Results are presented on the production of jets of particles in association with a Z/gamma* boson, in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. The analysis includes the full 2010 data set, collected with a low rate of multiple proton-proton collisions in the accelerator, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb^-1. Inclusive jet cross sections in Z/gamma* events, with Z/gamma* decaying into electron or muon pairs, are measured for jets with transverse momentum pT > 30 GeV and jet rapidity |y| < 4.4. The measurements are compared to next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations, and to predictions from different Monte Carlo generators implementing leading-order matrix elements supplemented by parton showers.
A search for the weak production of charginos and neutralinos into final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis uses 2.06 fb^-1 of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV proton-proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with standard model expectations in two signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric and simplified models. For the simplified models, degenerate lightest chargino and next-to-lightest neutralino masses up to 300 GeV are excluded for mass differences from the lightest neutralino up to 300 GeV.
Distributions sensitive to the underlying event in QCD jet events have been measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, based on 37/pb of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Charged-particle mean $p_T$ and densities of all-particle $E_T$ and charged-particle multiplicity and $p_T$ have been measured in regions azimuthally transverse to the hardest jet in each event. These are presented both as one-dimensional distributions and with their mean values as functions of the leading-jet transverse momentum from 20 GeV to 800 GeV. The correlation of charged-particle mean $p_T$ with charged-particle multiplicity is also studied, and the $E_T$ densities include the forward rapidity region; these features provide extra data constraints for Monte Carlo modelling of colour reconnection and beam-remnant effects respectively. For the first time, underlying event observables have been computed separately for inclusive jet and exclusive dijet event selections, allowing more detailed study of the interplay of multiple partonic scattering and QCD radiation contributions to the underlying event. Comparisons to the predictions of different Monte Carlo models show a need for further model tuning, but the standard approach is found to generally reproduce the features of the underlying event in both types of event selection.
This paper presents a measurement of the W^+W^- production cross section in pp collisions at sqrt{s}=7 TeV. The leptonic decay channels are analyzed using data corresponding to an integrated 4.6 fb-1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The W^+W^- production cross section sigma(pp -> W^+W^-+X) is measured to be 51.9 +- 2.0 (stat) +- 3.9 (syst) +- 2.0 (lumi) pb, compatible with the Standard Model prediction of 44.7 +2.1 -1.9 pb. A measurement of the normalized fiducial cross section as a function of the leading lepton transverse momentum is also presented. The reconstructed transverse momentum distribution of the leading lepton is used to extract limits on anomalous WWZ and WWgamma couplings.
The production of W bosons in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV has been analysed for the presence of double-parton interactions using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36/pb, collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The fraction of events arising from double-parton interactions, $f_{DP}^{(D)}$ has been measured through the momentum balance between the two jets and amounts to $f_{DP}^{(D)} = 0.08 \pm 0.01 (stat.) \pm 0.02 (sys.)$ for jets with transverse momentum PT > 20 GeV and rapidity |y|<2.8. This corresponds to a measurement of the effective area parameter for hard double-parton interactions of $\sigma_{eff} = 15 \pm 3 (stat.)^{+5}_{-3}$ (sys.) mb.
This Letter presents the first study of $W^{\pm}W^{\pm}jj$, same-electric-charge diboson production in association with two jets, using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton--proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with two reconstructed same-charge leptons ($e^\pm e^\pm$, $e^\pm \mu^\pm$, and $\mu^\pm \mu^\pm$) and two or more jets are analyzed. Production cross sections are measured in two fiducial regions, with different sensitivities to the electroweak and strong production mechanisms. First evidence for $W^{\pm}W^{\pm}jj$ production and electroweak-only $W^{\pm}W^{\pm}jj$ production is observed with a significance of $4.5$ and $3.6$ standard deviations respectively. The measured production cross sections are in agreement with Standard Model predictions. Limits at 95% confidence level are set on anomalous quartic gauge couplings.
This paper describes a measurement of the $Z/\gamma^*$ boson transverse momentum spectrum using ATLAS proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV at the LHC. The measurement is performed in the $Z/\gamma^* \rightarrow e^+e^-$ and $Z/\gamma^* \rightarrow \mu^+\mu^-$ channels, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb$^{-1}$. Normalized differential cross sections as a function of the $Z/\gamma^*$ boson transverse momentum are measured for transverse momenta up to 800 GeV. The measurement is performed inclusively for $Z/\gamma^*$ rapidities up to 2.4, as well as in three rapidity bins. The channel results are combined, compared to perturbative and resummed QCD calculations and used to constrain the parton shower parameters of Monte Carlo generators.
Additional jet activity in dijet events is measured using $pp$ collisions at ATLAS at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, for jets reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with radius parameter R=0.6. This is done using variables such as the fraction of dijet events without an additional jet in the rapidity interval bounded by the dijet subsystem and correlations between the azimuthal angles of the dijets. They are presented, both with and without a veto on additional jet activity in the rapidity interval, as a function of the mean transverse momentum of the dijets and of the rapidity interval size. The double differential dijet cross section is also measured as a function of the interval size and the azimuthal angle between the dijets. These variables probe differences in the approach to resummation of large logarithms when performing QCD calculations. The data are compared to POWHEG, interfaced to the PYTHIA 8 and HERWIG parton shower generators, as well as to HEJ with and without interfacing it to the ARIADNE parton shower generator. None of the theoretical predictions agree with the data across the full phase-space considered; however, POWHEG+PYTHIA 8 and HEJ+ARIADNE are found to provide the best agreement with the data.These measurements use the full data sample collected with the ATLAS detector in 7 TeV $pp$ collisions at the LHC and correspond to integrated luminosities of 36.1 pb$^-1$ and 4.5 fb$^-1$ for data collected during 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The dynamics of isolated-photon plus jet production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 37 pb-1. Measurements of isolated-photon plus jet bin-averaged cross sections are presented as functions of photon transverse energy, jet transverse momentum and jet rapidity. In addition, the bin-averaged cross sections as functions of the difference between the azimuthal angles of the photon and the jet, the photon--jet invariant mass and the scattering angle in the photon--jet centre-of-mass frame have been measured. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations are compared to the measurements and provide a good description of the data, except for the case of the azimuthal opening angle.
Measurements of differential production cross-sections of a $Z$ boson in association with $b$-jets in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV are reported. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb$^{-1}$ recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Particle-level cross-sections are determined for events with a $Z$ boson decaying into an electron or muon pair, and containing $b$-jets. For events with at least one $b$-jet, the cross-section is presented as a function of the $Z$ boson transverse momentum and rapidity, together with the inclusive $b$-jet cross-section as a function of $b$-jet transverse momentum, rapidity and angular separations between the $b$-jet and the $Z$ boson. For events with at least two $b$-jets, the cross-section is determined as a function of the invariant mass and angular separation of the two highest transverse momentum $b$-jets, and as a function of the $Z$ boson transverse momentum and rapidity. Results are compared to leading-order and next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations.