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CMS-SUS-18-002 ; CERN-EP-2018-353
Search for supersymmetry in events with a photon, jets, b-jets, and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV
Eur. Phys. J. C 79 (2019) 444
Abstract: A search for supersymmetry is presented based on events with at least one photon, jets, and large missing transverse momentum produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ and were recorded at the LHC with the CMS detector in 2016. The analysis characterizes signal-like events by categorizing the data into various signal regions based on the number of jets, the number of b-tagged jets, and the missing transverse momentum. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the expectations from standard model processes. Limits are placed on the gluino and top squark pair production cross sections using several simplified models of supersymmetric particle production with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Depending on the model and the mass of the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle, the production of gluinos with masses as large as 2120 GeV and the production of top squarks with masses as large as 1230 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.
Figures & Tables Summary Additional Figures & Tables References CMS Publications
Additional information on efficiencies needed for reinterpretation of these results are available here
Additional technical material for CMS speakers can be found here
Figures

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Figure 1:
Example diagrams depicting the simplified models used, which are defined in the text. The top left diagram depicts the T5qqqqHG model, the top right diagram depicts the T5bbbbZG model, the bottom left diagram depicts the T5ttttZG model, and the bottom right depicts the T6ttZG model.

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Figure 1-a:
Example diagram depicting the simplified T5qqqqHG model.

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Figure 1-b:
Example diagram depicting the simplified T5bbbbZG model.

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Figure 1-c:
Example diagram depicting the simplified T5ttttZG model.

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Figure 1-d:
Example diagram depicting the simplified T6ttZG model.

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Figure 2:
The lost-lepton and ${{{\tau} _\mathrm {h}}}$ event yields as predicted directly from simulation in the signal regions, shown in red, and from the prediction procedure applied to simulated ${{\mathrm {e}}{{\gamma}}}$ or ${{{\mu}}{{\gamma}}}$ events, shown in blue. The error bars correspond to the statistical uncertainties from the limited number of events in simulation. The bottom panel shows the ratio of the simulation expectation (Exp.) and the simulation-based prediction (Pred.). The hashed area shows the expected uncertainties from data-to-simulation correction factors, PDFs, and renormalization and factorization scales. The categories, denoted by dashed lines, are labeled as ${N_{\mathrm {j}}^{\mathrm {b}}}$, where j refers to the number of jets and b refers to the number of b-tagged jets. The numbered bins within each category are the various ${{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}}$ bins. In each of these regions, the first bin corresponds to 100 $ < {{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}} < $ 200 GeV, which belongs to a control region. The remaining bins correspond to the signal regions in Table 1.

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Figure 3:
The double ratio $\kappa $ in each ${N_{\text {jets}}} $-$ {N_{{{\mathrm {b}}}\text {-jets}}}$ region for zero-photon events. The filled black circles are the observed $\kappa $ values after subtracting the electroweak contamination based on simulation. The open blue squares are the $\kappa $ values computed directly from simulation. The ratio is shown in the bottom panel, where the shaded region corresponds to the systematic uncertainty in the $\gamma$+jets prediction. In the label ${N_{\mathrm {j}}^{\mathrm {b}}}$, j refers to the number of jets and b refers to the number of b-tagged jets.

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Figure 4:
Observed numbers of events and predicted numbers of events from the various SM backgrounds in the 25 signal regions. The categories, denoted by vertical lines, are labeled as ${N_{\mathrm {j}}^{\mathrm {b}}}$, where j refers to the number of jets and b refers to the number of b-tagged jets. The numbered bins within each category are the various ${{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}}$ bins, as defined in Table 1. The lower panel shows the ratio of the observed events to the predicted SM background events. The error bars in the lower panel are the quadrature sum of the statistical uncertainty in the observed data and the systematic uncertainty in the predicted backgrounds before the adjustments based on a maximum likelihood fit to data assuming no signal strength.

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Figure 5:
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limits for gluino or top squark pair production cross sections for the T5qqqqHG (upper left), T5bbbbZG (upper right), T5ttttZG (bottom left), and T6ttZG (bottom right) models. Black lines denote the observed exclusion limit and the uncertainty due to variations of the theoretical prediction of the gluino or top squark pair production cross section. The dashed lines correspond to the region containing 68% of the distribution of the expected exclusion limits under the background-only hypothesis.

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Figure 5-a:
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limits for gluino or top squark pair production cross sections for the T5qqqqHG model. Black lines denote the observed exclusion limit and the uncertainty due to variations of the theoretical prediction of the gluino or top squark pair production cross section. The dashed lines correspond to the region containing 68% of the distribution of the expected exclusion limits under the background-only hypothesis.

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Figure 5-b:
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limits for gluino or top squark pair production cross sections for the T5bbbbZG model. Black lines denote the observed exclusion limit and the uncertainty due to variations of the theoretical prediction of the gluino or top squark pair production cross section. The dashed lines correspond to the region containing 68% of the distribution of the expected exclusion limits under the background-only hypothesis.

