Search for microscopic black holes in pp collisions at √ s = 7 TeV

A search for microscopic black holes in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb1 recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011. Events with large total transverse energy have been analyzed for the presence of multiple energetic jets, leptons, and photons, which are typical signals of evaporating semiclassical and quantum black holes, and string balls. Agreement with the expected standard model backgrounds, which are dominated by QCD multijet production, has been observed for various combined multiplicities of jets and other reconstructed objects in the final state. Model-independent limits are set on new physics processes producing high-multiplicity, energetic final states. In addition, new model-specific indicative limits are set excluding semiclassical and quantum black holes with masses below 3.8 to 5.3TeV and string balls with masses below 4.6 to 4.8TeV . The analysis has a substantially increased sensitivity compared to previous searches.

Measurement of the Λb0 lifetime in the exclusive decay Λb0→J/ψΛ0 in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

We measure the Λb0 lifetime in the fully reconstructed decay Λb0→J/ψΛ0 using 10.4fb -1 of pp̄ collisions collected with the D0 detector at √s=1.96TeV. The lifetime of the topologically similar decay channel B0→J/ψKS0 is also measured. We obtain τ(Λb0)=1.303±0.075(stat)±0.035(syst)ps and τ(B0)=1.508±0.025(stat)±0.043(syst)ps. Using these measurements, we determine the lifetime ratio of τ(Λb0)/τ(B0)=0. 864±0.052(stat)±0.033(syst). © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for violation of Lorentz invariance in top quark pair production and decay

Using data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, corresponding to 5.3fb -1 of integrated luminosity, we search for violation of Lorentz invariance by examining the tt̄ production cross section in lepton+jets final states. We quantify this violation using the standard-model extension framework, which predicts a dependence of the tt̄ production cross section on sidereal time as the orientation of the detector changes with the rotation of the Earth. Within this framework, we measure components of the matrices (c Q) μν33 and (c U) μν33 containing coefficients used to parametrize violation of Lorentz invariance in the top quark sector. Within uncertainties, these coefficients are found to be consistent with zero. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for a light charged Higgs boson in top quark decays in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Results are presented on a search for a light charged Higgs boson that can be produced in the decay of the top quark t → H +b and which, in turn, decays into τ +ν t. The analysed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 2 fb -1 recorded in protonproton collisions at √s = 7 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is sensitive to the decays of the top quark pairs tt̄ → H ±W ∓bb̄ and tt̄ → H ±H ∓bb̄. Various final states have been studied separately, all requiring presence of a τ lepton from H + decays, missing transverse energy, and multiple jets. Upper limits on the branching fraction B(t → H +b) in the range of 2-4% are established for charged Higgs boson masses between 80 and 160 GeV, under the assumption that B(H + → τ +ν τ) = 1.

Search for WH associated production in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

This report describes a search for associated production of W and Higgs bosons based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of L≈5.3fb -1 collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron pp̄ Collider. Events containing a W→ν candidate (with corresponding to e or μ) are selected in association with two or three reconstructed jets. One or two of the jets are required to be consistent with having evolved from a b quark. A multivariate discriminant technique is used to improve the separation of signal and backgrounds. Expected and observed upper limits are obtained for the product of the WH production cross section and branching ratios and reported in terms of ratios relative to the prediction of the standard model as a function of the mass of the Higgs boson (M H). The observed and expected 95% C.L. upper limits obtained for an assumed M H=115GeV are, respectively, factors of 4.5 and 4.8 larger than the value predicted by the standard model. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Observation of a narrow mass state decaying into Υ(1S)+γ in pp̄ collisions at s=1.96 TeV

Using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.3fb -1, we observe a narrow mass state decaying into Υ(1S)+γ, where the Υ(1S) meson is detected by its decay into a pair of oppositely charged muons, and the photon is identified through its conversion into an electron-positron pair. The significance of this observation is 5.6 standard deviations. The mass of the state is centered at 10.551±0.014(stat) ±0.017(syst)GeV/c2, which is consistent with that of the state recently observed by the ATLAS Collaboration. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for Higgs boson production in oppositely charged dilepton and missing energy events in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson using events with two oppositely charged leptons and large missing transverse energy as expected in H→WW decays. The events are selected from data corresponding to 8.6fb -1 of integrated luminosity in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. No significant excess above the standard model background expectation in the Higgs boson mass range this search is sensitive to is observed, and upper limits on the Higgs boson production cross section are derived. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for stopped long-lived particles produced in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

