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CMS Collaboration

Publications and source records attributed to CMS Collaboration.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2026

Highly boosted dielectron identification in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A new technique is developed to identify dielectrons (e$^+$e$^-$) with Lorentz boost $γ_\mathrm{L}$ $\gt$ 20 that produce one single merged cluster in the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector. The identification uses two multivariate models: one for the case where both electron tracks are reconstructed, and another where only one of the tracks is reconstructed. The efficiency is determined using proton-proton collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Boosted J/$ψ$ mesons decaying into e$^+$e$^-$ pairs are used to estimate the efficiency of the model with two tracks, yielding an overall efficiency of 80%. The Z $\to$ $μ^+μ^-γ$ events, where the photon converts into a collimated dielectron, are used for the model with a single track, yielding an efficiency of about 60%. A dedicated energy correction for dielectron candidates is also developed using B$^\pm$ $\to$ J/$ψ$K$^\pm$ $\to$ e$^+$e$^-$K$^\pm$ data.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for heavy scalar resonances decaying to Lorentz-boosted Higgs and Higgs-like bosons in the $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$4q final state at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search is performed for a heavy scalar resonance X decaying to a Higgs boson (H) and a Higgs-like scalar boson (Y) in the two bottom quark (H $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$) and four quark (Y $\to$ VV $\to$ 4q) final state, where V denotes a W or Z boson. Masses of the X between 900 and 4000 GeV and the Y between 60 and 2800 GeV are considered. The search is performed in data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC from proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV center-of-mass energy, with a data set corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. It targets the Lorentz-boosted regime, in which the products of the H $\to$ $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$ decay can be reconstructed as a single large-area jet, and those from the Y $\to$ VV $\to$ 4q decay as either one Y $\to$ 4q or two V to $\mathrm{q\bar{q}}$ jets. Jet identification and mass reconstruction exploit machine-learning tools, including a novel attention-based "particle transformer" for Y $\to$ 4q identification. No significant excess is observed in the data above the standard model background expectation. Upper limits on the product of production cross section and branching fraction as low as 0.2 fb are derived at 95% confidence level for various mass hypotheses. This is the first search at the LHC for scalar resonances in the all-hadronic $\mathrm{b\bar{b}}$VV decay channel.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Measurement of the top quark pair production cross section in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.36 TeV

The inclusive cross section for top quark pair ($\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$) production in lead-lead (PbPb) collisions is reported for the first time at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.36 TeV. The analysis uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.58 nb$^{-1}$ collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2023. The $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production cross section, $σ_{\mathrm{t\bar{t}}}$ = 3.42 $^{+0.54}_{-0.51}$ (stat) $^{+0.50}_{-0.43}$ (syst) $μ$b, is measured in dilepton final states using a fit to a multivariate discriminator that combines the decay electron and muon kinematic properties with the multiplicity of bottom quark jets. The result is consistent with perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) accuracy employing several nuclear parton distribution functions. In addition, the Drell$-$Yan production cross section ($σ_\text{DY}$) for dilepton masses above 10 GeV and the ratio of $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ to DY cross sections ($R_{\mathrm{t\bar{t}}/\mathrm{DY}}$) are found to be compatible with the NNLO predictions. The observables $σ_{\mathrm{t\bar{t}}}$, $σ_\text{DY}$, and $R_{\mathrm{t\bar{t}}/\mathrm{DY}}$ are measured separately for central and semicentral PbPb collisions to investigate for the first time the dependence of top quark production on the collision impact parameter.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2026

Machine learning method for enforcing variable independence in background estimation with LHC data: ABCDisCoTEC

