulk graviton models. The reported bounds are the most stringent to date.
Jets containing a prompt J$/\psi$ meson are studied in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV, using the CMS detector at the LHC. Jets are selected to be in the transverse momentum range of 30 $\lt p_\mathrm{T} \lt$ 40 GeV. The J$/\psi$ yield in these jets is evaluated as a function of the jet fragmentation variable $z$, the ratio of the J$/\psi$$p_\mathrm{T} $ to the jet $p_\mathrm{T}$. The nuclear modification factor, $R_\mathrm{AA}$, is then derived by comparing the yield in lead-lead collisions to the corresponding expectation based on proton-proton data, at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy. The suppression of the J$/\psi$ yield shows a dependence on $z$, indicating that the interaction of the J$/\psi$ with the quark-gluon plasma formed in heavy ion collisions depends on the fragmentation that gives rise to the J$/\psi$ meson.
Angular distributions of the decay B$^+$ $\to$ K$^*$(892)$^+\mu^+\mu^-$ are studied using events collected with the CMS detector in $\sqrt{s}=$ 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.0 fb$^{-1}$. The forward-backward asymmetry of the muons and the longitudinal polarization of the K$^*$(892)$^+$ meson are determined as a function of the square of the dimuon invariant mass. These are the first results from this exclusive decay mode and are in agreement with a standard model prediction.
The first measurement of the dependence of $\\gamma\\gamma \\to \\mu^{+}\\mu^{-}$ 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 $\\sqrt{s_\\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of approximately 1.5 nb$^{-1}$, were collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The azimuthal correlations between the two muons in the invariant mass region 8 $\\lt m_{\\mu\\mu} \\lt$ 60 GeV are extracted for events including zero, one, or at least two neutrons detected in the forward pseudorapidity range $|\\eta| \\lt$ 8.3. 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 strong Coulomb field created in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions is expected to produce a rapidity-dependent difference ($\Delta v_2$) in the second Fourier coefficient of the azimuthal distribution (elliptic flow, $v_2$) between $\mathrm{D}^0$ ($\mathrm{\bar{u}c}$) and $\overline{\mathrm{D}}^0$ ($\mathrm{u\bar{c}}$) mesons. Motivated by the search for evidence of this field, the CMS detector at the LHC is used to perform the first measurement of $\Delta v_2$. The rapidity-averaged value is found to be $\langle\Delta v_2 \rangle =$ 0.001 $\pm$ 0.001 (stat) $\pm$ 0.003 (syst) in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV. In addition, the influence of the collision geometry is explored by measuring the $\mathrm{D}^0$ and $\overline{\mathrm{D}}^0$ mesons $v_2$ and triangular flow coefficient ($v_3$) as functions of rapidity, transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$), and event centrality (a measure of the overlap of the two Pb nuclei). A clear centrality dependence of prompt $\mathrm{D}^0$ meson $v_2$ values is observed, while the $v_3$ is largely independent of centrality. These trends are consistent with expectations of flow driven by the initial-state geometry.
The $CP$-violating weak phase $\phi_\mathrm{s}$ and the decay width difference $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s}$ between the light and heavy B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ mass eigenstates are measured with the CMS detector at the LHC in a sample of 48500 reconstructed B$^0_\mathrm{s}\to$ J$/\psi\, \phi$(1020) $\to \mu^+\mu^-$K$^+$K$^-$ events. The measurement is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 96.4 fb$^{-1}$, collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV in 2017-2018. To extract the values of $\phi_\mathrm{s}$ and $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s}$, a time-dependent and flavor-tagged angular analysis of the $ \mu^+\mu^-$K$^+$K$^-$ final state is performed. The analysis employs a dedicated tagging trigger and a novel opposite-side muon flavor tagger based on machine learning techniques. The measurement yields $\phi_\mathrm{s} = -$11 $\pm$ 50 (stat) $\pm$ 10 (syst) mrad and $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s} =$ 0.114 $\pm$ 0.014 (stat) $\pm$ 0.007 (syst) ps$^{-1}$, in agreement with the standard model predictions. When combined with the previous CMS measurement at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV, the following values are obtained: $\phi_\mathrm{s} = -$21 $\pm$ 45 mrad, $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s} =$ 0.1073 $\pm$ 0.0097 ps$^{-1}$, a significant improvement over the 8 TeV result.
