Engineering topics

Moortgat, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Moortgat, S..

At least 19 records

DOE OSTI2024

Search for central exclusive production of top quark pairs in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with tagged protons

A search for the central exclusive production of top quark-antiquark pairs ($t\overline{t}$) is performed for the first time using proton-tagged events in proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 29.4 fb -1 . The $t\overline{t}$ decay products are reconstructed using the central CMS detector, while forward protons are measured in the CMS-TOTEM precision proton spectrometer. An observed (expected) upper bound on the production cross section of 0.59 (1.14) pb is set at 95% confdence level, for collisions of protons with fractional momentum losses between 2 and 20%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for a new resonance decaying into two spin-0 bosons in a final state with two photons and two bottom quarks in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for a new boson X is presented using CERN LHC proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV in 2016–2018, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 . The resonance X decays into either a pair of Higgs bosons HH of mass 125 GeV or an H and a new spin-0 boson Y. One H subsequently decays to a pair of photons, and the second H or Y, to a pair of bottom quarks. The explored mass ranges of X are 260–1000 GeV and 300–1000 GeV, for decays to HH and to HY, respectively, with the Y mass range being 90–800 GeV. For a spin-0 X hypothesis, the 95% confidence level upper limit on the product of its production cross section and decay branching fraction is observed to be within 0.90–0.04 fb, depending on the masses of X and Y. The largest deviation from the background-only hypothesis with a local (global) significance of 3.8 (below 2.8) standard deviations is observed for X and Y masses of 650 and 90 GeV, respectively. The limits are interpreted using several models of new physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Higher-order moments of the elliptic flow distribution in PbPb collisions at $ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV

The hydrodynamic flow-like behavior of charged hadrons in high-energy lead-lead collisions is studied through multiparticle correlations. The elliptic anisotropy values based on different orders of multiparticle cumulants, v$_{2}${2k}, are measured up to the tenth order (k = 5) as functions of the collision centrality at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $ = 5.02 TeV. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 0.607 nb$^{–1}$. A hierarchy is observed between the coefficients, with v$_{2}${2} > v$_{2}${4} ≳ v$_{2}${6} ≳ v$_{2}${8} ≳ v$_{2}${10}. Based on these results, centrality-dependent moments for the fluctuation-driven event-by-event v$_{2}$ distribution are determined, including the skewness, kurtosis and, for the first time, superskewness. Assuming a hydrodynamic expansion of the produced medium, these moments directly probe the initial-state geometry in high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for Z' bosons decaying to pairs of heavy Majorana neutrinos in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for the production of pairs of heavy Majorana neutrinos (N ℓ ) from the decays of Z' bosons is performed using the CMS detector at the LHC. The data were collected in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt s$ = 13 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb –1 . The signature for the search is an excess in the invariant mass distribution of the final-state objects, two same-flavor leptons (e or μ) and at least two jets. No significant excess of events beyond the expected background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the Z' production cross section and its branching fraction to a pair of N ℓ , as functions of N ℓ and Z' boson masses (m N ℓ and m Z' , respectively) for m Z' from 0.4 to 4.6 TeV and m N ℓ from 0.1 TeV to m Z' /2. In the theoretical framework of a left-right symmetric model, exclusion bounds in the m N ℓ -m Z' plane are presented in both the electron and muon channels. The observed upper limit on m Z' reaches up to 4.42 TeV. These are the most restrictive limits to date on the mass of N ℓ as a function of the Z' boson mass.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Measurements of the azimuthal anisotropy of prompt and nonprompt charmonia in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $= 5.02 TeV

