Search for a Heavy Particle Decaying into an Electron and a Muon with the ATLAS Detector in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions at the LHC

This Letter presents the first search for a heavy particle decaying into an e^±μ^∓ final state in √s=7  TeV pp collisions at the LHC. The data were recorded by the ATLAS detector during 2010 and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 35  pb^(-1). No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Exclusions at 95% confidence level are placed on two representative models. In an R-parity violating supersymmetric model, tau sneutrinos with a mass below 0.75 TeV are excluded, assuming all R-parity violating couplings are zero except λ'_(311)=0.11 and λ_(312)=0.07. In a lepton flavor violating model, a Z′-like vector boson with masses of 0.70–1.00 TeV and corresponding cross sections times branching ratios of 0.175–0.183 pb is excluded. These results extend to higher mass R-parity violating sneutrinos and lepton flavor violating Z’s than previous constraints from the Tevatron

Measurement of the Υ (1S) production cross-section in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV in ATLAS

A measurement of the cross-section for Υ (1S)→μ^+μ^− production in proton–proton collisions at centre of mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The cross-section is measured as a function of the Υ (1S) transverse momentum in two bins of rapidity, |y^(Υ(1S))| 4 GeV and pseudorapidity |η^μ| < 2.5 in order to reduce theoretical uncertainties on the acceptance, which depend on the poorly known polarisation. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 1.13 pb^(−1), collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The cross-section measurement is compared to theoretical predictions: it agrees to within a factor of two with a prediction based on the NRQCD model including colour-singlet and colour-octet matrix elements as implemented in Pythia while it disagrees by up to a factor of ten with the next-to-leading order prediction based on the colour-singlet model

Search for pair production of first or second generation leptoquarks in proton-proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

This paper describes searches for the pair production of first or second generation scalar leptoquarks using 35  pb^(-1) of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at √s=7  TeV. Leptoquarks are searched in events with two oppositely-charged muons or electrons and at least two jets, and in events with one muon or electron, missing transverse momentum and at least two jets. After event selection, the observed yields are consistent with the predicted backgrounds. Leptoquark production is excluded at the 95% CL for masses M_(LQ)<376 (319) GeV and M_(LQ)<422 (362) GeV for first and second generation scalar leptoquarks, respectively, when assuming the branching fraction of a leptoquark to a charged lepton is equal to 1.0 (0.5)

Limits on the production of the standard model Higgs boson in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for the Standard Model Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) running at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is reported, based on a total integrated luminosity of up to 40 pb^(−1) collected by the ATLAS detector in 2010. Several Higgs boson decay channels: H→γγ, H→ZZ^((∗))→ℓℓℓℓ, H→ZZ→ℓℓνν, H→ZZ→ℓℓqq, H→WW^((∗))→ℓνℓν and H→WW→ℓνqq (ℓ is e, μ) are combined in a mass range from 110 GeV to 600 GeV. The highest sensitivity is achieved in the mass range between 160 GeV and 170 GeV, where the expected 95% CL exclusion sensitivity is at Higgs boson production cross sections 2.3 times the Standard Model prediction. Upper limits on the cross section for its production are determined. Models with a fourth generation of heavy leptons and quarks with Standard Model-like couplings to the Higgs boson are also investigated and are excluded at 95% CL for a Higgs boson mass in the range from 140 GeV to 185 GeV

Survival and Nonescape Probabilities for Resonant and Nonresonant Decay

In this paper we study the time evolution of the decay process for a particle confined initially in a finite region of space, extending our analysis given recently (Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 337 (1995)). For this purpose, we solve exactly the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for a finite-range potential. We calculate and compare two quantities: (i) the survival probability S(t), i.e., the probability that the particle is in the initial state after a time t; and (ii) the nonescape probability P(t), i.e., the probability that the particle remains confined inside the potential region after a time t. We analyze in detail the resonant and nonresonant decay. In the former case, after a very short time, S(t) and P(t) decay exponentially, but for very long times they decay as a power law, albeit with different exponents. For the nonresonant case we obtain that both quantities differ initially. However, independently of the resonant and nonresonant character of the initial state we always find a transition to the ground state of the system which indicates a process of ``loss of memory'' in the decay.Comment: 26 pages, RevTex file, figures available upon request from [email protected] (To be published in Annals of Physics

Measurement of the differential cross-sections of inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/ψ production in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

The inclusive J/ψ production cross-section and fraction of J/ψ mesons produced in B-hadron decays are measured in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the J/ψ, using 2.3 pb^(−1) of integrated luminosity. The cross-section is measured from a minimum pT of 1 GeV to a maximum of 70 GeV and for rapidities within |y|<2.4 giving the widest reach of any measurement of J/ψ production to date. The differential production cross-sections of prompt and non-prompt J/ψ are separately determined and are compared to Colour Singlet NNLO^★, filled, Colour Evaporation Model, and FONLL predictions

Search for Diphoton Events with Large Missing Transverse Energy in 7 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse energy is presented. The data were collected with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at √s = 7  TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3.1  pb^(-1). No excess of such events is observed above the standard model background prediction. In the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension with compactification radius R and gravity-induced decays, values of 1/R < 729  GeV are excluded at 95% C.L., providing the most sensitive limit on this model to date

A search for new physics in dijet mass and angular distributions in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV measured with the ATLAS detector

A search for new interactions and resonances produced in LHC proton–proton (pp) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy √s = 7 TeV was performed with the ATLAS detector. Using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 36 pb^(−1), dijet mass and angular distributions were measured up to dijet masses of ~3.5 TeV and were found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions. This analysis sets limits at 95% CL on various models for new physics: an excited quark is excluded for mass between 0.60 and 2.64 TeV, an axigluon hypothesis is excluded for axigluon masses between 0.60 and 2.10 TeV and quantum black holes are excluded in models with six extra space–time dimensions for quantum gravity scales between 0.75 and 3.67 TeV. Production cross section limits as a function of dijet mass are set using a simplified Gaussian signal model to facilitate comparisons with other hypotheses. Analysis of the dijet angular distribution using a novel technique simultaneously employing the dijet mass excludes quark contact interactions with a compositeness scale Λ below 9.5 TeV

Measurement of the W charge asymmetry in the W→μν decay mode in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This Letter reports a measurement of the muon charge asymmetry from W bosons produced in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The asymmetry is measured in the W→μν decay mode as a function of the muon pseudorapidity using a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 31 pb^(−1). The results are compared to predictions based on next-to-leading order calculations with various parton distribution functions. This measurement provides information on the u and d quark momentum fractions in the proton