Malcolm John

Abstract:

Two related searches for phenomena beyond the standard model (BSM) are performed using events with hadronic jets and significant transverse momentum imbalance. The results are based on a sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016–2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137fb⁻¹. The first search is inclusive, based on signal regions defined by the hadronic energy in the event, the jet multiplicity, the number of jets identified as originating from bottom quarks, and the value of the kinematic variable M_(T2) for events with at least two jets. For events with exactly one jet, the transverse momentum of the jet is used instead. The second search looks in addition for disappearing tracks produced by BSM long-lived charged particles that decay within the volume of the tracking detector. No excess event yield is observed above the predicted standard model background. This is used to constrain a range of BSM models that predict the following: the pair production of gluinos and squarks in the context of supersymmetry models conserving R-parity, with or without intermediate long-lived charginos produced in the decay chain; the resonant production of a colored scalar state decaying to a massive Dirac fermion and a quark; or the pair production of scalar and vector leptoquarks each decaying to a neutrino and a top, bottom, or light-flavor quark. In most of the cases, the results obtained are the most stringent constraints to date

Abstract:

A bstract The first search for the rare radiative decay $$ {\Xi}_b^{-} $$ Ξ b − → Ξ − γ is performed using data collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb − 1 . The $$ {\Xi}_b^{-} $$ Ξ b − → Ξ − J/ψ channel is used as normalization. No $$ {\Xi}_b^{-} $$ Ξ b − → Ξ − γ signal is found and an upper limit of $$ \mathcal{B} $$ B ( $$ {\Xi}_b^{-} $$ Ξ b − → Ξ − γ ) < 1 . 3 × 10 − 4 at 95% confidence level is obtained.

Abstract:

A bstract Using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb − 1 collected with the LHCb detector, seven decay modes of the $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ meson into a J / ψ or ψ(2S) meson and three charged hadrons, kaons or pions, are studied. The decays $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ → (ψ(2S) → J / ψπ + π − )π + , $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ → ψ(2S)π + π − π + , $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ → J / ψK + π − π + and $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ → J / ψK + K − K + are observed for the first time, and evidence for the $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ → ψ(2S)K + K − π + , decay is found, where J / ψ and ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed in their dimuon decay modes. The ratios of branching fractions between the different $$ {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+} $$ Bc+ decays are reported as well as the fractions of the decays proceeding via intermediate resonances. The results largely support the factorisation approach used for a theoretical description of the studied decays.

Abstract:

A bstract The W boson mass is measured using proton-proton collision data at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 fb − 1 recorded during 2016 by the LHCb experiment. With a simultaneous fit of the muon q/p T distribution of a sample of W → μν decays and the ϕ * distribution of a sample of Z → μμ decays the W boson mass is determined to be $$ {m}_w=80354\pm {23}_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm {10}_{\mathrm{exp}}\pm {17}_{\mathrm{theory}}\pm {9}_{\mathrm{PDF}}\mathrm{MeV}, $$ mw=80354±23stat±10exp±17theory±9PDFMeV, where uncertainties correspond to contributions from statistical, experimental systematic, theoretical and parton distribution function sources. This is an average of results based on three recent global parton distribution function sets. The measurement agrees well with the prediction of the global electroweak fit and with previous measurements.