Stimulating exploration by government-sponsored regional geoscience surveys

The island of Ireland is one of the most attractive places for mineral exploration and development, according to a recent global review. The Republic of Ireland is a major European producer of lead-zinc and historically of copper, lead-silver and alluvial gold. Northern Ireland has one gold mine in production, a second gold prospect at an advanced stage of exploration, and one salt mine. In the past lead, iron and coal mining have all been prominent. Other minerals that are or have in the past been mined in the island include bauxite, barite, gypsum, coal and high-grade aggregates. In Northern Ireland, prospecting in recent years has been stimulated by the Tellus Project, managed by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. Between 2004 and 2007 this government-funded initiative completed soil and stream geochemical samples surveys and a low-level airborne geophysical survey of Northern Ireland, an area of 13,800 km2. Within 12 months of the data launch in 2007 the area of Northern Ireland licensed for exploration increased from 15% to 70% and the subsequent private sector investment in exploration now exceeds £32 million. Targets include gold, platinum group elements and base metals. The project is a good example of how regional geo-science surveys can stimulate exploration activity and inward investment. Historically the principal focus of prospecting in Northern Ireland has been the area of vein gold deposits in Neoproterozoic rocks of County Tyrone, centred on the deposits at Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw. Here, the airborne magnetic and electromagnetic results delineate significant associated structures. Arsenic in soils and stream sediments has been the principal geochemical pathfinder historically and the new sampling and analyses for multiple trace elements provide improved coverage at a better detection limit. Cross-border soil geochemical anomalies also characterise the area around the vein deposits in South Armagh and County Monaghan, in Ordovician/Silurian rocks. The geochemistry survey has revealed more widely distributed gold anomalies in stream sediments in other areas and mapped significant anomalies in platinum group elements over the Antrim basalts. Here again, the airborne magnetic and electromagnetic imagery reveal new structural information, particularly in those areas obscured by glacial deposits and peat. Following this success, the airborne geophysics and geochemistry surveys have been extended over 12,300 km2 of the six border counties of the Republic of Ireland (Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth) under the cross-border ‘Tellus Border’ project, financed by the INTERREG IVA programme of the European Regional Development Fund. This new survey work is jointly managed by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the Geological Survey of Ireland. The integrated geophysical and geochemical results of Tellus and Tellus Border surveys are being released throughout 2013 and have prompted further interest in mineral prospectivity as well as environmental research into soils, surface and groundwater, radioactivity and ecology. The project has stimulated joint data collection with the private sector. In 2012 the airborne survey was extended in eastern Co. Mayo and north Co. Roscommon in collaboration with a mining company, which has made the data publicly available. Another company has already taken out four licences on the basis of Tellus Border geochemical results released in February 2013. These data reveal the continuation of a trend established on adjoining licenses held in Northern Ireland. New fire-assay gold analyses of the Tellus Border stream sediment samples will be released in 2013. Together the merged Tellus and Tellus Border geochemical and geophysical data are expected to promote further investment in this cross-border region

Measurement of the p-pbar -> Wgamma + X cross section at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV and WWgamma anomalous coupling limits

The WWgamma triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p-pbar -> l nu gamma + X (l = e,mu) events at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the DO detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb^{-1} delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching fraction for p-pbar -> W(gamma) + X -> l nu gamma + X with E_T^{gamma} > 8 GeV and Delta R_{l gamma} > 0.7 is 14.8 +/- 1.6 (stat) +/- 1.0 (syst) +/- 1.0 (lum) pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are -0.88 < Delta kappa_{gamma} < 0.96 and -0.20 < lambda_{gamma} < 0.20.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using Kinematic Characteristics of Lepton + Jets Events

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ttbar production cross section in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 230 pb**{-1} of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), large missing transverse energy, and at least four jets, and extract the ttbar content of the sample based on the kinematic characteristics of the events. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure sigma(ttbar) = 6.7 {+1.4-1.3} (stat) {+1.6- 1.1} (syst) +/-0.4 (lumi) pb, in good agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV using Lepton + Jets Events with Lifetime b-tagging

