Search for new phenomena in high-mass final states with a photon and a jet from pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for new phenomena in events having a photon with high transverse momentum and a jet collected in 36.7fb-1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The invariant mass distribution of the leading photon and jet is examined to look for the resonant production of new particles or the presence of new high-mass states beyond the Standard Model. No significant deviation from the background-only hypothesis is observed and cross-section limits for generic Gaussian-shaped resonances are extracted. Excited quarks hypothesized in quark compositeness models and high-mass states predicted in quantum black hole models with extra dimensions are also examined in the analysis. The observed data exclude, at 95% confidence level, the mass range below 5.3 TeV for excited quarks and 7.1 TeV (4.4 TeV) for quantum black holes in the Arkani-Hamed–Dimopoulos–Dvali (Randall–Sundrum) model with six (one) extra dimensions

Impact of the selenisation temperature on the structural and optical properties of CZTSe absorbers

We present structural and optical spectroscopy studies of thin films of Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) with strong copper deficiency deposited on Mo/Glass substrates and selenised at 450, 500 or 550 °C. Solar cells fabricated from these films demonstrated efficiencies up to 7.4% for selenisation at 500 °C. Structural analysis based on X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of SnSe2 in the film selenised at 450 °C but not detected in the films selenised at higher temperatures. A progressive decrease of the Sn and Se content was observed as the selenisation temperature increased. Photoluminescence excitation was used to determine the bandgaps at 4.2 K. Detailed measurements of the temperature and excitation intensity dependencies of the photoluminescence spectra allow the recombination mechanisms of the observed emission bands to be identified as band-to-impurity and band-to-band transitions, and their evolution with selenisation temperature changes to be analysed. The strongest band-to-band transition is recorded in the PL spectra of the film selenised at 500 °C and can be observed from 6 K to room temperature. The compositional and structural changes in the films and their influence on the optoelectronic properties of CZTSe and solar cells are discussed

Search for new phenomena in dijet events using 37 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Dijet events are studied in the proton-proton collision data set recorded at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 3.5 fb-1 and 33.5 fb-1 respectively. Invariant mass and angular distributions are compared to background predictions and no significant deviation is observed. For resonance searches, a new method for fitting the background component of the invariant mass distribution is employed. The data set is then used to set upper limits at a 95% confidence level on a range of new physics scenarios. Excited quarks with masses below 6.0 TeV are excluded, and limits are set on quantum black holes, heavy W′ bosons, W∗ bosons, and a range of masses and couplings in a Z′ dark matter mediator model. Model-independent limits on signals with a Gaussian shape are also set, using a new approach allowing factorization of physics and detector effects. From the angular distributions, a scale of new physics in contact interaction models is excluded for scenarios with either constructive or destructive interference. These results represent a substantial improvement over those obtained previously with lower integrated luminosity

Search for supersymmetry in final states with missing transverse momentum and multiple b-jets in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via third-generation squarks into the lightest neutralino χ˜10 $$\left({\tilde{\chi}}_1^0\right)$$ is reported. It uses LHC proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s=13 $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ TeV with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The search is performed in events containing large missing transverse momentum and several energetic jets, at least three of which must be identified as originating from b-quarks. To increase the sensitivity, the sample is divided into subsamples based on the presence or absence of electrons or muons. No excess is found above the predicted background. For χ˜10 $${\tilde{\chi}}_1^0$$ masses below approximately 300 GeV, gluino masses of less than 1.97 (1.92) TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level in simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos that decay via top (bottom) squarks. An interpretation of the limits in terms of the branching ratios of the gluinos into third-generation squarks is also provided. These results improve upon the exclusion limits obtained with the 3.2 fb−1 of data collected in 2015

Search for heavy resonances decaying to a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in the qq¯(′)bb¯ final state in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy resonances decaying to a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in the qq¯(′)bb¯ final state is described. The search uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at s=13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations, with the largest excess found at a resonance mass of 3.0 TeV with a local (global) significance of 3.3 (2.1) σ. The results are presented in terms of constraints on a simplified model with a heavy vector triplet. Upper limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio for resonances decaying to a W (Z) boson and a Higgs boson, itself decaying to bb¯, in the mass range between 1.1 and 3.8 TeV at 95% confidence level; the limits range between 83 and 1.6 fb (77 and 1.1 fb) at 95% confidence level

Porous Silicon Nanoneedles Efficiently Deliver Adenine Base Editor to Correct a Recurrent Pathogenic <i>COL7A1</i> Variant in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Base editing, a CRISPR-based genome editing technology, enables precise correction of single-nucleotide variants, promising resolutive treatment for monogenic genetic disorders like recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). However, the application of base editors in cell manufacturing is hindered by inconsistent efficiency and high costs, contributed by suboptimal delivery methods. Nanoneedles have emerged as an effective delivery approach, enabling highly efficient, non-perturbing gene therapies both in vitro and in vivo. Here we demonstrate that nanoneedle delivery of an adenine base editor corrects a heterozygous single-nucleotide pathogenic variant in COL7A1 in primary RDEB fibroblasts in vitro with 96.5% efficiency, without inducing off-target variants. The nanoneedle delivery maintains cell viability and displays modest phenotypical alterations unlike conventional cationic lipid transfection. The nanoneedle-mediated editing significantly increases the production and secretion of full-length type VII collagen protein, contributing to restore functional fibroblasts phenotype by improving cell adhesion. These findings underscore the suitability and safety of nanoneedles for gene editing in a clinically relevant context of cell manufacturing, establishing a foundation for their use in cell therapies

Measurements of top quark spin observables in tt events using dilepton final states in √s=8 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of top quark spin observables in tt events are presented based on 20.2 fb(-1) of root s = 8TeV proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The analysis is performed in the dilepton final state, characterised by the presence of two isolated leptons ( electrons or muons). There are 15 observables, each sensitive to a different coefficient of the spin density matrix of tt production, which are measured independently. Ten of these observables are measured for the first time. All of them are corrected for detector resolution and acceptance effects back to the parton and stable-particle levels. The measured values of the observables at parton level are compared to Standard Model predictions at next-to-leading order in QCD. The corrected distributions at stable-particle level are presented and the means of the distributions are compared to Monte Carlo predictions. No significant deviation from the Standard Model is observed for any observable

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-p T jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in s√=8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A 0 = −2m 0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector