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Measurements of Higgs boson production cross sections and couplings in the diphoton decay channel at $ \sqrt{\mathrm{s}} $ = 13 TeV

Measurements of Higgs boson production cross sections and couplings in events where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of photons are reported. Events are selected from a sample of proton-proton collisions at s√ = 13 TeV collected by the CMS detector at the LHC from 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb -1 . Analysis categories enriched in Higgs boson events produced via gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, vector boson associated production, and production associated with top quarks are constructed. The total Higgs boson signal strength, relative to the standard model (SM) prediction, is measured to be 1.12±0.09. Other properties of the Higgs boson are measured, including SM signal strength modifiers, production cross sections, and its couplings to other particles. These include the most precise measurements of gluon fusion and vector boson fusion Higgs boson production in several different kinematic regions, the first measurement of Higgs boson production in association with a top quark pair in five regions of the Higgs boson transverse momentum, and an upper limit on the rate of Higgs boson production in association with a single top quark. All results are found to be in agreement with the SM expectations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for long-lived particles using out-of-time trackless jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for long-lived particles decaying in the outer regions of the CMS silicon tracker or in the calorimeters is presented. The search is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016–2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . A novel technique, using nearly trackless and out-of-time jet information combined in a deep neural network discriminator, is employed to identify decays of long-lived particles. The results are interpreted in a simplified model of chargino-neutralino production, where the neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle, is long-lived, and decays to a gravitino and either a Higgs or Z boson. This search is most sensitive to neutralino proper decay lengths of approximately 0.5 m, for which masses up to 1.18 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. The current search is the best result to date in the mass range from the kinematic limit imposed by the Higgs boson mass up to 1.8 TeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for direct production of electroweakinos in final states with missing transverse momentum and a Higgs boson decaying into photons in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for a chargino-neutralino pair decaying via the 125 GeV Higgs boson into photons is presented. The study is based on the data collected between 2015 and 2018 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant excess over the expected background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level for a massless $χ$~ $^0_1$ are set on several electroweakino production cross-sections and the visible cross-section for beyond the Standard Model processes. In the context of simplified supersymmetric models, 95% confidence-level limits of up to 310 GeV in m($χ$~$^±_1$/ $χ$~ $^0_2$), where m($χ$~ $^0_1$) = 0.5 GeV, are set. Limits at 95% confidence level are also set on the $χ$~$^±_1$/ $χ$~ $^0_2$ cross-section in the mass plane of m($χ$~$^±_1$/ $χ$~ $^0_2$) and m($χ$~ $^0_1$), and on scenarios with gravitino as the lightest supersymmetric particle. Upper limits at the 95% confidence-level are set on the higgsino production cross-section. Higgsino masses below 380 GeV are excluded for the case of the higgsino fully decaying into a Higgs boson and a gravitino.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for pair production of higgsinos in events with two Higgs bosons and missing transverse momentum in $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at the ATLAS experiment

