Evidence for associated production of a Higgs boson with a top quark pair in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying $\tau$ leptons at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

Understand

Results of a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top quark pair ($\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$H) in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying $\tau$ leptons are presented.

• The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ recorded in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV by the CMS experiment in 2016.
• The sensitivity of the search is improved by using matrix element and machine learning methods to separate the signal from backgrounds.
• The measured signal rate amounts to 1.23 $^{+0.45}_{-0.43}$ times the production rate expected in the standard model, with an observed (expected) significance of 3.2$\sigma$ (2.8$\sigma$), which represents evidence for $\mathrm{t\overline{t}}$H production in those final states.