A search has been performed for long-lived particles that have stopped in the CMS detector, during 7TeV proton-proton operations of the CERN LHC. The existence of such particles could be inferred from observation of their decays when there were no protonproton collisions in the CMS detector, namely during gaps between LHC beam crossings. Using a data set in which CMS recorded an integrated luminosity of 4.0 fb -1, and a search interval corresponding to 246 hours of trigger live time, 12 events are observed, with a mean background prediction of 8:6 ± 2:4 events. Limits are presented at 95% confidence level on long-lived gluino and stop production, over 13 orders of magnitude of particle lifetime. Assuming the cloud model of R-hadron interactions, a gluino with mass below 640 GeV and a stop with mass below 340 GeV are excluded, for lifetimes between 10 μs and 1000 s.

Search for new physics in events with same-sign dileptons and b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √ s = 7TeV

A search for new physics is performed using isolated same-sign dileptons with at least two b-quark jets in the final state. Results are based on a 4.98 fb -1 sample of protonproton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7TeV collected by the CMS detector. No excess above the standard model background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the number of events from non-standard-model sources. These limits are used to set constraints on a number of new physics models. Information on acceptance and efficiencies are also provided so that the results can be used to confront additional models in an approximate way. © 2012 SISSA.

Measurement of the underlying event activity in pp collisions at √s = 0.9 and 7 TeV with the novel jet-area/median approach

The first measurement of the charged component of the underlying event using the novel jet-area/median approach is presented for proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 0.9 and 7 TeV. The data were recorded in 2010 with the CMS experiment at the LHC. A new observable, sensitive to soft particle production, is introduced and investigated inclusively and as a function of the event scale defined by the transverse momentum of the leading jet. Various phenomenological models are compared to data, with and without corrections for detector effects. None of the examined models describe the data satisfactorily. © 2012 SISSA.

Combined search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to bb̄ using the D0 run II data set

We present the results of the combination of searches for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a W or Z boson and decaying into bb̄ using the data sample collected with the D0 detector in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We derive 95% C.L. upper limits on the Higgs boson cross section relative to the standard model prediction in the mass range 100GeV≤M H≤150GeV, and we exclude Higgs bosons with masses smaller than 102 GeV at the 95% C.L. In the mass range 120GeV≤M H≤145GeV, the data exhibit an excess above the background prediction with a global significance of 1.5 standard deviations, consistent with the expectation in the presence of a standard model Higgs boson. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in ZH→ + -bb̄ production with the D0 detector in 9.7fb -1 of pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

We present a search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson produced in association with a Z boson in 9.7fb -1 of pp̄ collisions collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at √s=1.96TeV. Selected events contain one reconstructed Z→e +e - or Z→μ +μ - candidate and at least two jets, including at least one jet identified as likely to contain a b quark. To validate the search procedure, we also measure the cross section for ZZ production in the same final state. It is found to be consistent with its SM prediction. We set upper limits on the ZH production cross section times branching ratio for H→bb̄ at the 95% C.L. for Higgs boson masses 90≤M H≤150GeV. The observed (expected) limit for M H=125GeV is 7.1 (5.1) times the SM cross section. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in associated WH production in 9.7fb -1 of pp̄ collisions with the D0 detector

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson in final states with a charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse energy, and two or three jets, at least one of which is identified as a b-quark jet. The search is primarily sensitive to WH→ νbb̄ production and uses data corresponding to 9.7fb -1 of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron pp̄ Collider at √s=1.96TeV. We observe agreement between the data and the expected background. For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, we set a 95% C.L. upper limit on the production of a standard model Higgs boson of 5.2×σ SM, where σ SM is the standard model Higgs boson production cross section, while the expected limit is 4.7×σ SM. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at √s = 7TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 pb-1 of data collected in pp collisions at s = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV/c is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeVc is higher than 90% over the full η range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100GeV/c and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV/c. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.

Search for Zγ events with large missing transverse energy in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV

We present the first search for new phenomena in Zγ final states with large missing transverse energy using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.2fb -1 collected with the D0 experiment in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV. This signature is predicted in gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking models, where the lightest neutralino χ 10 is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle and is produced in pairs, possibly through decay from heavier supersymmetric particles. The χ 10 can decay either to a Z boson or a photon and an associated gravitino that escapes detection. We exclude this model at the 95% C.L. for supersymmetry-breaking scales of Λ<87TeV. © 2012 American Physical Society.