The ALICE measurement of K$^0_{\rm S}$ and $\rm\Lambda$ production at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV is presented. The transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the $p_{\rm T}$ range from 0.4 GeV/$c$ (0.6 GeV/$c$ for $\rm\Lambda$) to 12 GeV/$c$. The $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\rm \Lambda$/K$^0_{\rm S}$ ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/$c$, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher $p_{\rm T}$ with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ is not observed in pp interactions at sqrt(s) = 0.9 TeV and at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. Qualitatively, the baryon enhancement in heavy-ion collisions is expected from radial flow. However, the measured $p_{\rm T}$ spectra above 2 GeV/$c$ progressively decouple from hydrodynamical-model calculations. For higher values of $p_{\rm T}$, models that incorporate the influence of the medium on the fragmentation and hadronization processes describe qualitatively the $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the $\rm\Lambda$/K$^0_{\rm S}$ ratio.
A search for nonresonant new physics phenomena in high-mass dilepton events produced in association with b-tagged jets is performed using proton-proton collision data collected in 2016$-$2018 by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis considers two effective field theory models with dimension-six operators; involving four-fermion contact interactions between two leptons ($\ell\ell$, electrons or muons) and b or s quarks (bb$\ell\ell$ and bs$\ell\ell$). Two lepton flavor combinations (ee and $μμ$) are required and events are classified as having 0, 1, and $\geq$2 b-tagged jets in the final state. No significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set on the production cross section of the new physics signals. These translate into lower limits on the energy scale $Λ$ of 6.9 to 9.0 TeV in the bb$\ell\ell$ model, depending on model parameters, and on the ratio of energy scale and effective coupling, $Λ/g_*$, of 2.0 to 2.6 TeV in the bs$\ell\ell$ model. The latter represent the most stringent limits on this model to date. Lepton flavor universality is also tested by comparing the dielectron and dimuon mass spectra for different b-tagged jet multiplicities. No significant deviation from the standard model expectation of unity is observed.
A search for heavy charged long-lived particles is performed using a data sample of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The search is based on observables related to ionization energy loss and time of flight, which are sensitive to the velocity of heavy charged particles traveling significantly slower than the speed of light. Multiple search strategies for a wide range of lifetimes, corresponding to path lengths of a few meters, are defined as model-independently as possible, by referencing several representative physics cases that yield long-lived particles within supersymmetric models, such as gluinos/squarks ($R$-hadrons), charginos and staus. No significant deviations from the expected Standard Model background are observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are provided on the production cross sections of long-lived $R$-hadrons as well as directly pair-produced staus and charginos. These results translate into lower limits on the masses of long-lived gluino, sbottom and stop $R$-hadrons, as well as staus and charginos of 2000 GeV, 1250 GeV, 1340 GeV, 430 GeV and 1090 GeV, respectively.
A search for production of the supersymmetric partners of the top quark, top squarks, is presented. The search is based on proton-proton collision events containing multiple jets, no leptons, and large transverse momentum imbalance. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$. The targeted signal production scenarios are direct and gluino-mediated top squark production, including scenarios in which the top squark and neutralino masses are nearly degenerate. The search utilizes novel algorithms based on deep neural networks that identify hadronically decaying top quarks and W bosons, which are expected in many of the targeted signal models. No statistically significant excess of events is observed relative to the expectation from the standard model, and limits on the top squark production cross section are obtained in the context of simplified supersymmetric models for various production and decay modes. Exclusion limits as high as 1310 GeV are established at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the top squark for direct top squark production models, and as high as 2260 GeV on the mass of the gluino for gluino-mediated top squark production models. These results represent a significant improvement over the results of previous searches for supersymmetry by CMS in the same final state.
The results of a search for the stop, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, in final states with one isolated electron or muon, jets, and missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses the 2015 LHC $pp$ collision data at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb${}^{-1}$. The analysis targets two types of signal models: gluino-mediated pair production of stops with a nearly mass-degenerate stop and neutralino; and direct pair production of stops, decaying to the top quark and the lightest neutralino. The experimental signature in both signal scenarios is similar to that of a top quark pair produced in association with large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits on gluino and stop masses are set at 95% confidence level. The results extend the LHC Run-1 exclusion limit on the gluino mass up to 1460 GeV in the gluino-mediated scenario in the high gluino and low stop mass region, and add an excluded stop mass region from 745 to 780 GeV for the direct stop model with a massless lightest neutralino. The results are also reinterpreted to set exclusion limits in a model of vector-like top quarks.
Interactions between jets and the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy ion collisions are studied via the angular distributions of summed charged-particle transverse momenta (pt) with respect to both the leading and subleading jet axes in high-pt dijet events. The contributions of charged particles in different momentum ranges to the overall event pt balance are decomposed into short-range jet peaks and a long-range azimuthal asymmetry in charged-particle pt. The results for PbPb collisions are compared to those in pp collisions using data collected in 2011 and 2013, at collision energy sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV with integrated luminosities of 166 inverse microbarns and 5.3 inverse picobarns, respectively, by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Measurements are presented as functions of PbPb collision centrality, charged-particle pt, relative azimuth, and radial distance from the jet axis for balanced and unbalanced dijets.
