Showing papers by "German Martinez published in 2012"

Combined results of searches for the standard model Higgs boson in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: Combined results are reported from searches for the standard model Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV in five Higgs boson decay modes: gamma pair, b-quark pair, tau lepton pair, W pair, and Z pair. The explored Higgs boson mass range is 110-600 GeV. The analysed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6-4.8 inverse femtobarns. The expected excluded mass range in the absence of the standard model Higgs boson is 118-543 GeV at 95% CL. The observed results exclude the standard model Higgs boson in the mass range 127-600 GeV at 95% CL, and in the mass range 129-525 GeV at 99% CL. An excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed at the low end of the explored mass range making the observed limits weaker than expected in the absence of a signal. The largest excess, with a local significance of 3.1 sigma, is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-600 (110-145) GeV is estimated to be 1.5 sigma (2.1 sigma). More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.

Study of high-p(T) charged particle suppression in PbPb compared to pp collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

Abstract: The transverse momentum spectra of charged particles have been measured in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. In the transverse momentum range pt = 5-10 GeV/c, the charged particle yield in the most central PbPb collisions is suppressed by up to a factor of 5 compared to the pp yield scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions. At higher pt, this suppression is significantly reduced, approaching roughly a factor of 2 for particles with pt in the range pt=40-100 GeV/c.

Observation of sequential Υ suppression in PbPb collisions

Abstract: The suppression of the individual Υ(nS) states in PbPb collisions with respect to their yields in pp data has been measured. The PbPb and pp data sets used in the analysis correspond to integrated luminosities of 150 μb^(-1) and 230 nb^(-1), respectively, collected in 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC, at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 2.76 TeV. The Υ(nS) yields are measured from the dimuon invariant mass spectra. The suppression of the Υ(nS) yields in PbPb relative to the yields in pp, scaled by the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions, R_(AA), is measured as a function of the collision centrality. Integrated over centrality, the R_(AA) values are 0.56±0.08(stat)±0.07(syst), 0.12±0.04(stat)±0.02(syst), and lower than 0.10 (at 95% confidence level), for the Υ(1S), Υ(2S), and Υ(3S) states, respectively. The results demonstrate the sequential suppression of the Υ(nS) states in PbPb collisions at LHC energies.

Jet momentum dependence of jet quenching in PbPb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV

Abstract: Dijet production in PbPb collisions at a nucleon–nucleon center-of-mass energy of 276 TeV is studied with the CMS detector at the LHC A data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 150 μb−1 is analyzed Jets are reconstructed using combined information from tracking and calorimetry, using the anti-kT algorithm with R=03 The dijet momentum balance and angular correlations are studied as a function of collision centrality and leading jet transverse momentum For the most peripheral PbPb collisions, good agreement of the dijet momentum balance distributions with pp data and reference calculations at the same collision energy is found, while more central collisions show a strong imbalance of leading and subleading jet transverse momenta attributed to the jet-quenching effect The dijets in central collisions are found to be more unbalanced than the reference, for leading jet transverse momenta up to the highest values studied

Suppression of non-prompt J/ψ, prompt J/ψ, and Y(1S) in PbPb collisions at √s NN = 2.76 TeV

Abstract: Yields of prompt and non-prompt J/psi, as well as Y(1S) mesons, are measured by the CMS experiment via their dimuon decays in PbPb and pp collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV for quarkonium rapidity |y|<2.4. Differential cross sections and nuclear modification factors are reported as functions of y and transverse momentum pt, as well as collision centrality. For prompt J/psi with relatively high pt (6.5

Search for dark matter and large extra dimensions in monojet events in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: A search has been made for events containing an energetic jet and an imbalance in transverse momentum using a data sample of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. This signature is common to both dark matter and extra dimensions models. The data were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The number of observed events is consistent with the standard model expectation. Constraints on the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross sections are determined for both spin-independent and spin-dependent interaction models. For the spin-independent model, these are the most constraining limits for a dark matter particle with mass below 3.5 GeV, a region unexplored by direct detection experiments. For the spin-dependent model, these are the most stringent constraints over the 0.1-200 GeV mass range. The constraints on the Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali model parameter MD determined as a function of the number of extra dimensions are also an improvement over the previous results.

Study of the inclusive production of charged pions, kaons, and protons in pp collisions at √s = 0.9,2.76 and 7 TeV

Abstract: Spectra of identified charged hadrons are measured in pp collisions at the LHC for sqrt(s) = 0.9, 2.76, and 7 TeV. Charged pions, kaons, and protons in the transverse-momentum range pt approximately 0.1-1.7 GeV and for rapidities abs(y) < 1 are identified via their energy loss in the CMS silicon tracker. The average pt increases rapidly with the mass of the hadron and the event charged-particle multiplicity, independently of the center-of-mass energy. The fully corrected pt spectra and integrated yields are compared to various tunes of the PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 event generators.

Measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel cross section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Abstract: A measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel production cross section in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC is presented. Two different and complementary approaches have been followed. The first approach exploits the distributions of the pseudorapidity of the recoil jet and reconstructed top-quark mass using background estimates determined from control samples in data. The second approach is based on multivariate analysis techniques that probe the compatibility of the candidate events with the signal. Data have been collected for the muon and electron final states, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 and 1.56 fb^(−1), respectively. The single-top-quark production cross section in the t-channel is measured to be 67.2±6.1 pb, in agreement with the approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order standard model prediction. Using the standard model electroweak couplings, the CKM matrix element |V_(tb)| is measured to be 1.020 ± 0.046 (meas.) ± 0.017 (theor.).

Search for neutral Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: A search for neutral Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is performed using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb^(−1) recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is sensitive to both the standard model Higgs boson and to the neutral Higgs bosons predicted by the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM). No excess of events is observed in the tau-pair invariant-mass spectrum. For a standard model Higgs boson in the mass range of 110–145 GeV upper limits at 95% confidence level (CL) on the production cross section are determined. We exclude a Higgs boson with m_H=115 GeV with a production cross section 3.2 times of that predicted by the standard model. In the MSSM, upper limits on the neutral Higgs boson production cross section times branching fraction to tau pairs, as a function of the pseudoscalar Higgs boson mass, m_A, sets stringent new bounds in the parameter space, excluding at 95% CL values of tan β as low as 7.1 at m_A=160 GeV in the m^(max)_h benchmark scenario.

Centrality dependence of dihadron correlations and azimuthal anisotropy harmonics in PbPb collisions at √SNN = 2.76 Tev

Abstract: Measurements from the CMS experiment at the LHC of dihadron correlations for charged particles produced in PbPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV are presented. The results are reported as a function of the particle transverse momenta (pt) and collision centrality over a broad range in relative pseudorapidity [Delta(eta)] and the full range of relative azimuthal angle [Delta(phi)]. The observed two-dimensional correlation structure in Delta(eta) and Delta(phi) is characterised by a narrow peak at Delta(eta), Delta(phi) approximately (0, 0) from jet-like correlations and a long-range structure that persists up to at least |Delta(eta)| = 4. An enhancement of the magnitude of the short-range jet peak is observed with increasing centrality, especially for particles of pt around 1-2 GeV/c. The long-range azimuthal dihadron correlations are extensively studied using a Fourier decomposition analysis. The extracted Fourier coefficients are found to factorise into a product of single-particle azimuthal anisotropies up to pt approximately 3-3.5 GeV/c for at least one particle from each pair, except for the second-order harmonics in the most central PbPb events. Various orders of the single-particle azimuthal anisotropy harmonics are extracted for associated particle pt of 1-3 GeV/c, as a function of the trigger particle pt up to 20 GeV/c and over the full centrality range.

Measurement of the rapidity and transverse momentum distributions of Z bosons in pp collisions at √(s)=7TeV

Abstract: Measurements of the normalized rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (qT) distributions of Drell-Yan muon and electron pairs in the Z-boson mass region (60

Performance of τ-lepton reconstruction and identification in CMS

Abstract: The performance of tau-lepton reconstruction and identification algorithms is studied using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The tau leptons that decay into one or three charged hadrons, zero or more short-lived neutral hadrons, and a neutrino are identified using final-state particles reconstructed in the CMS tracker and electromagnetic calorimeter. The reconstruction efficiency of the algorithms is measured using tau leptons produced in Z-boson decays. The tau-lepton misidentification rates for jets and electrons are determined.

A search for a doubly-charged Higgs boson in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Abstract: A search for a doubly-charged Higgs boson in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb(-1), collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed using events with three or more isolated charged leptons of any flavor, giving sensitivity to the decays of pair-produced triplet components Phi(++)Phi(--), and Phi(++)Phi(-) from associated production. No excess is observed compared to the background prediction, and upper limits at the 95 % confidence level are set on the Phi(++) production cross section, under specific assumptions on its branching fractions. Lower bounds on the Phi(++) mass are reported, providing significantly more stringent constraints than previously published limits.

Measurement of jet fragmentation into charged particles in pp and PbPb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV

Abstract: Jet fragmentation in pp and PbPb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair was studied using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Fragmentation functions are constructed using charged-particle tracks with transverse momenta pt > 4 GeV for dijet events with a leading jet of pt > 100 GeV. The fragmentation functions in PbPb events are compared to those in pp data as a function of collision centrality, as well as dijet-pt imbalance. Special emphasis is placed on the most central PbPb events including dijets with unbalanced momentum, indicative of energy loss of the hard scattered parent partons. The fragmentation patterns for both the leading and subleading jets in PbPb collisions agree with those seen in pp data at 2.76 TeV. The results provide evidence that, despite the large parton energy loss observed in PbPb collisions, the high-pt component of the fragmentation function evaluated with respect to the reconstructed jet momentum is not strongly modified in comparison to jet fragmentation in vacuum.