This paper presents a search for pair production of higgsinos, the supersymmetric partners of the Higgs bosons, in scenarios with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Each higgsino is assumed to decay into a Higgs boson and a nearly massless gravitino. The search targets events where each Higgs boson decays into $b\bar{b}$, leading to a reconstructed final state with at least three energetic 𝑏-jets and missing transverse momentum. Two complementary analysis channels are used, with each channel specifically targeting either low or high values of the higgsino mass. The low-mass (high-mass) channel exploits 126 (139) fb −1 of $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV data collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess above the Standard Model prediction is found. At 95% confidence level, masses between 130 GeV and 940 GeV are excluded for higgsinos decaying exclusively into Higgs bosons and gravitinos. Exclusion limits as a function of the higgsino decay branching ratio to a Higgs boson are also reported.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of Higgs boson decay into $b$-quarks in associated production with a top-quark pair in $pp$ collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The associated production of a Higgs boson and a top-quark pair is measured in events characterized by the presence of one or two electrons or muons. The Higgs boson decay into a b-quark pair is used. The analyzed data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 , were collected in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV. The measured signal strength, defined as the ratio of the measured signal yield to that predicted by the Standard Model, is $0.35$ $^{+0.36}_{–0.34}$. This result is compatible with the Standard Model prediction and corresponds to an observed (expected) significance of 1.0 (2.7) standard deviations. The signal strength is also measured differentially in bins of the Higgs boson transverse momentum in the simplified template cross-section framework, including a bin for specially selected boosted Higgs bosons with transverse momentum above 300 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for associated production of a Z boson with an invisibly decaying Higgs boson or dark matter candidates at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson as well as searches for dark matter candidates, produced together with a leptonically decaying Z boson, are presented. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, delivered by the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 and recorded by the ATLAS experiment. Assuming Standard Model cross-sections for ZH production, the observed (expected) upper limit on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson to invisible particles is found to be 19% (19%) at the 95% confidence level. Exclusion limits are also set for simplified dark matter models and two-Higgs-doublet models with an additional pseudoscalar mediator.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for charged Higgs bosons decaying into a top quark and a bottom quark at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for charged Higgs bosons decaying into a top quark and a bottom quark is presented. The data analysed correspond to 139 fb -1 of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The production of a heavy charged Higgs boson in association with a top quark and a bottom quark, pp → tbH + → tbtb, is explored in the H + mass range from 200 to 2000 GeV using final states with jets and one electron or muon. Events are categorised according to the multiplicity of jets and b-tagged jets, and multivariate analysis techniques are used to discriminate between signal and background events. No significant excess above the background-only hypothesis is observed and exclusion limits are derived for the production cross-section times branching ratio of a charged Higgs boson as a function of its mass; they range from 3.6 pb at 200 GeV to 0.036 pb at 2000 GeV at 95% confidence level. The results are interpreted in the hMSSM and M$_{h}^{125}$ scenarios.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for new particles in events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson and large missing transverse momentum at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV using the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for new particles produced in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV that result in final states comprising a massive vector ( W or Z ) boson that decays hadronically and large missing transverse momentum. The data sample was collected with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider from 2015 to 2018 and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb - 1 . No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed. Model-independent 95% confidence-level limits on the visible cross-section that range from 0.3 fb to 79.5 fb are obtained for non-Standard-Model processes. Exclusion limits are also presented for models with axion-like particles, for two-Higgs-doublet models with a pseudo-scalar mediator between the Standard Model and the dark sector, for the invisible decay of the Higgs boson and for pair-produced weakly interacting dark matter candidates.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for dark matter produced in association with a dark Higgs boson decaying into $W$ + $W$ - in the one-lepton final state at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV using 139 fb -1 of $pp$ collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector

Several extensions of the Standard Model predict the production of dark matter particles at the LHC. A search for dark matter particles produced in association with a dark Higgs boson decaying into $W$ + $W$ in the $\ell$ ± $vq$$\overline{q}$ $'$ final states with $\ell$ = $e, μ$ is presented. This analysis uses 139 fb-1 of pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The $W$ ± → $q$$\overline{q}$ $'$ decays are reconstructed from pairs of calorimeter-measured jets or from track-assisted reclustered jets, a technique aimed at resolving the dense topology from a pair of boosted quarks using jets in the calorimeter and tracking information. The observed data are found to agree with Standard Model predictions. Scenarios with dark Higgs boson masses ranging between 140 and 390 GeV are excluded.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for direct production of GeV-scale resonances decaying to a pair of muons in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for direct production of low-mass dimuon resonances is performed using $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment during the 2017–2018 operation of the CERN LHC with an integrated luminosity of 96.6 fb$^{−1}$. The search exploits a dedicated high-rate trigger stream that records events with two muons with transverse momenta as low as 3 GeV but does not include the full event information. The search is performed by looking for narrow peaks in the dimuon mass spectrum in the ranges of 1.1–2.6 GeV and 4.2–7.9 GeV. No significant excess of events above the expectation from the standard model background is observed. Model-independent limits on production rates of dimuon resonances within the experimental fiducial acceptance are set. Competitive or world’s best limits are set at 90% confidence level for a minimal dark photon model and for a scenario with two Higgs doublets and an extra complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S). Values of the squared kinetic mixing coefficient ε$^{2}$ in the dark photon model above 10$^{−6}$ are excluded over most of the mass range of the search. In the 2HDM+S, values of the mixing angle sin(θ$_{H}$) above 0.08 are excluded over most of the mass range of the search with a fixed ratio of the Higgs doublets vacuum expectation tan β = 0.5.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Dark matter or regular matter in neutron stars? How to tell the difference from the coalescence of compact objects

The mirror twin Higgs model is a candidate for (strongly-interacting) complex dark matter, which mirrors SM interactions with heavier quark masses. A consequence of this model are mirror neutron stars—exotic stars made entirely of mirror matter, which are significantly smaller than neutron stars and electromagnetically dark. This makes mergers of two mirror neutron stars detectable and distinguishable in gravitational wave observations, but can we observationally distinguish between regular neutron stars and those that may contain some mirror matter? This is the question we study in this paper, focusing on two possible realizations of mirror matter coupled to standard model matter within a compact object: (i) mirror matter captured by a neutron star and (ii) mirror neutron star-neutron star coalescences. Regarding (i), here we find that (nonrotating) mirror-matter-admixed neutron stars no longer have a single mass-radius sequence, but rather exist in a two-dimensional mass-radius plane. Regarding (ii), we find that binary systems with mirror neutron stars would span a much wider range of chirp masses and completely different binary Love relations, allowing merger remnants to be very light black holes. The implications of this are that gravitational wave observations with advanced LIGO and Virgo, and x-ray observations with NICER, could detect or constrain the existence of mirror matter through searches with wider model and parameter priors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Realistic inflation in no-scale U(1) R symmetric flipped SU(5)