The $CP$-violating weak phase $\phi_\mathrm{s}$ and the decay width difference $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s}$ between the light and heavy B$^0_\mathrm{s}$ mass eigenstates are measured with the CMS detector at the LHC in a sample of 48500 reconstructed B$^0_\mathrm{s}\to$ J$/\psi\, \phi$(1020) $\to \mu^+\mu^-$K$^+$K$^-$ events. The measurement is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 96.4 fb$^{-1}$, collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV in 2017-2018. To extract the values of $\phi_\mathrm{s}$ and $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s}$, a time-dependent and flavor-tagged angular analysis of the $ \mu^+\mu^-$K$^+$K$^-$ final state is performed. The analysis employs a dedicated tagging trigger and a novel opposite-side muon flavor tagger based on machine learning techniques. The measurement yields $\phi_\mathrm{s} = -$11 $\pm$ 50 (stat) $\pm$ 10 (syst) mrad and $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s} =$ 0.114 $\pm$ 0.014 (stat) $\pm$ 0.007 (syst) ps$^{-1}$, in agreement with the standard model predictions. When combined with the previous CMS measurement at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 TeV, the following values are obtained: $\phi_\mathrm{s} = -$21 $\pm$ 45 mrad, $\Delta\Gamma_\mathrm{s} =$ 0.1073 $\pm$ 0.0097 ps$^{-1}$, a significant improvement over the 8 TeV result.
The strong Coulomb field created in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions is expected to produce a rapidity-dependent difference ($\Delta v_2$) in the second Fourier coefficient of the azimuthal distribution (elliptic flow, $v_2$) between $\mathrm{D}^0$ ($\mathrm{\bar{u}c}$) and $\overline{\mathrm{D}}^0$ ($\mathrm{u\bar{c}}$) mesons. Motivated by the search for evidence of this field, the CMS detector at the LHC is used to perform the first measurement of $\Delta v_2$. The rapidity-averaged value is found to be $\langle\Delta v_2 \rangle =$ 0.001 $\pm$ 0.001 (stat) $\pm$ 0.003 (syst) in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} =$ 5.02 TeV. In addition, the influence of the collision geometry is explored by measuring the $\mathrm{D}^0$ and $\overline{\mathrm{D}}^0$ mesons $v_2$ and triangular flow coefficient ($v_3$) as functions of rapidity, transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$), and event centrality (a measure of the overlap of the two Pb nuclei). A clear centrality dependence of prompt $\mathrm{D}^0$ meson $v_2$ values is observed, while the $v_3$ is largely independent of centrality. These trends are consistent with expectations of flow driven by the initial-state geometry.
Measurements of the total and differential fiducial cross sections for the Z boson decaying into two neutrinos are presented at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data were collected by the CMS detector in 2016 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. In these measurements, events are selected containing an imbalance in transverse momentum and one or more energetic jets. The fiducial differential cross section is measured as a function of the Z boson transverse momentum. The results are combined with a previous measurement of charged-lepton decays of the Z boson.
Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.
Combined measurements of the production and decay rates of the Higgs boson, as well as its couplings to vector bosons and fermions, are presented. The analysis uses the LHC proton-proton collision data set recorded with the CMS detector in 2016 at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The combination is based on analyses targeting the five main Higgs boson production mechanisms (gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and associated production with a W or Z boson, or a top quark-antiquark pair) and the following decay modes: H $\to$ $\gamma\gamma$, ZZ, WW, $\tau\tau$, bb, and $\mu\mu$. Searches for invisible Higgs boson decays are also considered. The best-fit ratio of the signal yield to the standard model expectation is measured to be $\mu$ $=$ 1.17 $\pm$ 0.10, assuming a Higgs boson mass of 125.09 GeV. Additional results are given for parametrizations with varying assumptions on the scaling behavior of the different production and decay modes, including generic ones based on ratios of cross sections and branching fractions or coupling modifiers. The results are compatible with the standard model predictions in all parametrizations considered. In addition, constraints are placed on various two Higgs doublet models.