A novel solution is presented for the problem of estimating the backgrounds of a signal search using observed data while simultaneously maximizing the sensitivity of the search to the signal. The ``ABCD method'' provides a reliable framework for background estimation by partitioning events into one signal-enhanced region (A) and three background-enhanced control regions (B, C, and D) via two statistically independent variables. In practice, even slight correlations between the two variables can significantly undermine the method's performance. Thus, choosing appropriate variables by hand can present a formidable challenge, especially when background and signal differ only subtly. To address this issue, the ABCD with distance correlation (ABCDisCo) method was developed to construct two artificial variables from the output scores of a neural network trained to maximize signal-background discrimination while minimizing correlations using the distance correlation measure. However, relying solely on minimizing the distance correlation can yield undesirable characteristics in the resulting distributions, which may compromise the validity of the background prediction obtained using this method. The ABCDisCo training enhanced with closure (ABCDisCoTEC) method is introduced to solve this issue by directly minimizing the nonclosure, expressed as a dedicated differentiable loss term. This extended method is applied to a data set of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. Additionally, given the complexity of the minimization problem with constraints on multiple loss terms, the modified differential method of multipliers is applied and shown to greatly improve the stability and robustness of the ABCDisCoTEC method, compared to grid search hyperparameter optimization procedures.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Evidence of ZZ$γ$ production and observation of $4\ellγ$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

Evidence of the production of two Z bosons and a photon in proton-proton collisions is reported for the first time in CMS. The analysis uses data collected by the CMS experiment between 2016 and 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The first evidence for the process pp $\to$ ZZ$γ$ $\to$ 4$\ellγ$ ($\ell$ = e, $μ$), with an observed (expected) significance of 3.7 (3.1) standard deviations in a fiducial region defined by $p_\mathrm{T}^γ$ $\gt$ 20 GeV, $\lvertη^γ\rvert$ $\lt$ 2.4, $ΔR(\ell,γ)$ $\gt$ 0.5, $m_\text{Z}$ between 60 and 120 GeV, and the invariant mass of either of the two Z bosons combined with the photon ($m_{\text{Z}γ}$) larger than 100 GeV, is reported. The measured (predicted) fiducial cross section is 60 $^{+27}_{-22}$ ab (47.56 $\pm$ 0.04 ab). Additionally, the inclusive production of pp $\to$ 4$\ellγ$ is studied by removing the $m_{\text{Z}γ}$ requirement to include final state radiation where one Z boson decays to 2$\ellγ$, yielding an observed (expected) significance of 5.0 (4.2) standard deviations and a measured (predicted) fiducial cross section of 156 $^{+39}_{-35}$ ab (99.97 $\pm$ 0.09 ab).

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Spin-dependent azimuthal asymmetry of coherent J/$ψ$ photoproduction in hadronic PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 5.36 TeV

We report a measurement of the azimuthal asymmetry of muons from the decay of coherently photoproduced J/$ψ$ mesons with respect to the second-order event plane in hadronic lead-lead (PbPb) collisions. The analysis is based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.36 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.26 nb$^{-1}$. The asymmetry is quantified using the amplitude $A_{2}$ of the second-order harmonic modulation of the decay-muon azimuthal distribution. A negative $A_{2}$ = $-$0.194 $\pm$ 0.022 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.018 (syst.) is observed with a significance greater than five standard deviations for the first time. The $A_{2}$ values show no significant dependence on the J/$ψ$ meson rapidity or the degree of overlap of the colliding ions. A theoretical model in which the coherently photoproduced J/$ψ$ meson inherits the linear polarization of the incident photon is consistent with the data. When considered together with recent measurements of coherent $ρ^0$ $\to$ $π^+π^-$ photoproduction in ultraperipheral collisions, these results provide a direct observation of spin dependence in the azimuthal asymmetry of decay products from coherently photoproduced vector mesons. In addition, the observed correlation with the event plane may enable a novel approach to reaction plane determination in the future.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for the rare Higgs boson decay H $\to$ Z$γ$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 and 13.6 TeV

