Engineering topics

Coelho, E. (ORCID:0000000161149907)

Publications and source records attributed to Coelho, E. (ORCID:0000000161149907).

At least 19 records

DOE OSTI2026

System-size dependence of charged-particle suppression in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

High-energy partons lose energy while propagating through the hot, strongly interacting medium produced in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions, leading to a suppression of particle production at high transverse momentum (p T ). The dependence of this energy loss on the size of the colliding nuclear system has yet to be firmly established experimentally. This Letter presents a systematic study of charged-particle suppression across four different nucleus-nucleus collision systems using nuclear modification factors (R AA ) measured by the CMS Collaboration at the CERN LHC. Previous CMS measurements of R AA in oxygen-oxygen, xenon-xenon, and lead-lead collisions are recast with identical p T intervals and are complemented by the first measurement of the charged-particle R AA in neon-neon collisions at $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$ = 5.36 Te V . The neon-neon data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 0.76 nb −1 . The R AA in all collision systems examined show similar qualitative trends as a function of p T , but have a magnitude which is ordered with the nucleon number A. The R AA feature a downward slope at low p T , a local minimum at around 5–7 Ge V , and an upward slope with increasing p T . The R AA are also compared in terms of A 1/3 , which is proportional to the nuclear radius. Models including only initial-state nuclear effects fail to reproduce the observed trends, whereas energy loss models reproduce the trends in the region p T > 9.6 Ge V .

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2026

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, 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 T′ quark width is 5% of its mass, 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 T′ quark production cross section and branching fraction for its decay to a top quark and a ϕ boson.

Boosted↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for a boosted Higgs boson decaying to bottom quark pairs in association with a W or Z boson in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13TeV

A search is conducted for standard model Higgs bosons with large transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) decaying to bottom quark pairs and produced in association with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson at the LHC. The result is based on a dataset of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the CMS detector in 2016$-$2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Boosted Higgs, W, and Z boson decays are reconstructed using large-radius jets with $p_\mathrm{T}$$\gt$ 450 GeV and identified with heavy-flavor classifiers based on a graph convolutional neural network. The observed signal strength relative to the standard model expectation is $μ$ = 0.72 $^{+0.75}_{-0.71}$ including statistical and systematic uncertainties.

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for soft unclustered energy patterns produced in association with a W or Z boson in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson produced in association with a W or Z boson and decaying via a soft unclustered energy pattern (SUEP) is presented. The analysis is based on proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 collected between 2016 and 2018 at the LHC. Final states with a leptonic W or Z boson decay associated with a high multiplicity of low-momentum charged particles are explored for the first time. The results show no significant excess over the standard model background expectation. Limits are set on the production cross section of a Higgs boson that decays to a SUEP, for a range of parameters of the SUEP model. Material is provided to facilitate further interpretation of the results.

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for heavy long-lived charged particles with level-1 trigger scouting data from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV

A search for heavy long-lived charged particles at the LHC is presented. Particles interacting with the CMS muon detector across several bunch crossings are searched for using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13.6 TeV collected with the CMS detector in 2024, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb$^{-1}$. This is the first search relying on the novel level-1 trigger scouting data set collected without any trigger selection, allowing correlations between bunch crossings to be analyzed. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the cross sections of several benchmark processes with pair production of heavy long-lived charged particles. Upper limits on the fiducial cross section of a heavy long-lived charged particle with $p_\mathrm{T}$$\gt$ 500 GeV and $\lvertη\rvert$$\lt$ 0.83 are also set in different ranges of $β=v/c$. This analysis is a crucial proof of concept for the level-1 trigger data scouting system and complements existing searches for heavy long-lived charged particles by extending the sensitivity to lower $β$ values.

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2026

High-level hadronic tau lepton triggers of the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at √(s) = 13.6 TeV

The trigger system of the CMS detector is pivotal in the acquisition of data for physics measurements and searches. Studies of final states characterized by hadronic decays of tau leptons require the reconstruction and the identification of genuine tau leptons against quark- and gluon-initiated jets at the trigger level. This is a difficult task, particularly as improvements to the LHC have resulted in an increased number of interactions per bunch crossing in recent years. To address this challenge, a series of machine-learning algorithms with high identification efficiency and low computational cost have been incorporated into the high-level trigger for hadronically decaying tau leptons. In this paper, these developments and the trigger performance are summarized using data collected by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at √(s) = 13.6 TeV in 2022–2023, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 62 fb -1 .

