An inclusive search is performed for supersymmetry in final states containing jets and an apparent imbalance in transverse momentum, ptvecmiss, due to the production of unobserved weakly interacting ...particles in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 18.5 inverse femtobarns. The dimensionless kinematic variable alphaT is used to discriminate between events with genuine ptvecmiss associated with unobserved particles and spurious values of ptvecmiss arising from jet energy mismeasurements. No excess of event yields above the expected standard model backgrounds is observed. The results are interpreted in terms of constraints on the parameter space of several simplified models of supersymmetry that assume the pair production of top squarks. The search provides sensitivity to a broad range of top squark decay modes, including the two-body decay top squark to c chi0, where c is a charm quark and chi0 is the lightest neutralino, as well as the four-body decay top squark to b f bar-f' chi0, where b is a bottom quark and f and bar-f' are fermions produced in the decay of an intermediate off-shell W boson. These modes dominate in scenarios in which the top squark and lightest neutralino are nearly degenerate in mass. For these modes, top squarks with masses as large as 260 and 230 GeV are excluded, respectively, for the two- and four-body decays.
Two-particle correlations in pPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV are studied as a function of the pseudorapidity separation (Delta eta) of the particle pair at small ...relative azimuthal angle (abs(Delta phi)< pi/3). The correlations are decomposed into a jet component that dominates the short-range correlations (abs(Delta eta) < 1), and a component that persists at large Delta eta and may originate from collective behavior of the produced system. The events are classified in terms of the multiplicity of the produced particles. Finite azimuthal anisotropies are observed in high-multiplicity events. The second and third Fourier components of the particle-pair azimuthal correlations, V2 and V3, are extracted after subtraction of the jet component. The single-particle anisotropy parameters v2 and v3 are normalized by their lab frame mid-rapidity value and are studied as a function of etacm. The normalized v2 distribution is found to be asymmetric about etacm = 0, with smaller values observed at forward pseudorapidity, corresponding to the direction of the proton beam, while no significant pseudorapidity dependence is observed for the normalized v3 distribution within the statistical uncertainties.
A measurement of the top quark pair production (t-tbar) cross section in proton-proton collisions at the centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV is presented using data collected with the CMS detector at the ...LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse-femtobarns. This analysis is performed in the t-tbar decay channels with one isolated, high transverse momentum electron or muon and at least four jets, at least one of which is required to be identified as originating from hadronization of a b quark. The calibration of the jet energy scale and the efficiency of b jet identification are determined from data. The measured t-tbar cross section is 228.5 +/- 3.8 (stat) +/- 13.7 (syst) +/- 6.0 (lumi) pb. This measurement is compared with an analysis of 7 TeV data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse-femtobarns, to determine the ratio of 8 TeV to 7 TeV cross sections, which is found to be 1.43 +/- 0.04 (stat) +/- 0.07 (syst) +/- 0.05 (lumi). The measurements are in agreement with QCD predictions up to next-to-next-to-leading order.
Measurements of the associated production of a Z boson with at least one jet originating from a b quark in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV are presented. Differential cross sections are ...measured with data collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.8 inverse femtobarns. Z bosons are reconstructed through their decays to electrons and muons. Cross sections are measured as a function of observables characterizing the kinematics of the b jet and the Z boson. Ratios of differential cross sections for the associated production with at least one b jet to the associated production with any jet are also presented. The production of a Z boson with two b jets is investigated, and differential cross sections are measured for the dijet system. Results are compared to theoretical predictions, testing two different flavour schemes for the choice of initial-state partons.
Results are reported from a search for the top squark, the lighter of the two supersymmetric partners of the top quark. The data sample corresponds to 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton ...collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search targets top squark to b chi+/- and top squark to t(*) chi0 decay modes, where chi+/- and chi0 are the lightest chargino and neutralino, respectively. The reconstructed final state consists of jets, b jets, missing transverse energy, and either one or two leptons. Leading backgrounds are determined from data. No significant excess in data is observed above the expectation from standard model processes. The results exclude a region of the two-dimensional plane of possible top squark and chi0 masses. The highest excluded top squark and chi0 masses are about 700 GeV and 250 GeV, respectively.
