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

A search in energetic, high-multiplicity final states for evidence of physics beyond the standard model, such as black holes, string balls, and electroweak sphalerons, is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016. Standard model backgrounds, dominated by multijet production, are determined from control regions in data without any reliance on simulation. No evidence for excesses above the predicted background is observed. Model-independent 95% confidence level upper limits on the cross section of beyond the standard model signals in these final states are set and further interpreted in terms of limits on semiclassical black hole, string ball, and sphaleron production. In the context of models with large extra dimensions, semiclassical black holes with minimum masses as high as 10.1 TeV and string balls with masses as high as 9.5 TeV are excluded by this search. Results of the first dedicated search for electroweak sphalerons are presented. An upper limit of 0.021 is set on the fraction of all quark-quark interactions above the nominal threshold energy of 9 TeV resulting in the sphaleron transition.

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Search for physics beyond the standard model in high-mass diphoton events from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

A search for physics beyond the standard model is performed using a sample of high-mass diphoton events produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV. The data sample was collected in 2016 with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The search is performed for both resonant and nonresonant new physics signatures. At 95% confidence level, lower limits on the mass of the first Kaluza-Klein excitation of the graviton in the Randall-Sundrum warped extra-dimensional model are determined to be in the range of 2.3 to 4.6 TeV, for values of the associated coupling parameter between 0.01 and 0.2. Lower limits on the production of scalar resonances and model-independent cross section upper limits are also provided. For the large extra-dimensional model of Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali, lower limits are set on the string mass scale $M_S$ ranging from 5.6 to 9.7 TeV, depending on the model parameters. The first exclusion limits are set in the two-dimensional parameter space of a continuum clockwork model.

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Measurement of the top quark mass with lepton+jets final states using pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

The mass of the top quark is measured using a sample of $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$ events collected by the CMS detector using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV at the CERN LHC. Events are selected with one isolated muon or electron and at least four jets from data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. For each event the mass is reconstructed from a kinematic fit of the decay products to a $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$ hypothesis. Using the ideogram method, the top quark mass is determined simultaneously with an overall jet energy scale factor (JSF), constrained by the mass of the W boson in $\mathrm{q\overline{q}'}$ decays. The measurement is calibrated on samples simulated at next-to-leading order matched to a leading-order parton shower. The top quark mass is found to be 172.25 $\pm$ 0.08 (stat+JSF) $\pm$ 0.62 (syst) GeV. The dependence of this result on the kinematic properties of the event is studied and compared to predictions of different models of $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$ production, and no indications of a bias in the measurements are observed.

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Charged-particle nuclear modification factors in XeXe collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.44 TeV

The differential yields of charged particles having pseudorapidity within $|η|<$ 1 are measured using xenon-xenon (XeXe) collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.44 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.42 $μ$b$^{-1}$, were collected in 2017 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The yields are reported as functions of collision centrality and transverse momentum, $p_\mathrm{T}$, from 0.5 to 100 GeV. A previously reported $p_\mathrm{T}$ spectrum from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV is used for comparison after correcting for the difference in center-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factors using this reference, $R_\mathrm{AA}^*$, are constructed and compared to previous measurements and theoretical predictions. In head-on collisions, the $R_\mathrm{AA}^*$ has a value of 0.17 in the $p_\mathrm{T}$ range of 6-8 GeV, but increases to approximately 0.7 at 100 GeV. Above $\approx$ 6 GeV, the XeXe data show a notably smaller suppression than previous results for lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV when compared at the same centrality (i.e., the same fraction of total cross section). However, the XeXe suppression is slightly greater than that for PbPb in events having a similar number of participating nucleons.

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Precision measurement of the structure of the CMS inner tracking system using nuclear interactions

The structure of the CMS inner tracking system has been studied using nuclear interactions of hadrons striking its material. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded in 2015 at the LHC are used to reconstruct millions of secondary vertices from these nuclear interactions. Precise positions of the beam pipe and the inner tracking system elements, such as the pixel detector support tube, and barrel pixel detector inner shield and support rails, are determined using these vertices. These measurements are important for detector simulations, detector upgrades, and to identify any changes in the positions of inactive elements.

