The semantics and L1 acquisition of scalar (focus) particles: the case of Spanish (ni) siquiera and incluso

This thesis presents research on the meaning of Spanish words corresponding to ‘even’ in English, and their acquisition by children who are first language learners of Spanish. A sentence like ‘Even Juan lifted the rock’ is understood to convey not only that Juan managed to lift the rock, but also that Juan was the least likely person to lift the rock, and that at least someone else managed to do so. However, once we add negation, the resulting sentence ‘Not even Juan lifted the rock’ now conveys not only that Juan didn’t manage to lift the rock, but also that he was the most likely person to lift the rock, and that no one else managed to do so. These aspects of meaning reflect our ability to go beyond the literal meaning of sentences, drawing inferences on the basis of what has been said. How and when do children acquire the ability to infer meaning that is not explicitly given in sentences? We experimentally investigate this issue in Spanish, where different words must be used to convey the meaning of even: incluso in positive contexts vs. ni siquiera in negative contexts. Understanding the meaning of these words in Spanish is a real challenge since siquiera alone means even under negation, but at least in the absence of negation. This ambiguity in interpretation (even vs. at least depending on the context) is not an arbitrary fact about Spanish, but a recurrent pattern found across languages as different as Spanish, Slovenian, Greek

On the acquisition of scalar and additive inferences:Evidence from Spanish incluso ‘even’ and ni siquiera ‘not even’

Studies on the acquisition of English even have focused exclusively on comprehension of the scalar inference it induces, leaving aside the additive inference it also induces. This study fills this gap by exploring the acquisition of both the scalar and additive inferences, and extends the investigation of scalar focus particles to Spanish. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental study to investigate comprehension of both the scalar and additive inferences triggered by incluso/even and ni siquiera/not even in tandem. We show that the acquisition of these inferences increases with age and that there is a systematic relation between the two inferences. (i) Children who showed target-like behavior on the scalar inference also behaved target-like on the additive inference, but not conversely. (ii) Children who behaved non-target-like on the scalar inference, by volunteering so-called ‘opposite’ answers (Kim 2011, Gowda et al. 2020), do not behave randomly on the additive inference: children who systematically reversed their response on the scalar inference, consistently reversed their response on the additive inference. These findings support Rullmann’s (1997) claim that the additive inference does not have an independent status but arises indirectly as a pragmatic entailment due to the interaction of the scalar inference with the assertion. We conclude that children’s target as well as non-target answer patterns for both inferences combined show they have scalar knowledge: they know there is a scale, its directionality, correctly draw least/most likely inferences and on the basis of these inferences correctly infer the others’ likelihood to have succeeded

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the top quark forward-backward production asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric and chromomagnetic moments in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Abstract The parton-level top quark (t) forward-backward asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric (d̂ t) and chromomagnetic (μ̂ t) moments have been measured using LHC pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected in the CMS detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The linearized variable AFB(1) is used to approximate the asymmetry. Candidate t t ¯ events decaying to a muon or electron and jets in final states with low and high Lorentz boosts are selected and reconstructed using a fit of the kinematic distributions of the decay products to those expected for t t ¯ final states. The values found for the parameters are AFB(1)=0.048−0.087+0.095(stat)−0.029+0.020(syst),μ̂t=−0.024−0.009+0.013(stat)−0.011+0.016(syst), and a limit is placed on the magnitude of | d̂ t| < 0.03 at 95% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt s = 13 TeV

Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons are measured over a broad multiplicity range, from a few particles up to about 250 reconstructed charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The results are based on data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC during runs with a special low-pileup configuration. Three analysis techniques with different degrees of dependence on simulations are used to remove the non-Bose-Einstein background from the correlation functions. All three methods give consistent results. The measured lengths of homogeneity are studied as functions of particle multiplicity as well as average pair transverse momentum and mass. The results are compared with data from both CMS and ATLAS at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, as well as with theoretical predictions.[graphic not available: see fulltext]Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons are measured over a broad multiplicity range, from a few particles up to about 250 reconstructed charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The results are based on data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC during runs with a special low-pileup configuration. Three analysis techniques with different degrees of dependence on simulations are used to remove the non-Bose-Einstein background from the correlation functions. All three methods give consistent results. The measured lengths of homogeneity are studied as functions of particle multiplicity as well as average pair transverse momentum and mass. The results are compared with data from both CMS and ATLAS at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 TeV, as well as with theoretical predictions