This Letter presents a measurement of the inelastic proton-proton cross section using 60 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}$ of $13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Inelastic interactions are selected using rings of plastic scintillators in the forward region ($2.07<|\eta|<3.86$) of the detector. A cross section of $68.1\pm 1.4$ mb is measured in the fiducial region $\xi=M_X^2/s>10^{-6}$, where $M_X$ is the larger invariant mass of the two hadronic systems separated by the largest rapidity gap in the event. In this $\xi$ range the scintillators are highly efficient. For diffractive events this corresponds to cases where at least one proton dissociates to a system with $M_X>13$ GeV. The measured cross section is compared with a range of theoretical predictions. When extrapolated to the full phase space, a cross-section of $78.1 \pm 2.9$ mb is measured, consistent with the inelastic cross section increasing with center-of-mass energy.
The first observation of the Z boson decaying to four leptons in proton-proton collisions is presented. The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.02 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV collected by the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. A pronounced resonance peak, with a statistical significance of 9.7 sigma, is observed in the distribution of the invariant mass of four leptons (electrons and/or muons) with mass and width consistent with expectations for Z boson decays. The branching fraction and cross section reported here are defined by phase space restrictions on the leptons, namely, 80 < m[4l] < 100 GeV, where m[4l] is the invariant mass of the four leptons, and m[ll] > 4 GeV for all pairs of leptons, where m[ll] is the two-lepton invariant mass. The measured branching fraction is B(Z to 4l) = (4.2 /+0.9/-0.8 (stat.) +/- 0.2 (syst.)) 10E-6 and agrees with the standard model prediction of 4.45 10E-6. The measured cross section times branching fraction is sigma(pp to Z) B(Z to 4 l) = 112 +23/-20 (stat.) +7/-5 (syst.) +3/-2 (lumi.) fb, also consistent with the standard model prediction of 120 fb. The four-lepton mass peak arising from Z to 4 l decays provides a calibration channel for the Higgs boson search in the H to ZZ to 4 l decay mode.
A search for physics beyond the standard model in the final state with two same-flavour leptons (electrons or muons) and two quarks produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV is presented. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The observed data are in good agreement with the standard model background prediction. The results of the measurement are interpreted in the framework of a recently proposed model in which a heavy Majorana neutrino, N(l), stems from a composite-fermion scenario. Exclusion limits are set for the first time on the mass of the heavy composite Majorana neutrino, m[N(l)], and the compositeness scale Lambda. For the case m[N(l)] = Lambda, the existence of N(e) (N(mu)) is excluded for masses up to 4.60 (4.70) TeV at 95% confidence level.
The production of J/psi and Upsilon mesons in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector. The J/psi and Upsilon mesons are reconstructed in the mu+mu- decay mode and the signal yields are determined with a fit to the mu+mu- invariant mass distributions. The analysis is performed in the rapidity range 2.0<y<4.5 and transverse momentum range 0<p_T<14(15) GeV/c of the J/psi(Upsilon) mesons. The J/psi and Upsilon production cross-sections and the fraction of J/psi mesons from b-hadron decays are measured as a function of the meson p_T and y.
The production of J/psi mesons is studied with the LHCb detector using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 71 nb^-1. The differential cross-section for inclusive J/psi production is measured as a function of its transverse momentum pT. The cross-section in the fiducial region 0<pT<12 GeV/c and rapidity 2.0<y<4.5 is measured to be 5.6 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 0.4 (syst) mub, with the assumption of unpolarised J/psi production. The fraction of J/psi production from b-hadron decays is measured to be (7.1 +/- 0.6 (stat) +/- 0.7 (syst)) %.
A search has been performed for the experimental signature of an isolated photon with high transverse momentum, at least one jet identified as originating from a bottom quark, and high missing transverse momentum. Such a final state may originate from supersymmetric models with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking in events in which one of a pair of higgsino-like neutralinos decays into a photon and a gravitino while the other decays into a Higgs boson and a gravitino. The search is performed using the full dataset of 7 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2011, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1. A total of 7 candidate events are observed while 7.5 pm 2.2 events are expected from the Standard Model background. The results of the search are interpreted in the context of general gauge mediation to exclude certain regions of a benchmark plane for higgsino-like neutralino production.
A search for doubly-charged Higgs bosons decaying to pairs of electrons and/or muons is presented. The search is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1 of pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Pairs of prompt, isolated, high-pT leptons with the same electric charge (ee, emu, mumu) are selected, and their invariant mass distribution is searched for a narrow resonance. No significant excess over Standard Model background expectations is observed, and limits are placed on the cross section times branching ratio for pair production of doubly-charged Higgs bosons. The masses of doubly-charged Higgs bosons are constrained depending on the branching ratio into these leptonic final states. Assuming pair production, coupling to left-handed fermions, and a branching ratio of 100% for each final state, masses below 409 GeV, 375 GeV, and 398 GeV are excluded for ee, emu, mumu, respectively.
Results of a search for new phenomena in events with an energetic photon and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV are reported. Data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb-1 are used. Good agreement is observed between the data and the Standard Model predictions. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with large extra spatial dimensions and on pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates.
Results of three searches are presented for the production of supersymmetric particles decaying into final states with missing transverse momentum and exactly two isolated leptons, e or mu. The analysis uses a data sample collected during the first half of 2011 that corresponds to a total integrated luminosity of 1 fb^-1 of sqrt{s} = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Opposite-sign and same-sign dilepton events are separately studied, with no deviations from the Standard Model expectation observed. Additionally, in opposite- sign events, a search is made for an excess of same-flavour over different-flavour lepton pairs. Effective production cross sections in excess of 9.9 fb for opposite-sign events containing supersymmetric particles with missing transverse momentum greater than 250 GeV are excluded at 95% CL. For same-sign events containing supersymmetric particles with missing transverse momentum greater than 100 GeV, effective production cross sections in excess of 14.8 fb are excluded at 95% CL. The latter limit is interpreted in a simplified weak gaugino production model excluding chargino masses up to 200 GeV.
The production of Kshort and Lambda hadrons is studied in inelastic pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 0.9 and 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a minimum-bias trigger. The observed distributions of transverse momentum, rapidity, and multiplicity are corrected to hadron level in a model-independent way within well defined phase-space regions. The distribution of the production ratio of Lambdabar to Lambda baryons is also measured. The results are compared with various Monte Carlo simulation models. Although most of these models agree with data to within 15% in the Kshort distributions, substantial disagreements with data are found in the Lambda distributions of transverse momentum.
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