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Measurement of the production cross section for single top quarks in association with W bosons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A measurement is presented of the associated production of a single top quark and a W boson in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV by the CMS Collaboration at the CERN LHC. The data collected corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The measurement is performed using events with one electron and one muon in the final state along with at least one jet originated from a bottom quark. A multivariate discriminant, exploiting the kinematic properties of the events, is used to separate the signal from the dominant $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$ background. The measured cross section of 63.1 $\pm$ 1.8 (stat) $\pm$ 6.4 (syst) $\pm$ 2.1 (lumi) pb is in agreement with the standard model expectation.

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Pseudorapidity and transverse momentum dependence of flow harmonics in pPb and PbPb collisions

Measurements of azimuthal angular correlations are presented for high-multiplicity pPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=$ 5.02 TeV and peripheral PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=$ 2.76 TeV. The data used in this work were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. Fourier coefficients as functions of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are studied using the scalar product method, 4-, 6-, and 8-particle cumulants, and the Lee-Yang zeros technique. The influence of event plane decorrelation is evaluated using the scalar product method and found to account for most of the observed pseudorapidity dependence.

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Search for Z$γ$ resonances using leptonic and hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A search is presented for resonances decaying to a Z boson and a photon. The analysis is based on data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, and collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016. Two decay modes of the Z boson are investigated. In the leptonic channels, the Z boson candidates are reconstructed using electron or muon pairs. In the hadronic channels, they are identified using a large-radius jet, containing either light-quark or b quark decay products of the Z boson, via jet substructure and advanced b quark tagging techniques. The results from these channels are combined and interpreted in terms of upper limits on the product of the production cross section and the branching fraction to Z$γ$ for narrow and broad spin-0 resonances with masses between 0.35 and 4.0 TeV, providing thereby the most stringent limits on such resonances.

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Search for pair-produced resonances each decaying into at least four quarks in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

This letter presents the results of a search for pair-produced particles of masses above 100 GeV that each decay into at least four quarks. Using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2015-2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38.2 fb$^{-1}$, reconstructed particles are clustered into two large jets of similar mass, each consistent with four-parton substructure. No statistically significant excess of data over the background prediction is observed in the distribution of average jet mass. Pair-produced squarks with dominant hadronic $R$-parity-violating decays into four quarks and with masses between 0.10 and 0.72 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. Similarly, pair-produced gluinos that decay into five quarks are also excluded with masses between 0.10 and 1.41 TeV at 95% confidence level. These are the first constraints that have been placed on pair-produced particles with masses below 400 GeV that decay into four or five quarks, bridging a significant gap in the coverage of $R$-parity-violating supersymmetry parameter space.

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Observation of the Z $\toψ\ell^+\ell^-$ decay in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

This Letter presents the observation of the rare Z boson decay Z $\toψ\ell^+\ell^-$. Here, $ψ$ represents contributions from direct J/$ψ$ and $ψ$(2S) $\to$ J/$ψX$, $\ell^+\ell^-$ is a pair of electrons or muons, and the J/$ψ$ meson is detected via its decay to $μ^+μ^-$. The sample of proton-proton collision data, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The signal is observed with a significance in excess of 5 standard deviations. After subtraction of the $ψ$(2S) $\to$ J/$ψX$ contribution, the ratio of the branching fraction of the exclusive decay Z $\toψ\ell^+\ell^-$ to the decay Z $\toμ^+μ^-μ^+μ^-$ within a fiducial phase space is measured to be $\mathcal{B}($Z $\toψ\ell^+\ell^-) / \mathcal{B}($Z $\toμ^+μ^-μ^+μ^-) =$ 0.67 $\pm$ 0.18 (stat) $\pm$ 0.05 (syst).