The second-order (v 2 ) and third-order (v 3 ) Fourier coefficients describing the azimuthal anisotropy of prompt and nonprompt (from b-hadron decays) J/ψ, as well as prompt ψ(2S) mesons are measured in lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt {^{S}NN}$ = 5.02 TeV. The analysis uses a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.61 nb –1 recorded with the CMS detector. The J/ψ and ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed using their dimuon decay channel. The v 2 and v 3 coefficients are extracted using the scalar product method and studied as functions of meson transverse momentum and collision centrality. The measured v 2 values for prompt J/ψ mesons are found to be larger than those for nonprompt J/ψ mesons. The prompt J/ψ v 2 values at high p T are found to be underpredicted by a model incorporating only parton energy loss effects in a quark-gluon plasma medium. Prompt and nonprompt J/ψ meson v 3 and prompt ψ(2S) v 2 and v 3 values are also reported for the first time, providing new information about heavy quark interactions in the hot and dense medium created in heavy ion collisions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for supersymmetry in final states with a single electron or muon using angular correlations and heavy-object identification in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for supersymmetry is presented in events with a single charged lepton, electron or muon, and multiple hadronic jets. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb –1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The search targets gluino pair production, where the gluinos decay into final states with the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and either a top quark-antiquark ($\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$ pair, or a light-flavor quark-antiquark ($\text{q}\bar{\text{q}}$ pair and a virtual or on-shell W boson. The main backgrounds, $\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$ pair and W+jets production, are suppressed by requirements on the azimuthal angle between the momenta of the lepton and of its reconstructed parent W boson candidate, and by top quark and W boson identification based on a machine-learning technique. The number of observed events is consistent with the expectations from standard model processes. Limits are evaluated on supersymmetric particle masses in the context of two simplified models of gluino pair production. Exclusions for gluino masses reach up to 2120 (2050) GeV at 95% confidence level for a model with gluino decay to a $\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$ pair (a $\text{q}\bar{\text{q}}$ pair and a W boson) and the LSP. For the same models, limits on the mass of the LSP reach up to 1250 (1070) GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for a vector-like quark T' → tH via the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for the electroweak production of a vector-like quark T', decaying to a top quark and a Higgs boson is presented. The search is based on a sample of proton-proton collision events recorded at the LHC at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{–1}$. This is the first T' search that exploits the Higgs boson decay to a pair of photons. For narrow isospin singlet T' states with masses up to 1.1 TeV, the excellent diphoton invariant mass resolution of 1–2% results in an increased sensitivity compared to previous searches based on the same production mechanism. The electroweak production of a T' quark with mass up to 960 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming a coupling strength κ$_{T}$ = 0.25 and a relative decay width Γ/M$_{T'}$< 5%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for new physics in the τ lepton plus missing transverse momentum final state in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for physics beyond the standard model (SM) in the final state with a hadronically decaying tau lepton and a neutrino is presented. This analysis is based on data recorded by the CMS experiment from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{–1}$. The transverse mass spectrum is analyzed for the presence of new physics. No significant deviation from the SM prediction is observed. Limits are set on the production cross section of a W' boson decaying into a tau lepton and a neutrino. Lower limits are set on the mass of the sequential SM-like heavy charged vector boson and the mass of a quantum black hole. Upper limits are placed on the couplings of a new boson to the SM fermions. Constraints are put on a nonuniversal gauge interaction model and an effective field theory model. For the first time, upper limits on the cross section of t-channel leptoquark (LQ) exchange are presented. These limits are translated into exclusion limits on the LQ mass and on its coupling in the t-channel. The sensitivity of this analysis extends into the parameter space of LQ models that attempt to explain the anomalies observed in B meson decays. The limits presented for the various interpretations are the most stringent to date. Additionally, a model-independent limit is provided.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for a charged Higgs boson decaying into a heavy neutral Higgs boson and a W boson in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for a charged Higgs boson H ± decaying into a heavy neutral Higgs boson H and a W boson is presented. The analysis targets the H decay into a pair of tau leptons with at least one of them decaying hadronically and with an additional electron or muon present in the event. The search is based on proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment during 2016–2018 at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb –1 . The data are consistent with standard model background expectations. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for an H ± in the mass range of 300–700 GeV, assuming an H with a mass of 200 GeV. The observed limits range from 0.085 pb for an H ± mass of 300 Ge V to 0.019 pb for a mass of 700 GeV. These are the first limits on H ± production in the H ± → HW ± decay channel at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for high-mass exclusive γγ → WW and γγ → ZZ production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search is performed for exclusive high-mass γγ → WW and γγ → ZZ production in proton-proton collisions using intact forward protons reconstructed in near-beam detectors, with both weak bosons decaying into boosted and merged jets. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS and TOTEM experiments at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 100 fb -1 . No excess above the standard model background prediction is observed, and upper limits are set on the pp → pWWp and pp → pZZp cross sections in a fiducial region defined by the diboson invariant mass m(VV) > 1 TeV (with V = W, Z) and proton fractional momentum loss 0.04 < ξ < 0.20. The results are interpreted as new limits on dimension-6 and dimension-8 anomalous quartic gauge couplings.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Azimuthal anisotropy of dijet events in PbPb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 5.02 TeV