We have realized non-minimal Higgs inflation and standard hybrid inflation in the supersymmetric flipped SU(5) model with U(1) R symmetry using the no-scale form of the Kähler potential. In non-minimal Higgs inflation the waterfall Higgs field plays the role of inflaton, and in standard hybrid inflation the gauge singlet field S is employed as an inflaton. The predictions of both models are in good agreement with the Planck 2018 data. For numerical calculations we have fixed the gauge symmetry breaking scale, M, around 2 × 10 16 GeV. In both models the inflaton field values are constrained below m P . The tensor to scalar ratio r in non-minimal inflation is of the order of 10 -3 and for standard hybrid inflation r is tiny, of order 10 -15 –10 -4 . The scalar spectral index in both cases lie within the Planck 1-σ bounds, and the running of the scalar spectral index lies in the range, -dn s /d ln k ~ 6 × 10 -4 for non-minimal model and 10 -9 –10 -3 for the standard hybrid model. A realistic scenario of reheating and non-thermal leptogenesis is employed with reheat temperature T r ~ 10 9 GeV for non-minimal model and 10 6 –10 10 GeV for standard hybrid model. The R-symmetry plays a vital role in forbidding rapid proton decay, but at the same time it also suppresses terms responsible for generating right handed neutrino masses. A realistic scenario of right handed neutrino masses is obtained by considering effective R symmetry breaking at the nonrenormalizable level with adequate suppression of rapid proton decay.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Search for dark photons in Higgs boson production via vector boson fusion in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search is presented for a Higgs boson that is produced via vector boson fusion and that decays to an undetected particle and an isolated photon. The search is performed by the CMS collaboration at the LHC, using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 130 fb$^{−1}$, recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016–2018. No significant excess of events above the expectation from the standard model background is found. The results are interpreted in the context of a theoretical model in which the undetected particle is a massless dark photon. An upper limit is set on the product of the cross section for production via vector boson fusion and the branching fraction for such a Higgs boson decay, as a function of the Higgs boson mass. For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, assuming the standard model production rates, the observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit on the branching fraction is 3.5 (2.8)%. This is the first search for such decays in the vector boson fusion channel. Combination with a previous search for Higgs bosons produced in association with a Z boson results in an observed (expected) upper limit on the branching fraction of 2.9 (2.1)% at 95% confidence level.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Cosmological implications of photon-flux upper limits at ultrahigh energies in scenarios of Planckian-interacting massive particles for dark matter

Here using the data of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we report on a search for signatures that would be suggestive of super-heavy particles decaying in the Galactic halo. From the lack of signal, we present upper limits for different energy thresholds above ≳10 8 GeV on the secondary by-product fluxes expected from the decay of the particles. Assuming that the energy density of these super-heavy particles matches that of dark matter observed today, we translate the upper bounds on the particle fluxes into tight constraints on the couplings governing the decay process as a function of the particle mass. Instantons, which are nonperturbative solutions to Yang-Mills equations, can give rise to decay channels otherwise forbidden and transform stable particles into metastable ones. Assuming such instanton-induced decay processes, we derive a bound on the reduced coupling constant of gauge interactions in the dark sector: α X ≲ 0.09, for 10 9 ≲ M X /GeV < 10 19 . Conversely, we obtain that, for instance, a reduced coupling constant α X = 0.09 excludes masses M X ≳ 3 x 10 13 GeV . In the context of dark matter production from gravitational interactions alone during the reheating epoch, we derive constraints on the parameter space that involves, in addition to M X and α X , the Hubble rate at the end of inflation, the reheating efficiency, and the nonminimal coupling of the Higgs with curvature.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for a light charged Higgs boson in t → H±b decays, with H± → cb, in the lepton+jets final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for a charged Higgs boson, H ± , produced in top-quark decays, t → H ± b, is presented. The search targets H ± decays into a bottom and a charm quark, H ± → cb. The analysis focuses on a selection enriched in top-quark pair production, where one top quark decays into a leptonically decaying W boson and a bottom quark, and the other top quark decays into a charged Higgs boson and a bottom quark. This topology leads to a lepton-plus-jets final state, characterised by an isolated electron or muon and at least four jets. The search exploits the high multiplicity of jets containing b-hadrons, and deploys a neural network classifier that uses the kinematic differences between the signal and the background. The search uses a dataset of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV between 2015 and 2018 with the ATLAS detector at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 . Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits between 0.15% (0.09%) and 0.42% (0.25%) are derived for the product of branching fractions $\mathscr{B}$ (t → H ± b) × $\mathscr{B}$(H ± → cb) for charged Higgs boson masses between 60 and 160 GeV, assuming the SM production of the top-quark pairs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for dark matter particles in W$^{+}$W$^{−}$ events with transverse momentum imbalance in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV

A search for dark matter particles is performed using events with a pair of W bosons and large missing transverse momentum. Candidate events are selected by requiring one or two leptons (ℓ = electrons or muons). The analysis is based on proton-proton collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. No significant excess over the expected standard model background is observed in the ℓνqq and 2ℓ2ν final states of the W$^{+}$W$^{−}$ boson pair. Limits are set on dark matter production in the context of a simplified dark Higgs model, with a dark Higgs boson mass above the W$^{+}$W$^{−}$ mass threshold. The dark matter phase space is probed in the mass range 100–300 GeV, extending the scope of previous searches. Current exclusion limits are improved in the range of dark Higgs masses from 160 to 250 GeV, for a dark matter mass of 200 GeV.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Search for the nonresonant and resonant production of a Higgs boson in association with an additional scalar boson in the $γγττ$ final state in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The results of a search for the production of two scalar bosons in final states with two photons and two tau leptons are presented. The search considers both nonresonant production of a Higgs boson pair, HH, and resonant production via a new boson X which decays either to HH or to H and a new scalar Y. The analysis uses up to 138 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data, recorded between 2016 and 2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No evidence for signal is found in the data. For the nonresonant production, the observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level (CL) on the HH production cross section is set at 930 (740) fb, corresponding to 33 (26) times the standard model prediction. At 95% CL, HH production is observed (expected) to be excluded for values of $κ_λ$ outside the range between $-$12 ($-$9.4) and 17 (15). Observed (expected) upper limits at 95% CL for the XHH cross section are found to be within 160 to 2200 (200 to 1800) fb, depending on the mass of X. In the X $\to$ Y($γγ$)H($ττ$) search, the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and decay branching fractions vary between 0.059$-$1.2 fb (0.087$-$0.68 fb). For the X $\to$ Y($γγ$)H($ττ$) search the observed (expected) upper limits on the product of the production cross section and Y $to$ $γγ$ branching fraction vary between 0.69$-$15 fb (0.73$-$8.3 fb) in the low Y mass search, tightening constraints on the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, and between 0.64$-$10 fb (0.70$-$7.6 fb) in the high Y mass search.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Sneutrino tribrid inflation, metastable cosmic strings and gravitational waves

Here, we present a successful realization of sneutrino tribrid inflation model based on a gauged U(1)_B-L extension of Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). A single interaction term involving the B-L Higgs field and the right-handed neutrinos serves multiple purposes. These include the generation of heavy Majorana masses for the right-handed neutrinos to provide an explanation for the tiny neutrino masses via the seesaw mechanism, a realistic scenario for reheating and non-thermal leptogenesis with a reheat temperature as low as 10 6 GeV, and a successful realization of inflation with right-handed sneutrino as the inflaton. The matter parity which helps avoid rapid proton decay survives as a Z 2 subgroup of a U(1) R-symmetry. Depending on the choice of model parameters yields the following predicted range of the tensor to scalar ratio, 3 x 10 -11 ≲ r≲ 7x 10 -4 (6 x 10 -7 ≲ r ≲ 0.01), and the running of the scalar spectral index, -0.00022 ≲ dn_s/dln k ≲ -0.0026 (-0.00014 ≲ dn_s/dln k ≲ 0.005), along with the B-L breaking scale, 3 x 10 14 ≲ M/ GeV≲ 5 x 10 15 (6 x 10 15 ≲ M/ GeV≲ 2 x 10 16 ), calculated at the central value of the scalar spectral index, n_s =0.966, reported by Planck 2018. The possibility of realizing metastable cosmic strings in a grand unified theory setup is briefly discussed. The metastable cosmic string network admits string tension values in the range 10 -8 ≲ Gμ s ≲ 10 -6 , and predicts a stochastic gravitational wave background lying within the 2-σ bounds of the recent NANOGrav 12.5-yr data.

supersymmetry and cosmology↗