A search is presented for the rare, loop-induced Higgs boson decay H $\to$ Z$γ$, where Z $\to$ $\ell^+\ell^-$ and $\ell$ = e or $μ$. The search is performed using a sample of proton-proton (pp) collision data at the center-of-mass energies of 13 and 13.6 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 200 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis design separately considers and optimizes sensitivity to Higgs boson production via gluon-gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and associated-production processes. The signal is extracted from a simultaneous fit to the invariant mass distributions of the $\ell^+\ell^-γ$ system in the various production channels and event categories. The observed (expected) signal strength $μ$, defined as the ratio of the measured product the of cross section and decay branching fraction value $σ$(pp $\to$ H)$\mathcal{B}$(H $\to$ Z$γ$) to the corresponding value predicted in the standard model, is found to be $μ$ = 1.10$^{+0.52}_{-0.61}$ (1.00$^{+0.49}_{-0.46}$) for a Higgs boson mass of 125.38 GeV. The signal has an observed (expected) significance of 1.9 (2.3) standard deviations.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Measurement of the $t$-channel single top quark cross section in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV

The single top quark $t$-channel production cross section is measured in proton-proton collisions at the CERN LHC at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV, using data recorded with the CMS detector in 2017, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 302 pb$^{-1}$, and resulting in the first CMS measurement of the process at that energy. Events with one electron or muon and two or more jets, among which at least one is identified as originating from a b quark fragmentation, are analyzed. The combined cross section of single top quark (tq) and single top antiquark ($\mathrm{\bar{t}q}$) production is $σ_{\mathrm{tq+\bar{t}q}}$ = 25.5 $^{+3.6}_{-3.5}$ (stat) $^{+4.2}_{-3.9}$ (syst) $\pm$ 0.5 (lumi) pb. The individual cross sections are measured to be $σ_{\mathrm{tq}}$ = 17.7 $^{+2.9}_{-2.7}$ (stat) $^{+2.6}_{-2.4}$ (syst) $\pm$ 0.3 (lumi) pb and $σ_{\mathrm{\bar{t}q}}$ = 6.7 $^{+2.4}_{-1.6}$ (stat) $^{+2.1}_{-2.5}$ (syst) $\pm$ 0.1 (lumi) pb. Their ratio is measured to be $\mathcal{R}_{\mathrm{t-ch}}$ = 2.7 $^{+1.5}_{-0.8}$ (stat) $^{+1.2}_{-0.3}$ (syst). The absolute value of the Cabibbo$-$Kobayashi$-$Maskawa matrix element is found to be $\lvert f_{\mathrm{LV}}V_\mathrm{tb}\rvert$ = 0.92 $\pm$ 0.09 (exp) $\pm$ 0.01 (theo). The measurements are in good agreement with the standard model predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy in quantum chromodynamics.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Full event interpretation with machine-learning-based particle-flow reconstruction in the CMS detector

The particle-flow (PF) algorithm constructs a global description of each particle collision by producing a comprehensive list of final-state particles, and is central to event reconstruction in the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The existing PF implementation relies on physics-motivated heuristics and assumptions that can be replaced by machine-learning (ML) models trained directly on simulated data and naturally suited to modern graphics processing units (GPUs). A state-of-the-art ML-based PF (MLPF) reconstruction algorithm, implemented within the CMS software framework, is presented. The MLPF algorithm performs a learnable full-event reconstruction on GPUs, generalizes across detector conditions and collision energies, and replaces multiple modular reconstruction steps with a single unified model. Physics performance comparable to standard PF reconstruction is achieved in both simulation and data, with improved jet energy resolution and inference time. In simulated top quark-antiquark events under LHC Run-3 (2023$-$2024) conditions, the jet energy resolution improves by 10$-$20% for jets with transverse momentum between 30$-$100 GeV. Inference time is evaluated using simulated multijet events, with a median of 20 ms per event on an Nvidia L4 GPU, compared to approximately 110 ms for the standard CMS PF reconstruction.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2026

