Measurements of the ZZ production cross sections in the 2 l 2 nu channel in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 and 8 TeV and combined constraints on triple gauge couplings

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of ZZ production cross sections at 7 and 8 TeV proton-proton collisions, confirming standard model predictions and setting new limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings by combining multiple decay channels.

Contribution

First measurement of ZZ production cross sections in the 2l2nu channel at 7 and 8 TeV, with combined constraints on anomalous gauge couplings from multiple decay modes.

Findings

Measured cross sections agree with standard model predictions.

Set the most stringent limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings.

Combined analysis improves sensitivity to new physics.

Abstract

Measurements of the ZZ production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV are presented. Candidate events for the leptonic decay mode ZZ to 2 l 2 nu, where l denotes an electron or a muon, are reconstructed and selected from data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 (19.6) inverse femtobarns at 7 (8) TeV collected with the CMS experiment. The measured cross sections, sigma(pp to ZZ) = 5.1 -1.4 +1.5 (stat) -1.1 +1.4 (syst) +/- 0.1 (lumi) pb at 7 TeV, and 7.2 -0.8 +0.8 (stat.) -1.5 +1.9 (syst) +/- 0.2 (lumi) pb at 8 TeV, are in good agreement with the standard model predictions with next-to-leading-order accuracy. The selected data are analyzed to search for anomalous triple gauge couplings involving the ZZ final state. In the absence of any deviation from the standard model predictions, limits are set on the relevant parameters. These limits are then combined with the previously published CMS results for ZZ in 4 l final states, yielding the most stringent constraints on the anomalous couplings.