A Search for Scalar Top Quark Production and Decay to All Hadronic Final States in pp Collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV

A search for scalar top quarks in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum is presented. The data sample of proton--proton collisions used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $18.9\ \textrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s} = 8\ \textrm{TeV}$ with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search features novel background suppression and prediction methods, including a dedicated top-quark pair reconstruction algorithm. The data are found to be in agreement with the predicted backgrounds. Exclusion limits are set in simplified SUSY models with the top squark decaying to jets and an undetected neutralino, either through an on-shell top quark or through an intermediate chargino. Models with the top squark decaying via an on-shell top quark are excluded for top squark masses up to 755 GeV in the case of neutralino masses below 200 GeV. Models with an intermediate chargino are excluded in some scenarios for top squark masses up to 650 GeV.