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Performance of reconstruction and identification of $τ$ leptons decaying to hadrons and $ν_τ$ in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

The algorithm developed by the CMS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify $τ$ leptons produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 7 and 8 TeV, via their decays to hadrons and a neutrino, has been significantly improved. The changes include a revised reconstruction of $π^0$ candidates, and improvements in multivariate discriminants to separate $τ$ leptons from jets and electrons. The algorithm is extended to reconstruct $τ$ leptons in highly Lorentz-boosted pair production, and in the high-level trigger. The performance of the algorithm is studied using proton-proton collisions recorded during 2016 at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The performance is evaluated in terms of the efficiency for a genuine $τ$ lepton to pass the identification criteria and of the probabilities for jets, electrons, and muons to be misidentified as $τ$ leptons. The results are found to be very close to those expected from Monte Carlo simulation.

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Search for new physics in dijet angular distributions using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV and constraints on dark matter and other models

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model, based on measurements of dijet angular distributions in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The observed distributions are found to be in agreement with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics that include electroweak corrections. Constraints are placed on models containing quark contact interactions, extra spatial dimensions, quantum black holes, or dark matter using the detector-level distributions. In a benchmark model where only left-handed quarks participate, contact interactions are excluded at the 95% confidence level up to a scale of 12.8 or 17.5 TeV, for destructive or constructive interference, respectively. The most stringent lower limits to date are set on the ultraviolet cutoff in the Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulos-Dvali model of extra dimensions. In the Giudice-Rattazzi-Wells convention, the cutoff scale is excluded up to 10.1 TeV. The production of quantum black holes is excluded for masses below 5.9 and 8.2 TeV, depending on the model. For the first time, lower limits between 2.0 and 4.6 TeV are set on the mass of a dark matter mediator for (axial-)vector mediators, for the universal quark coupling $g_\mathrm{q}\geq$ 1.

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Search for a heavy resonance decaying into a Z boson and a Z or W boson in 2$\ell$2q final states at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A search has been performed for heavy resonances decaying to ZZ or ZW in 2$\ell$2q final states, with two charged leptons ($\ell=$ e,$μ$) produced by the decay of a Z boson, and two quarks produced by the decay of a W or Z boson. The analysis is sensitive to resonances with masses in the range from 400 to 4500 GeV. Two categories are defined based on the merged or resolved reconstruction of the hadronically decaying vector boson, optimized for high- and low-mass resonances, respectively. The search is based on data collected during 2016 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton-proton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. No excess is observed in the data above the standard model background expectation. Upper limits on the production cross section of heavy, narrow spin-1 and spin-2 resonances are derived as a function of the resonance mass, and exclusion limits on the production of W$'$ bosons and bulk graviton particles are calculated in the framework of the heavy vector triplet model and warped extra dimensions, respectively.

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Search for top squarks decaying via four-body or chargino-mediated modes in single-lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

A search for the pair production of the lightest supersymmetric partner of the top quark ($\widetilde{\mathrm{t}}_1$) is presented. The search focuses on a compressed scenario where the mass difference between the top squark and the lightest supersymmetric particle, often considered to be the lightest neutralino ($\widetildeχ^0_1$), is smaller than the mass of the W boson. The proton-proton collision data were recorded by the CMS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. In this search, two decay modes of the top squark are considered: a four-body decay into a bottom quark, two additional fermions, and a $\widetildeχ^0_1$; and a decay via an intermediate chargino. Events are selected using the presence of a high-momentum jet, significant missing transverse momentum, and a low transverse momentum electron or muon. Two analysis techniques are used, targeting different decay modes of the $\widetilde{\mathrm{t}}_1$: a sequential selection and a multivariate technique. No evidence for the production of top squarks is found, and mass limits at 95% confidence level are set that reach up to 560 GeV, depending on the $m(\widetilde{\mathrm{t}}_1) - m(\widetildeχ^0_1)$ mass difference and the decay mode.

