Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

The waking brain: an update

Wakefulness and consciousness depend on perturbation of the cortical soliloquy. Ascending activation of the cerebral cortex is characteristic for both waking and paradoxical (REM) sleep. These evolutionary conserved activating systems build a network in the brainstem, midbrain, and diencephalon that contains the neurotransmitters and neuromodulators glutamate, histamine, acetylcholine, the catecholamines, serotonin, and some neuropeptides orchestrating the different behavioral states. Inhibition of these waking systems by GABAergic neurons allows sleep. Over the past decades, a prominent role became evident for the histaminergic and the orexinergic neurons as a hypothalamic waking center

Measurement of charged-particle event shape variables in inclusive root(s)=7 TeV proton-proton interactions with the ATLAS detector

The measurement of charged-particle event shape variables is presented in inclusive inelastic pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observables studied are the transverse thrust, thrust minor, and transverse sphericity, each defined using the final-state charged particles' momentum components perpendicular to the beam direction. Events with at least six charged particles are selected by a minimum-bias trigger. In addition to the differential distributions, the evolution of each event shape variable as a function of the leading charged-particle transverse momentum, charged-particle multiplicity, and summed transverse momentum is presented. Predictions from several Monte Carlo models show significant deviations from data

Neutral kaon interferometry in Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV

We present the first statistically meaningful results from two-Ks0 interferometry in heavy-ion collisions at sNN=200 GeV. A model that takes the effect of the strong interaction into account has been used to fit the measured correlation function. The effects of single and coupled channels were explored. At the mean transverse mass mT =1.07 GeV, we obtain the values R=4.09±0.46(stat)±0.31(sys) fm and λ=0.92±0.23(stat) ±0.13(sys), where R and λ are the invariant radius and chaoticity parameters, respectively. The results are qualitatively consistent with mT systematics established with pions in a scenario characterized by a strong collective flow. © 2006 The American Physical Society

Measurement of the W -&gt; lv and Z/gamma* -&gt; ll production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

First measurements of the W → ℓν and Z/γ * → ℓℓ (ℓ = e, μ) production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 7TeV are presented using data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The results are based on 2250 W → ℓν and 179 Z/γ* → ℓℓ candidate events selected from a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 320 nb-1. The measured total W and Z/ γ*-boson production cross sections times the respective leptonic branching ratios for the combined electron and muon channels are σtotW · BR(W → ℓν) = 9.96 ± 0.23(stat) ± 0.50(syst) ± 1.10(lumi) nb and σtotZ/γ* · BR(Z/ γ* → ℓℓ) = 0.82 ± 0.06 (stat) ± 0.05 (syst) ± 0.09 (lumi) nb (within the invariant mass window 66 &lt; mℓℓ &lt; 116 GeV). The W/Z cross-section ratio is measured to be 11.7 ± 0.9(stat) ± 0.4(syst). In addition, measurements of the W+ and W- production cross sections and of the lepton charge asymmetry are reported. Theoretical predictions based on NNLO QCD calculations are found to agree with the measurements

Performance of the ATLAS Detector using First Collision Data

More than half a million minimum-bias events of LHC collision data were collected by the ATLAS experiment in December 2009 at centre-of-mass energies of 0.9 TeV and 2.36 TeV. This paper reports on studies of the initial performance of the ATLAS detector from these data. Comparisons between data and Monte Carlo predictions are shown for distributions of several track- and calorimeter-based quantities. The good performance of the ATLAS detector in these first data gives confidence for successful running at higher energies

Measurement of the inclusive isolated prompt photon cross section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the cross section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy [sqrt]s=7  TeV is presented. The measurement covers the pseudorapidity ranges |etaγ|<1.37 and 1.52≤|etaγ|<1.81 in the transverse energy range 15≤ETγ<100  GeV. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 880  nb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Photon candidates are identified by combining information from the calorimeters and from the inner tracker. Residual background in the selected sample is estimated from data based on the observed distribution of the transverse isolation energy in a narrow cone around the photon candidate. The results are compared to predictions from next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.