Particle identification methods↗

DOE OSTI2026

Characterizing the initial state and dynamical evolution in XeXe and PbPb collisions using multiparticle cumulants

For the first time, correlations among mixed-order moments of two or three flow harmonics —( v n k , v m l ) and ( v n k , v m l , v p q ), with k, l, and q denoting the respective orders—are measured in xenon–xenon (XeXe) collisions and compared with lead–lead (PbPb) results, providing a novel probe of collective behavior in heavy ion collisions. These measurements compare a nearly spherical, doubly-magic 208 Pb nucleus to a triaxially deformed 129 Xe nucleus, emphasizing the sensitivity to initial-state geometry fluctuations arising from nuclear deformation. The dependence of these results (v n , n = 2 , 3 , 4 ) on the shape and size of the nuclear overlap region is studied. Comparisons between v 2 , v 3 , and v 4 demonstrate the importance of v 3 and v 4 in exploring the nonlinear hydrodynamic response of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) to the initial spatial anisotropy. The results constrain initial-state model parameters that influence the evolution of the QGP. The CMS detector was used to collect XeXe and PbPb data at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies of S N N = 5.44 and 5.36 TeV, respectively. Correlations are extracted using multiparticle mixed-harmonic cumulants (up to eight-particle cumulants) with charged particles in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 2.4 and transverse momentum range 0.5 < p T < 3 GeV/c.

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evidence of medium response to hard probes using correlations of Z bosons with hadrons in heavy ion collisions

The first measurement of pseudorapidity and azimuthal angle distributions relative to the momentum vector of a Z boson for low transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) charged hadrons in lead-lead (PbPb) collisions is presented. By studying the hadrons produced in an event with a high-$p_\mathrm{T}$ Z boson (40 $\lt$ $p_\mathrm{T}$ $\lt$ 350 GeV), the analysis probes how the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) medium created in these collisions affects the parton recoiling opposite to the Z boson. Utilizing PbPb data at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s_{_\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV from 2018 with an integrated luminosity of 1.67 nb$^{-1}$ and proton-proton (pp) data at the same energy from 2017 with 301 pb$^{-1}$, the distributions are examined in bins of charged-hadron $p_\mathrm{T}$. A significant modification of the distributions for charged hadrons in the range 1 $\lt$ $p_\mathrm{T}$ $\lt$ 2 GeV in PbPb collisions is observed when compared to reference measurements from pp collisions. The data provide new information about the correlation between hard and soft particles in heavy ion collisions, which can be used to test predictions of various jet quenching models. The results are consistent with expectations of a hydrodynamic wake created when the QGP is depleted of energy by the parton propagating through it. Based on comparisons of PbPb data with pp references and predictions from theoretical models, this Letter presents the first evidence of medium-recoil and medium-hole effects caused by a hard probe.

CMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Identification of tau leptons using a convolutional neural network with domain adaptation

A tau lepton identification algorithm,DeepTau, based on convolutional neural network techniques, has been developed in the CMS experiment to discriminate reconstructed hadronic decays of tau leptons (τ h ) from quark or gluon jets and electrons and muons that are misreconstructed as τ h candidates. The latest version of this algorithm, v2.5, includes domain adaptation by backpropagation, a technique that reduces discrepancies between collision data and simulation in the region with the highest purity of genuine τh candidates. Additionally, a refined training workflow improves classification performance with respect to the previous version of the algorithm, with a reduction of 30–50% in the probability for quark and gluon jets to be misidentified as τ h candidates for given reconstruction and identification efficiencies. This paper presents the novel improvements introduced in theDeepTau algorithm and evaluates its performance in LHC proton-proton collision data at √(s) = 13 and 13.6 TeV collected in 2018 and 2022 with integrated luminosities of 60 and 35 fb -1 , respectively. Techniques to calibrate the performance of the τ h identification algorithm in simulation with respect to its measured performance in real data are presented, together with a subset of results among those measured for use in CMS physics analyses.