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Observation of Higgs boson decay to bottom quarks

The observation of the standard model (SM) Higgs boson decay to a pair of bottom quarks is presented. The main contribution to this result is from processes in which Higgs bosons are produced in association with a W or Z boson (VH), and are searched for in final states including 0, 1, or 2 charged leptons and two identified bottom quark jets. The results from the measurement of these processes in a data sample recorded by the CMS experiment in 2017, comprising 41.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, are described. When combined with previous VH measurements using data collected at $\sqrt{s}=$ 7, 8, and 13 TeV, an excess of events is observed at $m_\mathrm{H} =$ 125.09 GeV with a significance of 4.8 standard deviations, where the expectation for the SM Higgs boson is 4.9. The corresponding measured signal strength is 1.01 $\pm$ 0.22. The combination of this result with searches by the CMS experiment for H $\to\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ in other production processes yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.6 (5.5) standard deviations and a signal strength of 1.04 $\pm$ 0.20.

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Search for an exotic decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of light pseudoscalars in the final state with two b quarks and two $τ$ leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A search for an exotic decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of light pseudoscalar bosons is performed for the first time in the final state with two b quarks and two $τ$ leptons. The search is motivated in the context of models of physics beyond the standard model (SM), such as two Higgs doublet models extended with a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), which include the next-to-minimal supersymmetric SM (NMSSM). The results are based on a data set of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, accumulated by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Masses of the pseudoscalar boson between 15 and 60 GeV are probed, and no excess of events above the SM expectation is observed. Upper limits between 3 and 12% are set on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}$(h $\to$ aa $\to$ 2$τ$2b) assuming the SM production of the Higgs boson. Upper limits are also set on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson to two light pseudoscalar bosons in different 2HDM+S scenarios. Assuming the SM production cross section for the Higgs boson, the upper limit on this quantity is as low as 20% for a mass of the pseudoscalar of 40 GeV in the NMSSM.

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Search for dark matter produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to $γγ$ or $τ^+τ^-$ at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

A search for dark matter particles is performed by looking for events with large transverse momentum imbalance and a recoiling Higgs boson decaying to either a pair of photons or a pair of $τ$ leptons. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected at the CERN LHC in 2016 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. No significant excess over the expected standard model background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are presented for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction in the context of two benchmark simplified models. For the Z'-two-Higgs-doublet model (where Z' is a new massive boson mediator) with an intermediate heavy pseudoscalar particle of mass $m_\mathrm{A} =$ 300 GeV and $m_\mathrm{DM} =$ 100 GeV, Z' masses from 550 GeV up to 1265 GeV are excluded. For a baryonic Z' model, with $m_\mathrm{DM} =$ 1 GeV, Z' masses up to 615 GeV are excluded. Results are also presented for the spin-independent cross section for the dark matter-nucleon interaction as a function of the mass of the dark matter particle. This is the first search for dark matter particles produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to two $τ$ leptons.

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Search for additional neutral MSSM Higgs bosons in the $ττ$ final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A search is presented for additional neutral Higgs bosons in the $ττ$ final state in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The search is performed in the context of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM), using the data collected with the CMS detector in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. To enhance the sensitivity to neutral MSSM Higgs bosons, the search includes production of the Higgs boson in association with b quarks. No significant deviation above the expected background is observed. Model-independent limits at 95% confidence level (CL) are set on the product of the branching fraction for the decay into $τ$ leptons and the cross section for the production via gluon fusion or in association with b quarks. These limits range from 18 pb at 90 GeV to 3.5 fb at 3.2 TeV for gluon fusion and from 15 pb (at 90 GeV) to 2.5 fb (at 3.2 TeV) for production in association with b quarks, assuming a narrow width resonance. In the m$_{\text{h}}^{\text{mod+}}$ scenario these limits translate into a 95% CL exclusion of $\tanβ>$ 6 for neutral Higgs boson masses below 250 GeV, where $\tanβ$ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the neutral components of the two Higgs doublets. The 95% CL exclusion contour reaches 1.6 TeV for $\tanβ=$ 60.

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