A search for pair-produced heavy vector-like charge-2/3 quarks, T, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, is performed with the CMS detector at the LHC. Events consistent with the flavor-changing-neutral-current decay of a T quark to a top quark and a Z boson are selected by requiring two leptons from the Z-boson decay, as well as an additional isolated charged lepton. In a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.14 inverse femtobarns, the number of observed events is found to be consistent with the standard model background prediction. Assuming a branching fraction of 100% for the decay T to tZ, a T quark with a mass less than 475 GeV/c2̂ is excluded at the 95% confidence level.

A search is performed for a massive new vector-like quark T, with charge 2/3, that is pair produced together with its antiparticle in proton-proton collisions. The data were collected by the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012 at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 inverse femtobarns. The T quark is assumed to decay into three different final states, bW, tZ, and tH. The search is carried out using events with at least one isolated lepton. No deviations from standard model expectations are observed, and lower limits are set on the T quark mass at 95% confidence level. The lower limit lies between 687 and 782 GeV for all possible values of the branching fractions into the three different final states assuming strong production. These limits are the most stringent constraints to date on the existence of such a quark.

Our search for fermionic top quark partners T of charge 2/3 is presented. The search is carried out in proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb-1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The T quarks are assumed to be produced strongly in pairs and can decay into tH, tZ, and bW. The search is performed in five exclusive channels: a singlelepton channel, a multilepton channel, two all-hadronic channels optimized either for the bW or the tH decay, and one channel in which the Higgs boson decays into two photons. The results are found to be compatible with the standard model expectations in all the investigated final states. Finally, a statistical combination of these results is performed and lower limits on the T quark mass are set. Depending on the branching fractions, lower mass limits between 720 and 920 GeV at 95% confidence level are found. These are among the strongest limits on vector-like T quarks obtained to date.

A search is performed for heavy vector-like top quark partner (T) with electric charge +2/3 by using proton-proton collision events from Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at a centre- of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb−1 collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment during 2016. The production of this new hypothetical particle is assumed to be in pairs and strong interaction is responsible for such production mechanism. T quarks can decay to various combinations of third generation quarks and standard model bosons: T → bW, tZ, or tH, and hence the final states consist of pair of opposite-sign leptons consistent with coming from a Z boson and jets. No significant excess has been observed and hence 95% CL upper limits are obtained on TT production cross section by assuming different branching ratios. T quark mass values below 1280 GeV are excluded in case of 100% branching fraction for T → tZ.

A search is presented for a heavy vector-like quark, decaying into a b quark and a W boson, which is produced singly in association with a light flavor quark and a b quark. The analysis is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = $ 13 TeV collected at the LHC in 2015. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse-femtobarns. The search is carried out using events containing one electron or muon, at least one b-tagged jet with large transverse momentum, at least one jet in the forward region of the detector, and missing transverse momentum. No excess over the standard model prediction is observed. Upper limits are placed on the production cross section of heavy exotic quarks: a T quark with a charge of 2/3, and a Y quark with a charge of -4/3. For Y quarks with coupling of 0.5 and B(Y to bW) = 100%, the observed (expected) lower mass limits are 1.40 (1.0) TeV. This is the most stringent limit to date on the single production of the Y vector-like quark.