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

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Evidence for the h_b(1P) meson in the decay Upsilon(3S) --> pi0 h_b(1P)

Using a sample of 122 million Upsilon(3S) events recorded with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at SLAC, we search for the $h_b(1P)$ spin-singlet partner of the P-wave chi_{bJ}(1P) states in the sequential decay Upsilon(3S) --> pi0 h_b(1P), h_b(1P) --> gamma eta_b(1S). We observe an excess of events above background in the distribution of the recoil mass against the pi0 at mass 9902 +/- 4(stat.) +/- 2(syst.) MeV/c^2. The width of the observed signal is consistent with experimental resolution, and its significance is 3.1sigma, including systematic uncertainties. We obtain the value (4.3 +/- 1.1(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.)) x 10^{-4} for the product branching fraction BF(Upsilon(3S)-->pi0 h_b) x BF(h_b-->gamma eta_b).Comment: 8 pages, 4 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid Communications

Search for R-parity-violating supersymmetry in events with four or more leptons in sqrt(s) =7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for new phenomena in final states with four or more leptons (electrons or muons) is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of $\sqrt{s}=7\;\mathrm{TeV}$ proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in two signal regions: one that requires moderate values of missing transverse momentum and another that requires large effective mass. The results are interpreted in a simplified model of R-parity-violating supersymmetry in which a 95% CL exclusion region is set for charged wino masses up to 540 GeV. In an R-parity-violating MSUGRA/CMSSM model, values of m 1/2 up to 820 GeV are excluded for 10 < tan β < 40

Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV;{\rm Te}{\rm V}$and correspond to an integrated luminosity of$4.6\;{\rm f}{{{\rm b}}^{-1}}$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum${{p}_{{\rm T}}}\gt 320\;{\rm Ge}{\rm V}$and pseudorapidity$|\eta |\lt 1.9$, is measured to be${{\sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5\pm 1.7$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Flavor tagged time-dependent angular analysis of the B0s → J/ψϕ decay and extraction of ΔΓs and the weak phase ϕs in ATLAS

A measurement of the B0s→J/ψϕ decay parameters, updated to include flavor tagging is reported using 4.9  fb−¹ of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector from √s=7  TeV pp collisions recorded in 2011 at the LHC. The values measured for the physical parameters are ϕs=0.12±0.25(stat)±0.05(syst)  rad ΔΓs=0.053±0.021(stat)±0.010(syst)  ps−¹ Γs=0.677±0.007(stat)±0.004(syst)  ps−¹ |A∥(0)|2=0.220±0.008(stat)±0.009(syst) |A0(0)|2=0.529±0.006(stat)±0.012(syst) δ⊥=3.89±0.47(stat)±0.11(syst)  rad where the parameter ΔΓs is constrained to be positive. The S-wave contribution was measured and found to be compatible with zero. Results for ϕs and ΔΓs are also presented as 68% and 95% likelihood contours, which show agreement with the Standard Model expectations

Measurements of normalized differential cross sections for tt̄ production in pp collisions at √(s)=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

Measurements of normalized differential cross sections for top-quark pair production are presented as a function of the top-quark transverse momentum, and of the mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity of the t¯t system, in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=7  TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.6  fb−1, recorded in 2011 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in the lepton+jets channel, requiring exactly one lepton and at least four jets with at least one of the jets tagged as originating from a b-quark. The measured spectra are corrected for detector efficiency and resolution effects and are compared to several Monte Carlo simulations and theory calculations. The results are in fair agreement with the predictions in a wide kinematic range. Nevertheless, data distributions are softer than predicted for higher values of the mass of the t¯t system and of the top-quark transverse momentum. The measurements can also discriminate among different sets of parton distribution functions

Searches for Higgs boson pair production in the hh→bbττ, γγWW∗, γγbb, bbbb channels with the ATLAS detector

Searches for both resonant and nonresonant Higgs boson pair production are performed in the hh→bbττ, γγWW∗ final states using 20.3  fb−1 of pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No evidence of their production is observed and 95% confidence-level upper limits on the production cross sections are set. These results are then combined with the published results of the hh→γγbb, bbbb analyses. An upper limit of 0.69 (0.47) pb on the nonresonant hh production is observed (expected), corresponding to 70 (48) times the SM gg→hh cross section. For production via narrow resonances, cross-section limits of hh production from a heavy Higgs boson decay are set as a function of the heavy Higgs boson mass. The observed (expected) limits range from 2.1 (1.1) pb at 260 GeV to 0.011 (0.018) pb at 1000 GeV. These results are interpreted in the context of two simplified scenarios of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

Search for new phenomena in the dijet mass distribution using pp collision data at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Dijet events produced in LHC proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy √s=8  TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector using the full 2012 data set, with an integrated luminosity of 20.3  fb−1. Dijet masses up to about 4.5 TeV are probed. No resonancelike features are observed in the dijet mass spectrum. Limits on the cross section times acceptance are set at the 95% credibility level for various hypotheses of new phenomena in terms of mass or energy scale, as appropriate. This analysis excludes excited quarks with a mass below 4.06 TeV, color-octet scalars with a mass below 2.70 TeV, heavy W′ bosons with a mass below 2.45 TeV, chiral W∗ bosons with a mass below 1.75 TeV, and quantum black holes with six extra space-time dimensions with threshold mass below 5.66 TeV

Addendum to ‘measurement of the tt̄ production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s= 7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector’

The ATLAS measurement of the inclusive top quark pair (tt̄) cross-section σtt̄ in proton–proton collisions at √s=8 TeV has been updated using the final 2012 luminosity calibration. The updated cross-section result is: σtt¯=242.9±1.7±5.5±5.1±4.2pb, 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 result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. The measurement of the ratio of tt̄ cross-sections at √s=8 TeV and √s=7 TeV, and the √s=8 TeV fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons, have also been updated. The most precise measurement of the tt̄ cross-section (σtt̄) in proton–proton collisions at √s=8 TeV from the ATLAS Collaboration was made using events with an opposite-charge electron–muon pair and one or two b-tagged jets [1], and used a preliminary calibration of the integrated luminosity. The luminosity calibration has been finalised since [2] with a total uncertainty of 1.9%, corresponding to a substantial improvement on the previous uncertainty of 2.8%. Since the uncertainty on the integrated luminosity contributed 3.1% of the total 4.3% uncertainty on the σtt¯ measurement reported in [1], a significant improvement in the measurement is possible by using the new luminosity calibration, as documented in this Addendum. The new calibration corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb−¹ for the √s=8 TeV sample, a decrease of 0.2%. The cross-section was recomputed taking into account the effects on both the conversion of the tt¯ event yield to a cross-section, and the background estimates, giving a result of: σtt¯=242.9±1.7±5.5±5.1±4.2pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, knowledge of the integrated luminosity, and of the LHC beam energy, giving a total uncertainty of 8.8 pb (3.6 %). The result is consistent with the theoretical prediction of 252.9−14.5+13.3 pb, calculated at next-to-next-to-leading-order with next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic soft gluon terms with the top++ 2.0 program [3] as discussed in detail in Ref. [1]. The updated value of the ratio of cross-sections Rtt¯=σtt¯(8 TeV)/σtt¯(7 TeV) is: Rtt¯=1.328±0.024±0.015±0.038±0.001, with uncertainties defined as above, adding in quadrature to a total of 0.047. The largest uncertainty comes from the uncertainties on the integrated luminosities, considered to be uncorrelated between the √s=7 TeV and √s=8 TeV datasets. This result is 2.1σ below the expectation of 1.430±0.013 calculated from top++ 2.0 as discussed in Ref. [1]. The updated fiducial cross-sections, for a tt¯ decay producing an eμ pair within a given fiducial region, are shown in Table 1, updating Table 5 of Ref. [1]. The results are given both for the analysis requirements of pT>25GeV and |η|30GeV and |η|<2.4. They are given separately for the two cases where events with either one or both leptons coming from t→W→τ→ℓ rather than the direct decay t→W→ℓ(ℓ=e or μ) are included, or where the contributions involving τ decays are subtracted. The results shown for the √s=7 TeV data sample are unchanged with respect to those in Ref. [1]. The results for the top quark pole mass and limits on light supersymmetric top squarks presented in Ref. [1] are derived from √s=7 TeV and √s=8 TeV cross-section measurements taken together, and would be only slightly improved by the luminosity update described here