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Figure 5-c:
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limits for gluino or top squark pair production cross sections for the T5ttttZG model. Black lines denote the observed exclusion limit and the uncertainty due to variations of the theoretical prediction of the gluino or top squark pair production cross section. The dashed lines correspond to the region containing 68% of the distribution of the expected exclusion limits under the background-only hypothesis.

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Figure 5-d:
Observed and expected 95% CL upper limits for gluino or top squark pair production cross sections for the T6ttZG model. Black lines denote the observed exclusion limit and the uncertainty due to variations of the theoretical prediction of the gluino or top squark pair production cross section. The dashed lines correspond to the region containing 68% of the distribution of the expected exclusion limits under the background-only hypothesis.
Tables

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Table 1:
Predicted and observed event yields for each of the 25 exclusive signal regions.
Summary
A search for gluino and top squark pair production is presented, based on a proton-proton collision dataset at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector in 2016. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. Events are required to have at least one isolated photon with transverse momentum $p_{\mathrm{T}}>$ 100 GeV, two jets with $p_{\mathrm{T}}>$ 30 GeV and pseudorapidity $| \eta | < $ 2.4, and missing transverse momentum $p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\text{miss}}>$ 200 GeV.

The data are categorized into 25 exclusive signal regions based on the number of jets, the number of b-tagged jets, and $p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\text{miss}}$. Background yields from the standard model processes are predicted using simulation and data control regions. The observed event yields are found to be consistent with expectations from the standard model processes within the uncertainties.

Results are interpreted in the context of simplified models. Four such models are studied, three of which involve gluino pair production and one of which involves top squark pair production. All models assume a gauge-mediated supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking scenario, in which the lightest SUSY particle is a gravitino ($ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$). We consider scenarios in which the gluino decays to a neutralino $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ and a pair of light-flavor quarks (T5qqqqHG), bottom quarks (T5bbbbZG), or top quarks (T5ttttZG). In the T5qqqqHG model, the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ decays with equal probability either to a photon and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$ or to a Higgs boson and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$. In the T5bbbbZG and T5ttttZG models, the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ decays with equal probability either to a photon and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$ or to a Z boson and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$. In the top squark pair production model (T6ttZG), top squarks decay to a top quark and $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$, and the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ decays with equal probability either to a photon and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$ or to a Z boson and a $ \tilde{\mathrm{G}}$.

Using the cross sections for SUSY pair production calculated at next-to-leading order plus next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, we place 95% confidence level lower limits on the gluino mass as large as 2120 GeV, depending on the model and the $m_{\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}}$ value, and limits on the top squark mass as large as 1230 GeV, depending on the $m_{\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}}$ value. These results significantly improve upon those from previous searches for SUSY with photons.
Additional Figures

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Additional Figure 1:
Comparison of predicted and true MC yields for the misidentified photon background after parameterizing the misidentification rate as a function of ${Q_{\text {mult}}}$ and electron ${p_{\mathrm {T}}}$. The bottom panel shows the ratio of the MC expectation (Exp.) and the MC-based prediction (Pred.). The hashed area shows various systematic uncertainties associated with the prediction.

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Additional Figure 2:
The ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for predicted SM processes and observed data in a region corresponding to $ {N_{\text {b-jets}}} \geq $ 1 and $ {{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}} > $ 450 GeV. The two solid lines show the ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for two representative T5qqqqHG signal scenarios.

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Additional Figure 3:
The ${{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}}$ distribution for predicted SM processes and observed data in a region corresponding to $ {N_{\text {b-jets}}} = $ 0 and 2 $ \leq {N_{\text {jets}}} \leq $ 4. The two solid lines show the ${{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}}$ distribution for two representative T5qqqqHG signal scenarios.

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Additional Figure 4:
The ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for predicted SM processes and observed data in a region corresponding to $ {N_{\text {b-jets}}} \geq $ 1 and $ {{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}} > $ 450 GeV. The two solid lines show the ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for two representative T5bbbbZG signal scenarios.

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Additional Figure 5:
The ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for predicted SM processes and observed data in a region corresponding to $ {N_{\text {b-jets}}} \geq $ 1 and $ {{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}} > $ 450 GeV. The two solid lines show the ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for two representative T5ttttZG signal scenarios.

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Additional Figure 6:
The ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for predicted SM processes and observed data in a region corresponding to $ {N_{\text {b-jets}}} \geq $ 1 and $ {{p_{\mathrm {T}}} ^\text {miss}} > $ 450 GeV. The two solid lines show the ${N_{\text {jets}}}$ distribution for two representative T6ttZG signal scenarios.

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Additional Figure 7:
The pre-fit background covariance matrix.

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Additional Figure 8:
The pre-fit background correlation matrix.
Additional Tables

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Additional Table 1:
Event yields for each step of the event selection process for representative models of gluino pair production with $m_{{\mathrm {\tilde{g}}}} = $ 1800 GeV . The $ {\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}} $ mass is expressed in units of GeV. The yields are scaled to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$.
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