Measurements of fiducial cross sections for the electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z-boson are presented. The measurements are performed using 20.3 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=8 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The electroweak component is extracted by a fit to the dijet invariant mass distribution in a fiducial region chosen to enhance the electroweak contribution over the dominant background in which the jets are produced via the strong interaction. The electroweak cross sections measured in two fiducial regions are in good agreement with the Standard Model expectations and the background-only hypothesis is rejected with significance above the 5 sigma level. The electroweak process includes the vector boson fusion production of a Z-boson and the data are used to place limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings. In addition, measurements of cross sections and differential distributions for inclusive Z-boson-plus-dijet production are performed in five fiducial regions, each with different sensitivity to the electroweak contribution. The results are corrected for detector effects and compared to predictions from the SHERPA and POWHEG event generators.
Unfolded normalised differential Z+2j cross section as a function of dijet invariant mass in the baseline region.
Unfolded normalised differential Z+2j cross section as a function of dijet invariant mass in the search region.
Unfolded normalised differential Z+2j cross section as a function of the rapidity separation between the leading jets in the baseline region.
This Letter presents a search for quantum black-hole production using 20.3 inverse fb of data collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at the LHC at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The quantum black holes are assumed to decay into a lepton (electron or muon) and a jet. In either channel, no event with a lepton-jet invariant mass of 3.5 TeV or more is observed, consistent with the expected background. Limits are set on the product of cross sections and branching fractions for the lepton+jet final states of quantum black holes produced in a search region for invariant masses above 1 TeV. The combined 95% confidence level upper limit on this product for quantum black holes with threshold mass above 3.5 TeV is 0.18 fb. This limit constrains the threshold quantum black-hole mass to be above 5.3 TeV in the model considered.
The combined 95% CL upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction (SIG*BR) for Quantum Black Holes decaying to a lepton and jet, as a function of the threshold mass, Mth.
Numbers of observed events and expected background events for electron+jet channel, along with acceptance (A), experimental efficiency (EPSILON), cumulative efficiency (A*EPSILON), total cross section (SIG*BR) and 95% CL observed upper limit, for various values of the threshold mass, Mth. The leading order cross sections have a statistical precision of the order of 1%. The uncertainties on the predicted background include both statistical and systematic components. Acceptance is calculated using generator-level quantities by imposing selection criteria that apply directly to phase space (electron/jet eta, electron/jet pT, Delta(eta), Delta(phi), <eta>, and Minv). All other selections, which in general correspond to event and object quality criteria, are used to calculate the efficiency on the events included in the acceptance. The cumulative signal efficiency is the product of the acceptance and experimental efficiency.
Numbers of observed events and expected background events for muon+jet channel, along with acceptance (A), experimental efficiency (EPSILON), cumulative efficiency (A*EPSILON), total cross section (SIG*BR) and 95% CL observed upper limit, for various values of the threshold mass, Mth. The leading order cross sections have a statistical precision of the order of 1%. The uncertainties on the predicted background include both statistical and systematic components. Acceptance is calculated using generator-level quantities by imposing selection criteria that apply directly to phase space (muon/jet eta, muon/jet pT, Delta(eta), Delta(phi), <eta>, and Minv). All other selections, which in general correspond to event and object quality criteria, are used to calculate the efficiency on the events included in the acceptance. The cumulative signal efficiency is the product of the acceptance and experimental efficiency.
A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three leptons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 20.3 fb-1 of sqrt(s) = 8 TeV proton--proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with the Standard Model expectations and limits are set in R-parity-conserving phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Models and in simplified supersymmetric models, significantly extending previous results. For simplified supersymmetric models of direct chargino ($\tilde\chi^\pm_1$) and next-to-lightest neutralino ($\tilde{\chi}_2^0$) production with decays to lightest neutralino ($\tilde{\chi}_1^0$) via either all three generations of sleptons, staus only, gauge bosons, or Higgs bosons, $\tilde\chi^\pm_1$ and $\tilde{\chi}_2^0$ masses are excluded up to 700 GeV, 380 GeV, 345 GeV, or 148 GeV respectively, for a massless $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$.
Number of expected and observed events in the validation region VR0taub.
For events in the low-ETmiss validation region, the MT distribution in VR0taunoZa.
For events in the low-ETmiss validation region, the MT distribution in VR0tauZa.