This paper presents a measurement of jet fragmentation functions in 0.49 nb$^{-1}$ of Pb+Pb collisions and 25 pb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV collected in 2015 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. These measurements provide insight into the jet quenching process in the quark-gluon plasma created in the aftermath of ultra-relativistic collisions between two nuclei. The modifications to the jet fragmentation functions are quantified by dividing the measurements in Pb+Pb collisions by baseline measurements in $pp$ collisions. This ratio is studied as a function of the transverse momentum of the jet, the jet rapidity, and the centrality of the collision. In both collision systems, the jet fragmentation functions are measured for jets with transverse momentum between 126 GeV and 398 GeV and with an absolute value of jet rapidity less than 2.1. An enhancement of particles carrying a small fraction of the jet momentum is observed, which increases with centrality and with increasing jet transverse momentum. Yields of particles carrying a very large fraction of the jet momentum are also observed to be enhanced. Between these two enhancements of the fragmentation functions a suppression of particles carrying an intermediate fraction of the jet momentum is observed in Pb+Pb collisions. A small dependence of the modifications on jet rapidity is observed.
This paper reports the measurement of J/psi meson production in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The data samples used in the analysis correspond to integrated luminosities of 28 inverse picobarns and 35 inverse nanobarns for pp and pPb collisions, respectively. Prompt and nonprompt J/psi mesons, the latter produced from the decay of B mesons, are measured in their dimuon decay channels. Differential cross sections are measured in the transverse momentum range of 2 < pt < 30 GeV/c, and center-of-mass rapidity ranges of abs(y[CM]) < 2.4 (pp) and -2.87 < y[CM] < 1.93 (pPb). The nuclear modification factor, R[pPb], is measured as functions of both pt and y[CM]. Small modifications of the J/psi cross sections are observed in pPb relative to pp collisions. The ratio of J/psi production cross sections in p-going and Pb-going directions, R[FB], studied as functions of pt and y[CM], shows a significant decrease for increasing transverse energy deposited at large pseudorapidities. These results, which cover a wide kinematic range, provide new insight on the role of cold nuclear matter effects on prompt and nonprompt J/psi production.
The total charm-quark production cross section per unit of rapidity $\mathrm{d}\sigma({\rm c\overline{c}})/\mathrm{d}y$, and the fragmentation fractions of charm quarks to different charm-hadron species $f(\mathrm{c}\rightarrow {\rm h_{c}})$, are measured for the first time in p$-$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV at midrapidity ($-0.96<y<0.04$ in the centre-of-mass frame) using data collected by ALICE at the CERN LHC. The results are obtained based on all the available measurements of prompt production of ground-state charm-hadron species: $\mathrm{D}^{0}$, $\mathrm{D}^{+}$, $\mathrm{D}_\mathrm{s}^{+}$, and $\mathrm{J/\psi}$ mesons, and $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^{+}$ and $\Xi_{\rm c}^{0}$ baryons. The resulting cross section is $\mathrm{d}\sigma({\rm c\overline{c}})/\mathrm{d}y =219.6 \pm 6.3\;(\mathrm{stat.}) {\;}_{-11.8}^{+10.5}\;(\mathrm{syst.}) {\;}_{-2.9}^{+8.3}\;(\mathrm{extr.})\pm 5.4\;(\mathrm{BR})\pm 4.6\;(\mathrm{lumi.}) \pm 19.5\;(\text{rapidity shape})+15.0\;(\Omega_{\rm c}^{0})$ mb, which is consistent with a binary scaling of pQCD calculations from pp collisions. The measured fragmentation fractions are compatible with those measured in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$ and $13$ TeV, showing an increase in the relative production rates of charm baryons with respect to charm mesons in pp and p$-$Pb collisions compared with $\mathrm{e^{+}e^{-}}$ and $\mathrm{e^{-}p}$ collisions. The $p_\mathrm{T}$-integrated nuclear modification factor of charm quarks, $R_\mathrm{pPb}({\rm c\overline{c}})= 0.91 \pm 0.04\;{\rm (stat.)}{}^{+0.08}_{-0.09}\;{\rm (syst.)}{}^{+0.05}_{-0.03}\;{\rm (extr.)}{}\pm 0.03\;{\rm (lumi.)}$, is found to be consistent with unity and with theoretical predictions including nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions.
A search for signatures of a dark analog to quantum chromodynamics is performed. The analysis targets long-lived dark mesons that decay into standard-model particles, with a high branching fraction of the dark mesons decaying into muons. The dark mesons are formed by the hadronisation of dark partons, which are produced by a decay of the Higgs boson. The search is performed using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.6 fb$^{-1}$, which was collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2018 using non-prompt muon triggers. The search is based on resonant muon pair signatures. Machine-learning techniques are employed in the analysis, utilising boosted decision trees to discriminate between signal and background. No significant excess is observed above the standard model expectation. Upper limits on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decaying to dark partons are determined to be as low as 10$^{-4}$ at 95% confidence level, surpassing and extending the existing limits on models with dark $\tildeω$ mesons for mean proper decay lengths of less than 500 mm and for $\tildeω$ masses down to 0.3 GeV. First limits are set for extended dark-shower models with two dark flavours that contain dark photons, probing their masses down to 0.33 GeV.
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