Large detector-systems performance↗

DOE OSTI2025

Search for bottom quark associated production of the standard model Higgs boson in final states with leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV

This Letter presents the first search for bottom quark associated production of the standard model Higgs boson, in final states with leptons. Higgs boson decays to pairs of tau leptons and pairs of leptonically decaying W bosons are considered. The search is performed using data collected from 2016 to 2018 by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 . Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are placed on the signal strength for Higgs boson production in association with bottom quarks; the observed (expected) upper limit is 3.7 (6.1) times the standard model prediction

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Determination of the spin and parity of all-charm tetraquarks

The traditional quark model accounts for the existence of baryons, such as protons and neutrons, which consist of three quarks, as well as mesons, composed of a quark–antiquark pair. Only recently has substantial evidence started to accumulate for exotic states composed of four or five quarks and antiquarks. The exact nature of their internal structure remains uncertain. Here we report the first measurement of quantum numbers of the recently discovered family of three all-charm tetraquarks, using data collected by the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider from 2016 to 2018 . The angular analysis techniques developed for the discovery and characterization of the Higgs boson have been applied to the new exotic states. Here we show that the quantum numbers for parity P and charge conjugation C symmetries are found to be +1. The spin J of these exotic states is determined to be consistent with 2ħ, while 0ħ and 1ħ are excluded at 95% and 99% confidence levels, respectively. The J PC = 2 ++ assignment implies particular configurations of constituent spins and orbital angular momenta, which constrain the possible internal structure of these tetraquarks.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Performance of heavy-flavour jet identification in Lorentz-boosted topologies in proton-proton collisions at √(s) = 13 TeV

Measurements in the highly Lorentz-boosted regime provoke increased interest in probing the Higgs boson properties and in searching for particles beyond the standard model at the LHC. In the CMS Collaboration, various boosted-object tagging algorithms, designed to identify hadronic jets originating from a massive particle decaying to bb̅ or cc̅, have been developed and deployed across a range of physics analyses. This paper highlights their performance on simulated events, and summarizes novel calibration techniques using proton-proton collision data collected at √(s) = 13 TeV during the 2016–2018 LHC data-taking period. Three dedicated methods are used for the calibration in multijet events, leveraging either machine learning techniques, the presence of muons within energetic boosted jets, or the reconstruction of hadronically decaying high-energy Z bosons. The calibration results, obtained through a combination of these approaches, are presented and discussed.

Pattern recognition↗

DOE OSTI2025

Elliptic anisotropy measurement of the f 0 (980) hadron in proton-lead collisions and evidence for its quark-antiquark composition

Despite the f 0 (980) hadron having been discovered half a century ago, the question about its quark content has not been settled: it might be an ordinary quark-antiquark ($q\bar{q}$) meson, a tetraquark ($q\bar{q}$$q\bar{q}$) exotic state, a kaon-antikaon ($K\bar{K}$) molecule, or a quark-antiquark-gluon ($q\bar{q}$g) hybrid. This paper reports strong evidence that the f 0 (980) state is an ordinary $q\bar{q}$ meson, inferred from the scaling of elliptic anisotropies (v 2 ) with the number of constituent quarks (n q ), as empirically established using conventional hadrons in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The f 0 (980) state is reconstructed via its dominant decay channel f 0 (980) → π + π − , in proton-lead collisions recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, and its v 2 is measured as a function of transverse momentum (p T ). It is found that the n q = 2 ($q\bar{q}$ state) hypothesis is favored over n q = 4 ($q\bar{q}$$q\bar{q}$ or $K\bar{K}$ states) by 7.7, 6.3, or 3.1 standard deviations in the p T < 10, 8, or 6 GeV/c ranges, respectively, and over n q = 3 ($q\bar{q}$g hybrid state) by 3.5 standard deviations in the p T < 8 GeV/c range. This result represents the first determination of the quark content of the f 0 (980) state, made possible by using a novel approach, and paves the way for similar studies of other exotic hadron candidates.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the W boson decay branching fraction ratio $\mathscr{B}$(W → cq)/$\mathscr{B}$(W →$q\bar{q}'$) in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The most precise measurement to date of the W boson hadronic decay branching fraction ratio $R_{c}^{W} = \mathcal{B}(W \to cq) / \mathcal{B}(W \to q\bar{q}$) is presented. The measurement is based on a sample of proton-proton collision data from the CERN LHC collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016-2018 with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The large cross section of top quark-antiquark production at the LHC offers a sizable high-purity sample of W bosons suitable for this measurement. Events with one charged lepton (electron or muon) and at least four jets, two tagged as bottom quark jets, are analyzed. Charm jets are tagged using the presence of a muon inside the jet. The result, $R_\mathrm{c}^\mathrm{W}$ = 0.489 $\pm$ 0.020, is consistent with the standard model prediction and is twice as precise as the current world-average value.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Multiplicity dependence of charm baryon and charm meson production in pPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV

Measurements of the production yields of charm baryons (Λ$^+_c$ ) and charm mesons (D 0 ) in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV are presented. The data were collected in 2016 with the CMS experiment and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 186 nb -1 . The Λ$^+_c$ baryon is reconstructed from the decay channel Λ$^+_c$ → K$^0_S$p , while the D 0 meson is reconstructed via D 0 → K - π + . The Λ$^+_c$ baryon and D 0 meson yields are extracted in several charged-particle multiplicity classes. No strong multiplicity dependence of the Λ$^+_c$-to-D 0 yield ratio is observed, unlike the observed strange baryon to strange meson yield ratio of $Λ/\bar{Λ}$to K$^0_S$, which shows a strong multiplicity dependence. This observation indicates different mechanisms for the multiplicity evolution of hadronization processes for charm and strange quarks and provides new constraints to the understanding of heavy flavor production and collectivity in small collision systems.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Determination of the strong coupling and its running from measurements of inclusive jet production

The value of the strong coupling α S is determined in a comprehensive analysis at next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy in quantum chromodynamics. The analysis uses double-differential cross section measurements from the CMS Collaboration at the CERN LHC of inclusive jet production in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 2.76, 7, 8, and 13 TeV, combined with inclusive deep-inelastic data from HERA. The value α S (m z ) = 0.1176 $^{+0.0014}_{-0.0016}$ is obtained at the scale of the Z boson mass. By using the measurements in different intervals of jet transverse momentum, the running of α S is probed for energies between 100 and 1600 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Observation of nuclear modification of energy-energy correlators inside jets in heavy ion collisions

Energy-energy correlators are constructed by averaging the number of charged particle pairs within jets, weighted by the product of their transverse momenta, as a function of the angular separation of the particles within a pair. They are sensitive to a multitude of perturbative and nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics phenomena in high-energy particle collisions. Using lead-lead data recorded with the CMS detector, energy-energy correlators inside high transverse momentum jets are measured in heavy ion collisions for the first time. The data are obtained at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.70 nb −1 . A similar analysis is done for proton-proton collisions at the same center-of-mass energy to establish a reference. The ratio of lead-lead to proton-proton energy-energy correlators reveals significant jet substructure modifications in the quark-gluon plasma. The results are compared to different models that incorporate either color coherence or medium response effects, where the two effects predict similar substructure modifications.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons A and H in the $t\bar{t}$Z channel in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

A direct search for new heavy neutral Higgs bosons A and H in the $t\bar{t}$Z channel is presented, targeting the process pp → A → ZH with H → $t\bar{t}$. For the first time, the channel with decays of the Z boson to muons or electrons in association with all-hadronic decays of the $t\bar{t}$ system is targeted. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data collected at the CERN LHC with the CMS experiment at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV, which correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . No signal is observed. Upper limits on the product of the cross section and branching fractions are derived for narrow resonances A and H with masses up to 2100 and 2000 GeV, respectively, assuming A boson production through gluon fusion. The results are also interpreted within two-Higgs-doublet models, where A and H are CP-odd and CP-even states, respectively, complementing and substantially extending the reach of previous searches.

2HDM↗