A bstract The path-length dependent parton energy loss within the dense partonic medium created in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 5 . 02 TeV is studied by determining the azimuthal anisotropies for dijets with high transverse momentum. The data were collected by the CMS experiment in 2018 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.69 nb − 1 . For events containing back-to-back jets, correlations in relative azimuthal angle and pseudorapidity ( η ) between jets and hadrons, and between two hadrons, are constructed. The anisotropies are expressed as the Fourier expansion coefficients v n , n = 2–4 of these azimuthal distributions. The dijet v n values are extracted from long-range (1 . 5 < |∆ η | < 2 . 5) components of these correlations, which suppresses the background contributions from jet fragmentation processes. Positive dijet v 2 values are observed which increase from central to more peripheral events, while the v 3 and v 4 values are consistent with zero within experimental uncertainties.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of the Higgs boson inclusive and differential fiducial production cross sections in the diphoton decay channel with pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The measurements of the inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections of the Higgs boson decaying to a pair of photons are presented. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collisions data recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb -1 . The inclusive fiducial cross section is measured to be σ fid = 73.4$^{+5.4}_{-5.3}$ (stat)$a^{+2.4}_{-2.2 }$(syst) fb, in agreement with the standard model expectation of 75.4 ± 4.1 fb. The measurements are also performed in fiducial regions targeting different production modes and as function of several observables describing the diphoton system, the number of additional jets present in the event, and other kinematic observables. Two double differential measurements are performed. No significant deviations from the standard model expectations are observed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for CP violation in t$\overline{\textrm{t}}$H and tH production in multilepton channels in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The charge-parity (CP) structure of the Yukawa interaction between the Higgs (H) boson and the top quark is measured in a data sample enriched in the t$\overline{t}$H and tH associated production, using 138 fb -1 of data collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The study targets events where the H boson decays via H → WW or H → ττ and the top quarks decay via t → Wb: the W bosons decay either leptonically or hadronically, and final states characterized by the presence of at least two leptons are studied. Machine learning techniques are applied to these final states to enhance the separation of CP -even from CP -odd scenarios. Two-dimensional confidence regions are set on $κ$ t and $\widetilde{k}$t, which are respectively defined as the CP -even and CP -odd top-Higgs Yukawa coupling modifiers. No significant fractional CP -odd contributions, parameterized by the quantity |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| are observed; the parameter is determined to be |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.59 with an interval of (0.24, 0.81) at 68% confidence level. The results are combined with previous results covering the H → ZZ and H → γγ decay modes, yielding two- and one-dimensional confidence regions on $κ$ t and $\widetilde{k}$t, while |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| is determined to be |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.28 with an interval of |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| < 0.55 at 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model CP -even prediction of |$f^{Htt}_{CP}$| = 0.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for Higgs boson pairs decaying to WWWW, WW* ττ , and ττττ in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

The results of a search for Higgs boson pair (HH) production in the WW*WW*, WW*$ττ$, and $ττττ$ decay modes are presented. The search uses 138 fb –1 of proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV from 2016 to 2018. Analyzed events contain two, three, or four reconstructed leptons, including electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying tau leptons. No evidence for a signal is found in the data. Upper limits are set on the cross section for nonresonant HH production, as well as resonant production in which a new heavy particle decays to a pair of Higgs bosons. For nonresonant production, the observed (expected) upper limit on the cross section at 95% confidence level (CL) is 21.3 (19.4) times the standard model (SM) prediction. The observed (expected) ratio of the trilinear Higgs boson self-coupling to its value in the SM is constrained to be within the interval –6.9 to 11.1 (–6.9 to 11.7) at 95% CL, and limits are set on a variety of new-physics models using an effective field theory approach. The observed (expected) limits on the cross section for resonant HH production range from 0.18 to 0.90 (0.08 to 1.06) pb at 95% CL for new heavy-particle masses in the range 250–1000 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Searches for additional Higgs bosons and for vector leptoquarks in $ττ$ final states in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

