Measurement of the tt¯ production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive top quark pair (tt¯tt¯) production cross-section σtt¯σtt¯ has been measured in proton–proton collisions at s√=7 TeVs=7 TeV and s√=8 TeVs=8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, using tt¯tt¯ events with an opposite-charge eμeμ pair in the final state. The measurement was performed with the 2011 7 TeV dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb−1fb−1 and the 2012 8 TeV dataset of 20.3 fb−1fb−1. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two bb-tagged jets were counted and used to simultaneously determine σtt¯σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and bb-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section was measured to be: σtt¯σtt¯=182.9±3.1±4.2±3.6±3.3 pb (s√=7 TeV)and=242.4±1.7±5.5±7.5±4.2 pb (s√=8 TeV), σtt¯=182.9±3.1±4.2±3.6±3.3 pb (s=7 TeV)andσtt¯=242.4±1.7±5.5±7.5±4.2 pb (s=8 TeV), where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, knowledge of the integrated luminosity and of the LHC beam energy. The results are consistent with recent theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. Fiducial measurements corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons are also reported, together with the ratio of cross-sections measured at the two centre-of-mass energies. The inclusive cross-section results were used to determine the top quark pole mass via the dependence of the theoretically predicted cross-section on mpoletmtpole giving a result of mpoletmtpole=172.9+2.5−2.6=172.9−2.6+2.5 GeV. By looking for an excess of tt¯tt¯ production with respect to the QCD prediction, the results were also used to place limits on the pair-production of supersymmetric top squarks t~1t~1 with masses close to the top quark mass, decaying via t~1→tχ~01t~1→tχ~10 to predominantly right-handed top quarks and a light neutralino χ~01χ~10, the lightest supersymmetric particle. Top squarks with masses between the top quark mass and 177 GeV are excluded at the 95 % confidence level

Search for WH production with a light Higgs boson decaying to prompt electron-jets in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt{s}=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for WH production with a light Higgs boson decaying to hidden-sector particles resulting in clusters of collimated electrons, known as electron-jets. The search is performed with 2.04 fb-1 of data collected in 2011 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV. One event satisfying the signal selection criteria is observed, which is consistent with the expected background rate. Limits on the product of the WH production cross section and the branching ratio of a Higgs boson decaying to prompt electron-jets are calculated as a function of a Higgs boson mass in the range from 100 GeV to 140 GeV.Peer Reviewe

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data at s=7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: Λ<(22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, σ<(27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and σ<(15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Λ and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. © 2012 CERN

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb^-1 of 7 TeV proton–proton collision data with the ATLAS detector

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb−1of proton–proton collision data at √s=7  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: σ<(22–129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, σ<(27–91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and σ< (15–27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale ∧ and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: sigma < (22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, sigma < (27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and sigma < (15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Lambda and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. RI Sivoklokov, Sergey/D-8150-2012; Li, Xuefei/C-3861-2012; Smirnov, Sergei/F-1014-2011; Gladilin, Leonid/B-5226-2011; Barreiro, Fernando/D-9808-2012; Prokoshin, Fedor/E-2795-2012; Fazio, Salvatore /G-5156-2010; Orlov, Ilya/E-6611-2012; Doyle, Anthony/C-5889-2009; Alexa, Calin/F-6345-2010; Moorhead, Gareth/B-6634-2009; Livan, Michele/D-7531-2012; Takai, Helio/C-3301-2012; Petrucci, Fabrizio/G-8348-2012; Jones, Roger/H-5578-2011; Fabbri, Laura/H-3442-2012; Kurashige, Hisaya/H-4916-2012; Villa, Mauro/C-9883-2009; Delmastro, Marco/I-5599-201

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: sigma < (22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, sigma < (27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and sigma < (15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Lambda and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Characterisation and mitigation of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector during the 2011 proton-proton run

"This paper presents a summary of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector and discusses methods to tag and remove background contaminated events in data. Trigger-rate based monitoring of beam-related backgrounds is presented. The correlations of backgrounds with machine conditions, such as residual pressure in the beam-pipe, are discussed. Results from dedicated beam-background simulations are shown, and their qualitative agreement with data is evaluated. Data taken during the passage of unpaired, i.e. non-colliding, proton bunches is used to obtain background-enriched data samples. These are used to identify characteristic features of beam-induced backgrounds, which then are exploited to develop dedicated background tagging tools. These tools, based on observables in the Pixel detector, the muon spectrometer and the calorimeters, are described in detail and their efficiencies are evaluated. Finally an example of an application of these techniques to a monojet analysis is given, which demonstrates the importance of such event cleaning techniques for some new physics searches.

Measurement of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A study of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. In total, 317 candidates, with a background expectation of 68 +/- 10 events, are observed in double-leptonic decay final states with electrons, muons and missing transverse momentum. The total cross-section is determined to be sigma(tot)(WZ) = 19.0(-1.3)(+1.4)(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.) +/- 0.4(lumi.) pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 17.6(-1.0)(+1.1) pb. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are derived using the transverse momentum spectrum of Z bosons in the selected events. The cross-section is also presented as a function of Z boson transverse momentum and diboson invariant mass