The fragmentation properties of jets containing $b$-hadrons are studied using charged $B$ mesons in 139 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the period from 2015 to 2018. The $B$ mesons are reconstructed using the decay of $B^{\pm}$ into $J/\psi K^{\pm}$, with the $J/\psi$ decaying into a pair of muons. Jets are reconstructed using the anti-$k_t$ algorithm with radius parameter $R=0.4$. The measurement determines the longitudinal and transverse momentum profiles of the reconstructed $B$ hadrons with respect to the axes of the jets to which they are geometrically associated. These distributions are measured in intervals of the jet transverse momentum, ranging from 50 GeV to above 100 GeV. The results are corrected for detector effects and compared with several Monte Carlo predictions using different parton shower and hadronisation models. The results for the longitudinal and transverse profiles provide useful inputs to improve the description of heavy-flavour fragmentation in jets.
The e+e- -> pi0 pi0 gamma process was studied in the SND experiment at VEPP-2M e+e- collider in the energy region 0.60-0.97 GeV. From the analysis of the energy dependence of measured cross section the branching ratios B(omega -> pi0 pi0 gamma)= (6.6 +1.4-0.8(stat) +-0.6(syst))x10^-5 and B(rho -> pi0 pi0 gamma)=(4.1 +1.0-0.9(stat) +-0.3(syst))x10^-5 were obtained.
The cross section for the process e+e- --> omega pi0 --> pi0 pi0 gamma has been measured in the energy range 1.05--2.00 GeV. The experiment has been performed at the e+e- collider VEPP-2000 with the SND detector. The measured e+e- --> omega pi0 cross section above 1.4 GeV is the most accurate to date. Below 1.4 GeV our data are in good agreement with the previous SND and CMD-2 measurements. Data on the e+e- --> omega pi0 cross section are well described by the VMD model with two excited rho-like states. From the measured cross section we have extracted the gamma^* --> omega pi0 transition form factor. It has been found that the VDM model cannot describe simultaneously our data and data obtained from the omega --> pi0 mu+ mu- decay. We have also tested CVC hypothesis comparing our results on the e+e- --> omega pi0 cross section with data on the tau- --> omega pi- nu_{tau} decay.
A study of the charge conjugation and parity ($CP$) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and $\tau$-leptons is presented. The study is based on a measurement of $CP$-sensitive angular observables defined by the visible decay products of $\tau$-lepton decays, where at least one hadronic decay is required. The analysis uses 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton$-$proton collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}= 13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Contributions from $CP$-violating interactions between the Higgs boson and $\tau$-leptons are described by a single mixing angle parameter $\phi_{\tau}$ in the generalised Yukawa interaction. Without assuming the Standard Model hypothesis for the $H\rightarrow\tau\tau$ signal strength, the mixing angle $\phi_{\tau}$ is measured to be $9^{\circ} \pm 16^{\circ}$, with an expected value of $0^{\circ} \pm 28^{\circ}$ at the 68% confidence level. The pure $CP$-odd hypothesis is disfavoured at a level of 3.4 standard deviations. The results are compatible with the predictions for the Higgs boson in the Standard Model.
A direct search for Higgs bosons produced via vector-boson fusion and subsequently decaying into invisible particles is reported. The analysis uses 139 $\text{fb}^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$=13 $\text{TeV}$ recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observed numbers of events are found to be in agreement with the background expectation from Standard Model processes. For a scalar Higgs boson with a mass of 125 $\text{GeV}$ and a Standard Model production cross section, an observed upper limit of $0.145$ is placed on the branching fraction of its decay into invisible particles at 95% confidence level, with an expected limit of $0.103$. These results are interpreted in the context of models where the Higgs boson acts as a portal to dark matter, and limits are set on the scattering cross section of weakly interacting massive particles and nucleons. Invisible decays of additional scalar bosons with masses from 50 $\text{GeV}$ to 2 $\text{TeV}$ are also studied, and the derived upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction decrease with increasing mass from 1.0 $\text{pb}$ for a scalar boson mass of 50 $\text{GeV}$ to 0.1 $\text{pb}$ at a mass of 2 $\text{TeV}$.
$J/\psi$ suppression has long been considered a sensitive signature of the formation of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. In this letter, we present the first measurement of inclusive $J/\psi$ production at mid-rapidity through the dimuon decay channel in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV with the STAR experiment. These measurements became possible after the installation of the Muon Telescope Detector was completed in 2014. The $J/\psi$ yields are measured in a wide transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) range of 0.15 GeV/$c$ to 12 GeV/$c$ from central to peripheral collisions. They extend the kinematic reach of previous measurements at RHIC with improved precision. In the 0-10% most central collisions, the $J/\psi$ yield is suppressed by a factor of approximately 3 for $p_{\rm{T}}>5$ GeV/$c$ relative to that in p+p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The $J/\psi$ nuclear modification factor displays little dependence on $p_{\rm{T}}$ in all centrality bins. Model calculations can qualitatively describe the data, providing further evidence for the color-screening effect experienced by $J/\psi$ mesons in the QGP.