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ($t\bar{t}$) production cross section ($\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$) in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV using 230 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse energy, and jets in the final state. We employ lifetime-based b-jet identification techniques to further enhance the $t\bar{t}$ purity of the selected sample. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}=8.6^{+1.6}_{-1.5}(stat.+syst.)\pm 0.6(lumi.)$ pb, in agreement with the standard model expectation.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Measurement of the ratios of the Z/G* + >= n jet production cross sections to the total inclusive Z/G* cross section in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a study of events with Z bosons and jets produced at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider in ppbar collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data sample consists of nearly 14,000 Z/G* -> e+e- candidates corresponding to the integrated luminosity of 0.4 fb-1 collected using the D0 detector. Ratios of the Z/G* + >= n jet cross sections to the total inclusive Z/G* cross section have been measured for n = 1 to 4 jet events. Our measurements are found to be in good agreement with a next-to-leading order QCD calculation and with a tree-level QCD prediction with parton shower simulation and hadronization.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, slightly modified, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Measurement of the Isolated Photon Cross Section in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

The cross section for the inclusive production of isolated photons has been measured in p anti-p collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The photons span transverse momenta 23 to 300 GeV and have pseudorapidity |eta|<0.9. The cross section is compared with the results from two next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The theoretical predictions agree with the measurement within uncertainties.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys.Lett.

Search for single top quark production in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the s-channel and t-channel using neural networks for signal-background separation. We have analyzed 230 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV and find no evidence for a single top quark signal. The resulting 95% confidence level upper limits on the single top quark production cross sections are 6.4 pb in the s-channel and 5.0 pb in the t-channel.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Operation and performance of the ATLAS semiconductor tracker

The semiconductor tracker is a silicon microstrip detector forming part of the inner tracking system of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The operation and performance of the semiconductor tracker during the first years of LHC running are described. More than 99% of the detector modules were operational during this period, with an average intrinsic hit efficiency of (99.74±0.04)%. The evolution of the noise occupancy is discussed, and measurements of the Lorentz angle, δ-ray production and energy loss presented. The alignment of the detector is found to be stable at the few-micron level over long periods of time. Radiation damage measurements, which include the evolution of detector leakage currents, are found to be consistent with predictions and are used in the verification of radiation background simulations

Measurement of the WW production cross section in p anti-p collisions at s**(1/2) = 1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the W boson pair-production cross section in p anti-p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. The data, collected with the Run II DO detector, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 224-252 pb^-1 depending on the final state (ee, emu or mumu). We observe 25 candidates with a background expectation of 8.1+/-0.6(stat)+/-0.6(syst)+/-0.5(lum) events. The probability for an upward fluctuation of the background to produce the observed signal is 2.3x10^-7, equivalent to 5.2 standard deviations.The measurement yields a cross section of 13.8+4.3/-3.8(stat)+1.2/-0.9(syst)+/-0.9(lum) pb, in agreement with predictions from the standard model.Comment: submitted to PR

Measurement of the Lambda^0_b lifetime in the decay Lambda^0_b -> J/psi Lambda^0 with the D0 Detector

We present measurements of the Lambda^0_b lifetime in the exclusive decay channel Lambda^0_{b}->J/psi Lambda^0, with J/psi to mu+ mu- and Lambda^0 to p pi-, the B^0 lifetime in the decay B^0 -> J/psi K^0_S with J/psi to mu+ mu- and K^0_S to pi+ pi-, and the ratio of these lifetimes. The analysis is based on approximately 250 pb^{-1} of data recorded with the D0 detector in pp(bar) collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. The Lambda^0_b lifetime is determined to be tau(Lambda^0_b) = 1.22 +0.22/-0.18 (stat) +/- 0.04 (syst) ps, the B^0 lifetime tau(B^0) = 1.40 +0.11/-0.10 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) ps, and the ratio tau(Lambda^0_b)/tau(B^0) = 0.87 +0.17/-0.14 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst). In contrast with previous measurements using semileptonic decays, this is the first determination of the Lambda^0_b lifetime based on a fully reconstructed decay channel.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Physical Review Letters, v2: Added FNAL Pub-numbe