Three searches are presented for signatures of physics beyond the standard model (SM) in $ττ$ final states in proton-proton collisions at the LHC, using a data sample collected with the CMS detector at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 . Upper limits at 95% confidence level (CL) are set on the products of the branching fraction for the decay into $τ$ leptons and the cross sections for the production of a new boson $\phi$, in addition to the H(125) boson, via gluon fusion (gg$\phi$) or in association with b quarks, ranging from $\mathcal{O}$(10 pb) for a mass of 60 GeV to 0.3 fb for a mass of 3.5 TeV each. The data reveal two excesses for gg$\phi$ production with local $p$-values equivalent to about three standard deviations at m $\phi$ = 0.1 and 1.2 TeV. In a search for $t$-channel exchange of a vector leptoquark U 1 , 95% CL upper limits are set on the dimensionless U 1 leptoquark coupling to quarks and $τ$ leptons ranging from 1 for a mass of 1 TeV to 6 for a mass of 5 TeV, depending on the scenario. In the interpretations of the $M^{125}_{h}$ and $M^{125}_{h,EFT}$ minimal supersymmetric SM benchmark scenarios, additional Higgs bosons with masses below 350 GeV are excluded at 95% CL.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of the top quark pole mass using $ \textrm{t}\overline{\textrm{t}} $+jet events in the dilepton final state in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A measurement of the top quark pole mass $\mathcal{m}^\text{pole}_\text{t}$ in events where a top quark-antiquark pair ($\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$) is produced in association with at least one additional jet ($\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$ +jet) is presented. This analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb -1 . Events with two opposite-sign leptons in the final state (e + e – , μ + μ – , e ± μ ∓ ) are analyzed. The reconstruction of the main observable and the event classification are optimized using multivariate analysis techniques based on machine learning. The production cross section is measured as a function of the inverse of the invariant mass of the $\text{t}\bar{\text{t}}$ +jet system at the parton level using a maximum likelihood unfolding. Given a reference parton distribution function (PDF), the top quark pole mass is extracted using the theoretical predictions at next-to-leading order. For the ABMP16NLO PDF, this results in $\mathcal{m}^\text{pole}_\text{t}$ = 172.93 ± 1.36 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of inclusive and differential cross sections for single top quark production in association with a W boson in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

Measurements of the inclusive and normalised differential cross sections are presented for the production of single top quarks in association with a W boson in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data used were recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC during 2016–2018, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 . Events containing one electron and one muon in the final state are analysed. For the inclusive measurement, a multivariate discriminant, exploiting the kinematic properties of the events is used to separate the signal from the dominant t$\overline{t}$ background. A cross section of 79.2 ± 0.9(stat)$^{+7.7}_{-8.0}$ (syst) ± 1.2 (lumi) pb is obtained, consistent with the predictions of the standard model. For the differential measurements, a fiducial region is defined according to the detector acceptance, and the requirement of exactly one jet coming from the fragmentation of a bottom quark. The resulting distributions are unfolded to particle level and agree with the predictions at next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for nonresonant Higgs boson pair production in the four leptons plus twob jets final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The first search for nonresonant production of Higgs boson pairs (HH) with one H decaying into four leptons and the other into a pair of b quarks is presented, using proton-proton collisions recorded at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb–1. A 95% confidence level upper limit of 32.4 is set on the signal strength modifier μ, defined as the ratio of the observed HH production rate in the HH → ZZ*b$\overline{b}$ → 4lb$\overline{b}$ decay channel to the standard model (SM) expectation. Possible modifications of the H trilinear coupling λHHH with respect to the SM value are investigated. The coupling modifier κ λ , defined as λHHH divided by its SM prediction, is constrained to be within the observed (expected) range –8.8 (–9.8) < κ λ < 13.4 (15.0) at 95% confidence level.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