A search for the violation of the charge-parity ($CP$) symmetry in the production of top quarks in association with Z bosons is presented, using events with at least three charged leptons and additional jets. The search is performed in a sample of proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016-2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and in 2022 at 13.6 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 173 fb$^{-1}$. For the first time in this final state, observables that are odd under the $CP$ transformation are employed. Also for the first time, physics-informed machine-learning techniques are used to construct these observables. While for standard model (SM) processes the distributions of these observables are predicted to be symmetric around zero, $CP$-violating modifications of the SM would introduce asymmetries. Two $CP$-odd operators $\mathcal{O}_\text{tW}^\text{I}$ and $\mathcal{O}_\text{tZ}^\text{I}$ in the SM effective field theory are considered that may modify the interactions between top quarks and electroweak bosons. The obtained results are consistent with the SM prediction within two standard deviations, and exclusion limits on the associated Wilson coefficients of $-$2.7 $\lt$$c_\text{tW}^\text{I}$$\lt$ 2.5 and $-$0.2 $\lt$$c_\text{tZ}^\text{I}$$\lt$ 2.0 are set at 95% confidence level. The largest discrepancy is observed in $c_\text{tZ}^\text{I}$ where data is consistent with positive values, with an observed local significance with respect to the SM hypothesis of 2.5 standard deviations, when only linear terms are considered.
We report the first measurements of a complete second-order cumulant matrix of net-charge, net-proton, and net-kaon multiplicity distributions for the first phase of the beam energy scan program at RHIC. This includes the centrality and, for the first time, the pseudorapidity window dependence of both diagonal and off-diagonal cumulants in Au+Au collisions at \sNN~= 7.7-200 GeV. Within the available acceptance of $|\eta|<0.5$, the cumulants grow linearly with the pseudorapidity window. Relative to the corresponding measurements in peripheral collisions, the ratio of off-diagonal over diagonal cumulants in central collisions indicates an excess correlation between net-charge and net-kaon, as well as between net-charge and net-proton. The strength of such excess correlation increases with the collision energy. The correlation between net-proton and net-kaon multiplicity distributions is observed to be negative at \sNN~= 200 GeV and change to positive at the lowest collision energy. Model calculations based on non-thermal (UrQMD) and thermal (HRG) production of hadrons cannot explain the data. These measurements will help map the QCD phase diagram, constrain hadron resonance gas model calculations, and provide new insights on the energy dependence of baryon-strangeness correlations. An erratum has been added to address the issue of self-correlation in the previously considered efficiency correction for off-diagonal cumulant measurement. Previously considered unidentified (net-)charge correlation results ($\sigma^{11}_{Q,p}$ and $\sigma^{11}_{Q,k})$ are now replaced with identified (net-)charge correlation ($\sigma^{11}_{Q^{PID},p}$ and $\sigma^{11}_{Q^{PID},k}$)
The dynamics of the process $ e^+e^- \to \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0 $ is studied in the energy region from 1.15 to 2.00 GeV using data accumulated with the SND detector at the VEPP-2000 $e^+e^-$ collider. The Dalitz plot distribution and $\pi^+\pi^-$ mass spectrum are analyzed in a model including the intermediate states $\rho(770)\pi$, $\rho(1450)\pi$, and $\omega\pi^0$. As a result, the energy dependences of the $\rho(770)\pi$ and $\rho(1450)\pi$ cross sections and the relative phases between the $\rho(770)\pi$ amplitude and the $\rho(1450)\pi $ and $\omega\pi^0$ amplitudes are obtained. The $\rho(1450)\pi$ cross section has a peak in the energy region of the $\omega(1650)$ resonance (1.55-1.75 GeV). In this energy range the contributions of the $\rho(770)\pi$ and $\rho(1450)\pi$ states are of the same order of magnitude. No resonance structure near 1.65 GeV is observed in the $\rho(770)\pi$ cross section. We conclude that the intermediate state $\rho(1450)\pi$ gives a significant contribution to the decay of $\omega (1650)\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$, whereas the $\rho(770)\pi$ mechanism dominates in the decay $\omega(1420)\to\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$.
We have investigated the particle production and fragmentation of nuclei participating in the interactions of 10.6 GeV/n gold nuclei in nuclear emulsions. A new criterion has been found to distinguish between the interactions of these gold nuclei with the light (H,C,N,O) and heavy (Ag, Br) target nuclei in the emulsion. This has allowed separate analyses of the multiplicity and pseudo-rapidity distributions of the singly charged particles emitted in Au-(H,C,N,O) and Au-(Ag,Br) interactions, as well as of the modes of breakup of the projectile and target nuclei. The pseudo-rapidity distributions show strong forward asymmetries, particularly for the interactions with the light nuclei. Heavy target nuclei produce a more severe breakup of the projectile gold nucleus than do the lighter targets. A negative correlation between the number of fragments emitted from the target nuclei and the degree of centrality of the collisions has been observed, which can be attributed to the total destruction of the relatively light target nuclei by these very heavy projectile nuclei.
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