The ratio R(f0/phi) of the branching fractions of the B0,s meson to the CP-odd eigenstate J/psi f0(980) and to J/psi phi(1020) is measured, where J/psi to mu+ mu-, f0 to pi+ pi-, and phi to K+ K-. ...The analysis is based on a data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 inverse femtobarns. The result is R(f0/phi) = 0.140 +/- 0.013 +/- 0.018, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This result is consistent with theoretical predictions and previous measurements of R(f0/phi). It is the most precise measurement of the ratio to date.
The production cross sections of the B+, B0, and B0s mesons, and of their charge conjugates, are measured via exclusive hadronic decays in pPb collisions at the center-of-mass energy sqrt(s_NN) = ...5.02 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The dataset used for this analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 34.6 inverse-nanobarns. The production cross sections are measured in the transverse momentum range between 10 and 60 GeV/c. No significant modification is observed compared to proton-proton perturbative QCD calculations scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions. These results provide a baseline for the study of in-medium b quark energy loss in PbPb collisions.
A search is presented for exotic decays of a Higgs boson into undetectable particles and one or two isolated photons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data correspond to an ...integrated luminosity of up to 19.4 inverse femtobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Higgs bosons produced in gluon-gluon fusion and in association with a Z boson are investigated, using models in which the Higgs boson decays into a gravitino and a neutralino or a pair of neutralinos, followed by the decay of the neutralino to a gravitino and a photon. The selected events are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are placed on the product of cross sections and branching fractions. Assuming a standard model Higgs boson production cross-section, a 95% confidence level upper limit is set on the branching fraction of a 125 GeV Higgs boson decaying into undetectable particles and one or two isolated photons as a function of the neutralino mass. For neutralino masses from 1 to 120 GeV an upper limit in the range of 7 to 13% is obtained. Further results are given as a function of the neutralino lifetime, and also for a range of Higgs boson masses.
The t t-bar charge asymmetry is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC, correspond to an integrated ...luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns. Selected events contain an electron or a muon and four or more jets, where at least one jet is identified as originating from b-quark hadronization. The inclusive charge asymmetry is found to be 0.0010 +/- 0.0068 (stat) +/- 0.0037 (syst). In addition, differential charge asymmetries as a function of rapidity, transverse momentum, and invariant mass of the t t-bar system are studied. For the first time at the LHC, the measurements are also performed in a reduced fiducial phase space of top quark pair production, with an integrated result of -0.0035 +/- 0.0072 (stat) +/- 0.0031 (syst). All measurements are consistent within two standard deviations with zero asymmetry as well as with the predictions of the standard model.
Results are presented from a search for supersymmetric particles in scenarios with a compressed mass spectrum. The data sample corresponds to 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collisions ...recorded by the CMS experiment at sqrt(s)=8 TeV. The search targets top squark pair production in scenarios with mass differences Delta m = m(top squark) - m(neutralino) below the W-boson mass and with top-squark decays in the four-body mode (top squark to b l nu neutralino), where the neutralino is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). The signature includes a high transverse momentum (pt) jet associated with initial-state radiation, one or two low-pt leptons, and significant missing transverse energy. The event yields observed in data are consistent with the expected background contributions from standard model processes. Limits are set on the cross section for top squark pair production as a function of the top squark and LSP masses. Assuming a 100% branching fraction for the four-body decay mode, top-squark masses below 316 GeV are excluded for Delta m=25 GeV at 95% CL. The dilepton data are also interpreted under the assumption of chargino-neutralino production, with subsequent decays to sleptons or sneutrinos. Assuming a difference between the common lightest chargino/next lightest neutralino mass and the LSP mass of 20 GeV and a tau-enriched decay scenario, masses in the range m(chargino)<307 GeV are excluded at 95% CL.