Search for Dark Matter and Large Extra Dimensions in pp Collisions Yielding a Photon and Missing Transverse Energy

Abstract: Results are presented from a search for new physics in the final state containing a photon and missing transverse energy. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV by the CMS experiment. The observed event yield agrees with standard-model expectations for photon plus missing transverse energy events. Using models for production of dark-matter particles (chi), we set 90% confidence level (CL) upper limits of 13.6--15.4 femtobarns on chi production in the photon plus missing transverse energy state. These provide the most sensitive upper limits for spin-dependent chi-nucleon scattering for chi masses between 1 and 100 GeV. For spin-independent contributions, the present limits are extended to chi masses below 3.5 GeV. For models with 3--6 large extra dimensions, our data exclude extra-dimensional Planck scales between 1.65 and 1.71 TeV at 95% CL.

Search for supersymmetry in hadronic final states using MT2 in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: A search for supersymmetry or other new physics resulting in similar final states is presented using a data sample of 4.73 inverse femtobarns of pp collisions collected at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. Fully hadronic final states are selected based on the variable MT2, an extension of the transverse mass in events with two invisible particles. Two complementary studies are performed. The first targets the region of parameter space with medium to high squark and gluino masses, in which the signal can be separated from the standard model backgrounds by a tight requirement on MT2. The second is optimized to be sensitive to events with a light gluino and heavy squarks. In this case, the MT2 requirement is relaxed, but a higher jet multiplicity and at least one b-tagged jet are required. No significant excess of events over the standard model expectations is observed. Exclusion limits are derived for the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model, as well as on a variety of simplified model spectra.

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in Pb-Pb collisions at √s NN=2.76TeV

Abstract: The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium. The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range measured.

Study of W boson production in PbPb and pp collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV

Abstract: A measurement is presented of W-boson production in PbPb collisions carried out at a nucleon-nucleon (NN) centre-of-mass energy sqrt(s[NN]) of 2.76 TeV at the LHC using the CMS detector. In data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.3 inverse microbarns, the number of W to mu mu-neutrino decays is extracted in the region of muon pseudorapidity abs(eta[mu]) 25 GeV. Yields of muons found per unit of pseudorapidity correspond to (159 +/- 10 (stat.) +/- 12 (syst.)) 10E-8 W(plus) and (154 +/- 10 (stat.) +/- 12 (syst.)) 10E-8 W(minus) bosons per minimum-bias PbPb collision. The dependence of W production on the centrality of PbPb collisions is consistent with a scaling of the yield by the number of incoherent NN collisions. The yield of W bosons is also studied in a sample of pp interactions at sqrt(s)= 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 231 inverse nanobarns. The individual W(plus) and W(minus) yields in PbPb and pp collisions are found to agree, once the neutron and proton content in Pb nuclei is taken into account. Likewise, the difference observed in the dependence of the positive and negative muon production on pseudorapidity is consistent with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations.

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to W + W - in the fully leptonic final state in pp collisions at √{ s} = 7 TeV

Abstract: A search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to W+W- in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is reported. The data are collected at the LHC with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. The W+W- candidates are selected in events with two charged leptons and large missing transverse energy. No significant excess of events above the standard model background expectations is observed, and upper limits on the Higgs boson production relative to the standard model Higgs expectation are derived. The standard model Higgs boson is excluded in the mass range 129-270 GeV at 95% confidence level.

Search for new physics in the multijet and missing transverse momentum final state in proton-proton collisions at √s=7TeV

Abstract: A search for physics beyond the standard model is performed in events with at least three jets and large missing transverse momentum produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=7 TeV. No significant excess of events above the expected backgrounds is observed in 4.98 fb^(-1) of data collected with the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The results are presented in the context of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model and more generically for simplified models. For the simplified models of gluino-gluino and squark-squark production, gluino masses below 1.0 TeV and squark masses below 0.76 TeV are excluded in case the lightest supersymmetric particle mass is below 200 GeV. These results significantly extend previous searches.

Search for narrow resonances in dilepton mass spectra in pp collisions at s=7TeV

Abstract: A search for narrow, high-mass resonances decaying to electron or muon pairs has been performed using pp collision data collected at sqrt(s)=7 TeV by the CMS experiment in 2011. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. The event yields observed in the signal regions are consistent with predictions of the standard model backgrounds, and upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction for a resonance decaying to dileptons are extracted from a shape analysis of the dilepton invariant mass distribution. The resulting mass limits at 95% confidence level are 2330 GeV for the Z' in the Sequential Standard Model, 2000 GeV for the superstring-inspired Z'(psi) resonance, 890 (540) GeV for the Stueckelberg extension Z'(St) with the mass parameter epsilon=0.06 (0.04), and 2140 (1810) GeV for Kaluza--Klein gravitons with the coupling parameter k/Mbar(Pl) of 0.10 (0.05). These limits are the most stringent to date.

Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson in the Decay Channel H→ZZ→4l in pp Collisions at √s=7 TeV

Abstract: A search for a Higgs boson in the four-lepton decay channel H→ZZ, with each Z boson decaying to an electron or muon pair, is reported. The search covers Higgs boson mass hypotheses in the range of 110 100 GeV (with 13 below 160 GeV), while 67.1±6.0 (9.5±1.3) events are expected from background. The four-lepton mass distribution is consistent with the expectation of standard model background production of ZZ pairs. Upper limits at 95% confidence level exclude the standard model Higgs boson in the ranges of 134–158 GeV, 180–305 GeV, and 340–465 GeV. Small excesses of events are observed around masses of 119, 126, and 320 GeV, making the observed limits weaker than expected in the absence of a signal.

Search for anomalous tt̄ production in the highly-boosted all-hadronic final stat

Abstract: A search is presented for a massive particle, generically referred to as a Z′, decaying into a tt pair. The search focuses on Z′ resonances that are sufficiently massive to produce highly Lorentz-boosted top quarks, which yield collimated decay products that are partially or fully merged into single jets. The analysis uses new methods to analyze jet substructure, providing suppression of the non-top multijet backgrounds. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 fb^(−1). Upper limits in the range of 1 pb are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction for a topcolor Z′ modeled for several widths, as well as for a Randall-Sundrum Kaluza-Klein gluon. In addition, the result contrain any enhancement in tt production beyond expectations of the standard mode for tt invariant mass larger than 1 TeV/c^2.

Measurement of the pseudorapidity and centrality dependence of the transverse energy density in Pb-Pb collisions at √s NN=2.76TeV

Abstract: The transverse energy ET in PbPb collisions at 2.76 TeV nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy sqrt(s[NN]) has been measured over a broad range of pseudorapidity eta and collision centrality using the CMS detector at the LHC. The transverse energy density per unit pseudorapidity d(ET)/d(eta) increases faster with collision energy than the charged particle multiplicity. This implies that the mean energy per particle is increasing with collision energy. At all pseudorapidities the transverse energy per participating nucleon increases with the centrality of the collision. The ratio of transverse energy per unit pseudorapidity in peripheral to central collisions varies significantly as the pseudorapidity increases from eta = 0 to abs(eta) = 5.0. For the most central collisions the energy density per unit volume is estimated to be about 15 GeV/fm^3 at a time of 1 fm/c after the collision. This is about 100 times larger than normal nuclear matter density and a factor of 2.8 times higher than the energy density reported at sqrt(s[NN]) = 200 GeV at RHIC.

J/ψ and ψ (2S) production in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: A measurement of the J/psi and psi(2S) production cross sections in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 37 inverse picobarns. Using a fit to the invariant mass and decay length distributions, production cross sections have been measured separately for prompt and non-prompt charmonium states, as a function of the meson transverse momentum in several rapidity ranges. In addition, cross sections restricted to the acceptance of the CMS detector are given, which are not affected by the polarization of the charmonium states. The ratio of the differential production cross sections of the two states, where systematic uncertainties largely cancel, is also determined. The branching fraction of the inclusive B to psi(2S) X decay is extracted from the ratio of the non-prompt cross sections to be: BR(B to psi(2S) X) = (3.08 +/- 0.12(stat.+syst.) +/- 0.13(theor.) +/- 0.42(BR[PDG])) 10^-3

Measurement of the t t-bar production cross section in the dilepton channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Abstract: The t t-bar production cross section (sigma[t t-bar]) is measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV in data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in events with two leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, at least two jets identified as jets originating from b quarks, and the presence of an imbalance in transverse momentum. The measured value of sigma[t t-bar] for a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV is 161.9 +/- 2.5 (stat.) +5.1/-5.0 (syst.) +/- 3.6(lumi.) pb, consistent with the prediction of the standard model.

Search for heavy bottom-like quarks in 4.9 fb-1 of pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Abstract: Results are presented from a search for heavy bottom-like quarks, pair-produced in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, undertaken with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The b' quarks are assumed to decay exclusively to tW. The b' anti-b' to t W(+) anti-t W(-) process can be identified by its distinctive signatures of three leptons or two leptons of same charge, and at least one b-quark jet. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns, observed events are compared to the standard model background predictions, and the existence of b' quarks having masses below 611 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level.