A search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in the H --> rr channel is presented. The search is performed on proton collision data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid at the Large Hadron Collider. The data corresponds to 4.9 fb-1 of proton collisions at [square root of]s = 7 TeV and 19.5 fb-1 at [square root of]s = 8 TeV. The search is based on di-tau events in which one tau decays into an electron or muon, and the other tau decays into hadrons. The search focuses on Higgs masses between 110 GeV and 145 GeV. The analysis reveals no statistically significant excess in the data over the Standard Model backgrounds. Upper limits on the Higgs production cross section at the 95% confidence level are established. The observed limit is statistically consistent with the expected limit in the background-only hypothesis but does not exclude any Higgs mass.

In this work, the interaction between the Higgs boson and the top quark is studied with the proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV provided by the LHC at the CMS detector at CERN (Geneva). At the LHC, these particles are produced simultaneously via the associate production of the Higgs boson with one top quark (tH process) or two top quarks (ttH process). Compared to many other possible outcomes of the proton-proton interactions, these processes are very rare, as the top quark and the Higgs boson are the heaviest elementary particles known. Hence, identifying them constitutes a significant experimental challenge. A high particle selection efficiency in the CMS detector is therefore crucial. At the core of this selection stands the Level-1 (L1) trigger system, a system that filters collision events to retain only those with potential interest for physics analysis. The selection of hadronically decaying τ leptons, expected from the Higgs boson decays, is especially demanding due to the large background arising from the QCD interactions. The first part of this thesis presents the optimization of the L1 τ algorithm in Run 2 (2016-2018) and Run 3 (2022-2024) of the LHC. It includes the development of a novel trigger concept for the High-Luminosity LHC, foreseen to start in 2027 and to deliver 5 times the current instantaneous luminosity. To this end, sophisticated algorithms based on machine learning approaches are used, facilitated by the increasingly modern technology and powerful computation of the trigger system. The second part of the work presents the search of the tH and ttH processes with the subsequent decays of the Higgs boson to pairs of τ lepton, W bosons or Z bosons, making use of the data recorded during Run 2. The presence of multiple particles in the final state, along with the low cross section of the processes, makes the search an ideal use case for multivariant discriminants that enhance the selectivity of the signals and reject the overwhelming background contributions. The discriminants presented are built using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, able to capture the correlations amongst the processes involved, as well as the so-called Matrix Element Method (MEM), which combines the theoretical description of the processes with the detector resolution effects. The level of sophistication of the methods used, along with the unprecedented amount of collision data analyzed, result in the most stringent measurements of the tH and ttH cross sections up to date.

This thesis presents a study of the scalar sector in the standard model (SM), as well as various searches for an extended scalar sector in theories beyond the SM (BSM). The first part of the thesis details the search for an SM Higgs boson decaying to taus, and produced by gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, or associated production with a vector boson, leading to evidence for decays of the Higgs boson to taus. In turn, the second part highlights several searches for an extended scalar sector, with scalar boson decays to taus. In all of the analyses presented, at least one scalar boson decays to a pair of taus. The results draw on data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector during proton–proton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of 7 or 8 TeV.

In this thesis, I describe the search for a Higgs boson through its decay to a pair of tan leptons with the tau-pair subsequently decaying to ail electron, a muon, and neutrinos. The search is performed using data collected from proton-proton collisions by the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to 5.0 fb-1 of integrated luminosity recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 19.7 fb-1 at 8 TeV. The expected significance for a Standard Model Higgs boson signal with a mass of 125 GeV is at the level of 1.2 standard deviations for the electron muon tau-pair decay mode. A mild excess of events is seen above the SM background expectation in this decay mode, consistent with a SM Higgs boson of mass 125 GeV. In combination with results using other tau-pair decay modes, an excess of events above the background expectation is seen at the level of 3.4 standard deviations. This constitutes the first evidence for a Higgs boson to decay to leptons. This thesis also describes an analysis of the data in the context of physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly in the framework of its Minimal Supersymnnetric extension.

A fascinating tour of particle physics from Nobel Prize winner Leon Lederman. At the root of particle physics is an invincible sense of curiosity. Leon Lederman embraces this spirit of inquiry as he moves from the Greeks' earliest scientific observations to Einstein and beyond to chart this unique arm of scientific study. His survey concludes with the Higgs boson, nicknamed the God Particle, which scientists hypothesize will help unlock the last secrets of the subatomic universe, quarks and all--it's the dogged pursuit of this almost mystical entity that inspires Lederman's witty and accessible history.

This thesis presents a search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a [tau tau] pair using CMS data recorded at the LHC with 7 TeV and 8 TeV center of mass energy during 2011 and 2012 respectively. The search is performed using two channels [tau mu tau eta] and [tau epsilon tau eta] where [tau epsilon, tau mu] represent a [tau] decay to an electron or muon and [tau eta] represents a [tau] decay to hadron(s). The search is performed in the range 100 GeV

A search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson which decays to a pair of [tau] leptons is presented in this thesis using 35.9 f b−1 of 13 TeV data collected in 2016 by the CMS detector at CERN. The final states considered require that (1) one [tau] lepton decays leptonically while the other decays hadronically ([mu][tau]h or e[tau]h), (2) both taus decay hadronically ([tau]h[tau]h) or (3) one tau lepton decays to an electron while the other decays to a muon (e[mu]). This thesis specifically focuses on the details of the semi-hadronic decay channels ([mu][tau]h and e[tau]h), and presents the results of all channels combined. The signal strength, [mu], relative to the expectation for the SM Higgs boson is measured to be [mu] = 1.09+0.27−0.24. An excess is observed (expected) corresponding to 4.9 (4.7) [sigma] using 2016 data. The observed (expected) significance reaches 5.9 (5.9) [sigma] when combined with 7 and 8 TeV data collected at CMS. Subsequently following the SM search, a search for dark matter (DM) is presented and interpreted in two simplified Higgs-portal models: a baryonic dark matter model and a two Higgs-doublet model. In this thesis, the Higgs boson is required to decay to an opposite- sign tau pair. The tau pair final states considered are e[tau]h, [mu][tau]h, and [tau]h[tau]h. The expected 95% confidence level upper limits are produced and compared with the observed limit. No significant deviations beyond the SM prediction are observed.