A search is presented for direct top-squark pair production in final states with two leptons (electrons or muons) of opposite charge using 20.3fb-1 of pp collision data at sqrt(s)=8TeV, collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. No excess over the Standard Model expectation is found. The results are interpreted under the separate assumptions (i) that the top squark decays to a b-quark in addition to an on-shell chargino whose decay occurs via a real or virtual W boson, or (ii) that the top squark decays to a t-quark and the lightest neutralino. A top squark with a mass between 150 GeV and 445 GeV decaying to a b-quark and an on-shell chargino is excluded at 95% confidence level for a top squark mass equal to the chargino mass plus 10 GeV, in the case of a 1 GeV lightest neutralino. Top squarks with masses between 215 (90) GeV and 530 (170) GeV decaying to an on-shell (off-shell) t-quark and a neutralino are excluded at 95% confidence level for a 1 GeV neutralino.
Distribution of mT2 for events passing all the signal candidate selection requirements, except that on mT2 of the L90 and L120 selections, for SF events.
Distribution of mT2 for events passing all the signal candidate selection requirements, except that on mT2 of the L90 and L120 selections, for DF events.
Distribution of mT2 for events passing all the signal candidate selection requirements, except that on mT2 of the L100 selection, for SF events.
A search is presented for production of dark matter particles recoiling against a leptonically decaying Z boson in 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with large missing transverse momentum and two oppositely-charged electrons or muons consistent with the decay of a Z boson are analyzed. No excess above the Standard Model prediction is observed. Limits are set on the mass scale of the contact interaction as a function of the dark matter particle mass using an effective field theory description of the interaction of dark matter with quarks or with Z bosons. Limits are also set on the coupling and mediator mass of a model in which the interaction is mediated by a scalar particle.
Summary of the systematic uncertainties for the largest background process (ZZ->llnunu). Statistical uncertaintes are from MC simulation sample size.
Observed yields and expected SM backgrounds in each signal region. Statistical, systematic, and luminosity uncertainteis are added in quadrature to give the total background estimate and uncertainties.
The observed and expected upper limits on the fiducial cross section at 95% C.L. for each signal region.
The differential cross-section for pair production of top quarks with high transverse momentum is measured in 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The measurement is performed for $t\bar{t}$ events in the lepton+jets channel. The cross-section is reported as a function of the hadronically decaying top quark transverse momentum for values above 300 GeV. The hadronically decaying top quark is reconstructed as an anti-$k_t$ jet with radius parameter $R=1.0$ and identified with jet substructure techniques. The observed yield is corrected for detector effects to obtain a cross-section at particle level in a fiducial region close to the event selection. A parton-level cross-section extrapolated to the full phase space is also reported for top quarks with transverse momentum above 300 GeV. The predictions of a majority of next-to-leading-order and leading-order matrix-element Monte Carlo generators are found to agree with the measured cross-sections.
Fiducial particle-level differential cross-section, with statistical and systematic uncertainties, as a function of the top-jet candidate p_T.
Parton-level differential cross-section, with statistical and systematic uncertainties, as a function of the hadronically decaying top quark p_T.
The individual systematic uncertainties calculated as a percentage of the particle-level differential cross-section $d\sigma_{tt} / d p_{T,ptcl}$ in each bin. Variations on the two sides ("UP" and "DOWN") are separately quoted with their respective signs. Uncertainties smaller than 0.1% are neglected.
The four-lepton ($4\ell$, $\ell = e, \mu$) production cross section is measured in the mass range from 80 to 1000 GeV using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of data in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The $4\ell$ events are produced in the decays of resonant $Z$ and Higgs bosons and the non-resonant $ZZ$ continuum originating from $q\bar q$, $gg$, and $qg$ initial states. A total of 476 signal candidate events are observed with a background expectation of $26.2 \pm 3.6$ events, enabling the measurement of the integrated cross section and the differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass and transverse momentum of the four-lepton system. In the mass range above $180$ GeV, assuming the theoretical constraint on the $q\bar q$ production cross section calculated with perturbative NNLO QCD and NLO electroweak corrections, the signal strength of the gluon-fusion component relative to its leading-order prediction is determined to be $\mu_{gg}=2.4 \pm 1.0 (stat.) \pm 0.5 (syst.)\pm 0.8 (theory)$.
The measured differential cross-section distributions in unit of fb/TeV of $m_{4\ell}$ unfolded into the fiducial phase space, and compared to theory predictions. The first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic uncertainties.
The measured differential cross-section distributions in unit of fb/TeV of $p_{T}^{4\ell}$ unfolded into the fiducial phase space, and compared to theory predictions. The first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic uncertainties.