Constraint on the Higgs boson width in the diphoton final state using signal-background interference in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The standard model Higgs boson, with a mass of 125 GeV, has a predicted decay width, $Γ_\mathrm{H}$, of 4.1 MeV. This Letter presents the first constraint on $Γ_\mathrm{H}$ obtained through the interference between the resonant H $\to$ $γγ$ process and the continuum $γγ$ production, both produced via gluon-gluon fusion. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment between 2016 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The observed (expected) limit on the Higgs boson width is $Γ_\mathrm{H}$ $\lt$ 92 (138) MeV at 95% confidence level. This is the most stringent constraint on $Γ_\mathrm{H}$ from on-shell Higgs boson measurements to date.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Evidence for the dead-cone effect in bottom quark initiated jets produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The suppression of collinear gluon emissions from a massive quark, or the ``dead-cone effect,'' is the primary manifestation of quark mass effects in parton showers. A proton-proton collision data set recorded by the CMS experiment at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 59.8 fb$^{-1}$ is analyzed. A differential measurement is presented of the emission density of bottom quark jets, studied as a function of the angular separation between iteratively declustered subjets. The measurement is performed in bottom quark initiated jets with transverse momenta between 40 and 200 GeV originating from top quark pair production. Compared to data, a parton shower Monte Carlo model that includes the dead-cone effect is favored, while a model without the dead-cone effect is disfavored with a significance of 4.3 standard deviations.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for scalar leptoquarks produced via muon-quark scattering in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The first search for TeV-scale scalar leptoquarks (LQs) produced in muon-quark ($μ$q) interactions is presented. It is based on proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Quantum fluctuations inside the proton generate charged-lepton components, enabling the study of lepton-induced processes. In particular, the interaction of a muon from one colliding proton with a quark from the other proton enables the study of resonant production of a single LQ and its subsequent decay. The final state includes one or two muons and a jet that can come from the hadronization of either a light quark (u) or a b quark. The primary observable is the invariant mass of the muon-jet system, whose distribution peaks at the LQ mass. The data are found to be in agreement with the background predictions. Upper limits are set on the product of the LQ production cross section and its decay branching fraction to the $μ$q final state. The results exclude broad regions in the parameter plane of the LQ mass and the LQ-$μ$q coupling, improving upon previous CMS searches by extending the coverage for LQs with masses between 1.5 and 3.6 TeV, and couplings between 0.2 and 0.6 for the LQ(u$μ$) scenario; and masses above 1.8 TeV, and couplings above 1 for the LQ(b$μ$) scenario.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

A search for microscopic black holes, string balls, and sphalerons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for microscopic black holes, string balls, and electroweak sphalerons using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC during the 2016$-$2018 data taking, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$, is presented. Two search strategies based on control samples in data are used. Model-independent limits on the cross section of physics phenomena with multiple energetic jets, leptons, and photons are set using a method that relies on the shape invariance of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of all objects in the event. Model-dependent limits on black hole and sphaleron production are set using a newly introduced method that has been developed for the identification of collider events with distinct kinematic features by separating them into classes based on phase space proximity. In the context of models with large extra dimensions, semiclassical black holes and string balls with masses below 8.4$-$11.4 TeV and 9.0$-$10.7 TeV, respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level, significantly extending the reach beyond previous searches. Results of a dedicated search for electroweak sphalerons are used to derive an upper limit of 0.0034 at 95% confidence level on the fraction of quark-quark interactions, with a center-of-mass energy above the nominal sphaleron transition energy threshold of 9 TeV, that result in a sphalaron transition.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for a narrow resonance with a mass between 10 and 70 GeV decaying to a pair of photons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The existence of a new spin-zero particle with a mass below the electroweak scale is predicted by several theoretical models. Searches for resonant production of photon pairs at the LHC are able to probe these models. We present a search for a narrow resonance produced through gluon fusion that decays into a pair of photons with an invariant mass between 10 and 70 GeV, using a proton-proton collision data set from the CMS experiment. This data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 54.4 fb$^{-1}$, was recorded in 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using a newly introduced diphoton trigger that enabled exploration of the low-mass diphoton spectrum. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the gluon fusion production cross section and the branching fraction of the diphoton decay of a narrow resonance. An interpretation of these limits within an effective field theory framework for axion-like particles is also provided.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Observation of an excess at the top quark pair production threshold in the single-lepton channel

A search is presented for top quark-antiquark ($\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$) quasi-bound ``toponium'' states, near the kinematic $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production threshold in final states with a single electron or muon and jets. The study uses proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis examines the relative velocity between the top quark and antiquark, along with two angular observables sensitive to the parity and spin of the $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ system. A significant excess of events is observed relative to the standard model prediction for $\mathrm{t\bar{t}}$ production calculated at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The excess corresponds to an observed total cross section of 5.1$\pm$0.9 pb and is consistent with a simplified model of a color singlet pseudoscalar toponium motivated by nonrelativistic QCD, with a resulting observed significance of 6.1 standard deviations. The result provides an independent confirmation of the excess reported in the dilepton channel.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for top quark flavor-changing neutral currents in multilepton final states using an effective field theory approach in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

We present a search for flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) interactions involving the top quark in production and decay. This analysis establishes the first global search in the top quark FCNC sector within the standard model effective field theory where all relevant operators are constrained simultaneously in a single fit to data, providing a framework for future measurements and combinations at the LHC. The analysis uses proton$-$proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Signal contributions are probed in final states with two same-sign charged leptons or three leptons. Multivariate discriminants are used to separate signal from background, and their distributions enter a likelihood fit to determine 95% confidence intervals for 24 Wilson coefficients. No evidence for FCNC interactions is observed. These results provide the first simultaneous constraints on the complete operator set and place the most stringent limits to date on FCNC top quark decay branching fractions via two-quark$-$two-lepton interactions.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for a Higgs boson produced in association with a charm quark and decaying to a W boson pair in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

This paper presents a search for a Higgs boson produced in association with a charm quark (cH) which allows to probe the Higgs-charm Yukawa coupling strength modifier $κ_\mathrm{c}$. Higgs boson decays to a pair of W bosons are considered, where one W boson decays to an electron and a neutrino, and the other W boson decays to a muon and a neutrino. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$, were collected between 2016 and 2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level (CL) are set on the ratio of the measured yield to the standard model expectation for cH production. The observed (expected) upper limit is 1065 (506), corresponding to an observed (expected) constraint of $\lvertκ_\mathrm{c}\rvert$ $\lt$ 211 (95). When combined with the previous search for cH in the diphoton decay channel of the Higgs boson, the limits are interpreted as observed (expected) constraints at 95% CL on the value of $κ_\mathrm{c}$, $\lvertκ_\mathrm{c}\rvert$ $\lt$ 47 (51).

hep-ex↗
arXiv2026

Search for a new heavy resonance decaying to a top quark and a neutral scalar boson in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A first search at the LHC for a new heavy resonance decaying to a top quark and a neutral scalar boson $ϕ$ in the fully hadronic final state is presented, where the $ϕ$ boson is identified by its decay into a bottom quark-antiquark pair. The search is focused on final states in which the decay products of the highly Lorentz boosted top quark and $ϕ$ boson are each reconstructed as a single, large-radius jet with distinct substructure. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$, recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016$-$2018. The single production of a vector-like top quark, $\mathrm{T}'$, is used as a benchmark model for the signal process. The results of this search are combined with those of a previous CMS search in which semileptonic decays of the top quark were used. No significant excess of data is observed with respect to the background prediction. For the case where the neutral scalar is a standard model Higgs boson and the $\mathrm{T}'$ quark width is 5% of its mass, $\mathrm{T}'$ quark masses between 0.85 and 1.3 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level and the most stringent limits to date are set for masses above 2 TeV. For other $ϕ$ boson masses, upper limits as low as 0.1 fb are set on the product of the $\mathrm{T}'$ quark production cross section and branching fraction for its decay to a top quark and a $ϕ$ boson.

hep-ex↗