Measured cross sections in the fiducial phase space ($\sigma^\mathrm{fid}$) and extended phase space ($\sigma^\mathrm{ext}$), compared to their SM predictions. One should note that the non-resonant $gg$-induced signal cross section is only calculated at LO approximation.
This Letter reports evidence of triple gauge boson production $pp\to W(\ell\nu)\gamma\gamma + X$, which is accessible for the first time with the 8 TeV LHC data set. The fiducial cross section for this process is measured in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$, collected by the ATLAS detector in 2012. Events are selected using the $W$ boson decay to $e\nu$ or $\mu\nu$ as well as requiring two isolated photons. The measured cross section is used to set limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in the high diphoton mass region.
The measured inclusive ($N_{jet}\geq$ 0) fiducial cross section in the e$\nu\gamma\gamma$, $\mu\nu\gamma\gamma$ channels together with the combined $\ell\nu\gamma\gamma$ cross section. The first uncertainty shown is the statistical uncertainty on the measurement, the second one is the total systematic uncertainty (excluding the term coming from the luminosity), the third one is the systematic uncertainty coming from the luminosity. A parton to particle correction factors of 0.99 is applied to the MCFM prediction.
The measured exclusive ($N_{jet}$ = 0) fiducial cross section in the e$\nu\gamma\gamma$, $\mu\nu\gamma\gamma$ channels together with the combined $\ell\nu\gamma\gamma$ cross section. The first uncertainty shown is the statistical uncertainty on the measurement, the second one is the total systematic uncertainty (excluding the term coming from the luminosity), the third one is the systematic uncertainty coming from the luminosity. A parton to particle correction factor of 0.87 is applied to the MCFM prediction.
Observed and expected 95\% CL limits obtained for the $f_{\mathrm{T0}}/\Lambda^4$, $f_{\mathrm{M2}}/\Lambda^4$ and $f_{\mathrm{M3}}/\Lambda^4$ aQGC parameters for the combination of the two channels. The values of $n = 0,\,1,\,2$ are the exponential choices of the form factor, $\Lambda_{\rm{FF}}$ is fixed to $600$ GeV for $f_{\mathrm{T0}}/\Lambda^4$ and to $500$ GeV for the other parameters. The $n=0$ choice produces the limits without the form factor applied.
Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured $H \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ and $H \rightarrow ZZ ^{*}\rightarrow 4\ell$ event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be $\sigma_{pp \to H} = 33.0 \pm 5.3 \, ({\rm stat}) \pm 1.6 \, ({\rm sys}) \mathrm{pb}$. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions.
Measured cross section in bins of $p_{\rm{T}}^{\rm{H}}$.
Measured cross section in bins of $|y^{\rm{H}}|$.
Measured cross section in bins of $N_{\rm{jets}}$.
A generic search for anomalous production of events with at least three charged leptons is presented. The data sample consists of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV collected in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$. Events are required to have at least three selected lepton candidates, at least two of which must be electrons or muons, while the third may be a hadronically decaying tau. Selected events are categorized based on their lepton flavour content and signal regions are constructed using several kinematic variables of interest. No significant deviations from Standard Model predictions are observed. Model-independent upper limits on contributions from beyond the Standard Model phenomena are provided for each signal region, along with prescription to re-interpret the limits for any model. Constraints are also placed on models predicting doubly charged Higgs bosons and excited leptons. For doubly charged Higgs bosons decaying to $e\tau$ or $\mu\tau$, lower limits on the mass are set at 400 GeV at 95% confidence level. For excited leptons, constraints are provided as functions of both the mass of the excited state and the compositeness scale $\Lambda$, with the strongest mass constraints arising in regions where the mass equals $\Lambda$. In such scenarios, lower mass limits are set at 3.0 TeV for excited electrons and muons, 2.5 TeV for excited taus, and 1.6 TeV for every excited-neutrino flavour.
Expected and observed event yields for the most inclusive signal regions.
Expected and observed limits on $\sigma_{95}^{\mathrm{vis}}$ for inclusive signal regions, along with confidence intervals of one and two standard deviations on the expected limits.
The fiducial efficiency for electrons, muons, and taus in different $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ ranges ($\epsilon_{\mathrm{fid}}(p_{\mathrm{T}})$). For electrons and muons from tau decays, the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ is that of the electron or muon, not the tau. The uncertainties shown reflect the statistical uncertainties of the simulated samples only. UPDATE (18 MAY 2015): Updated fiducial lepton efficiencies.
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