A measurement of the $ZZ$ production in the $\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\ell^{\prime -}\ell^{\prime +}$ and $\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ channels $(\ell = e, \mu)$ in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2012 is presented. The fiducial cross sections for $ZZ\to\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\ell^{\prime -}\ell^{\prime +}$ and $ZZ\to \ell^{-}\ell^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ are measured in selected phase-space regions. The total cross section for $ZZ$ events produced with both $Z$ bosons in the mass range 66 to 116 GeV is measured from the combination of the two channels to be $7.3\pm0.4\textrm{(stat)}\pm0.3\textrm{(syst)}\pm0.2\textrm{(lumi)}$ pb, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction of $6.6^{+0.7}_{-0.6}$ pb. The differential cross sections in bins of various kinematic variables are presented. The differential event yield as a function of the transverse momentum of the leading $Z$ boson is used to set limits on anomalous neutral triple gauge boson couplings in $ZZ$ production.
A measurement of the $B^0_s \to J/\psi\phi$ decay parameters using 80.5 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the ATLAS detector from 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC is presented. The measured parameters include the $CP$-violating phase $\phi_s$, the width difference $\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ between the $B^0_s$ meson mass eigenstates and the average decay width $\Gamma_{s}$. The values measured for the physical parameters are combined with those from 19.2 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of 7 TeV and 8 TeV data, leading to the following: \begin{eqnarray*} \phi_s & = & -0.087\phantom{0} \pm 0.036\phantom{0} ~\mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.021\phantom{0} ~\mathrm{(syst.)~rad} \\ \Delta\Gamma_{s} & = & \phantom{-}0.0657 \pm 0.0043 ~\mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.0037 ~\mathrm{(syst.)~ps}^{-1} \\ \Gamma_{s} & = & \phantom{-}0.6703 \pm 0.0014 ~\mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.0018 ~\mathrm{(syst.)~ps}^{-1} \\ \end{eqnarray*} Results for $\phi_s$ and $\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ are also presented as 68% confidence level contours in the $\phi_s$-$\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ plane. Furthermore, the transversity amplitudes and corresponding strong phases are measured. $\phi_s$ and $\Delta\Gamma_{s}$ measurements are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.
The observation of the standard model (SM) Higgs boson decay to a pair of bottom quarks is presented. The main contribution to this result is from processes in which Higgs bosons are produced in association with a W or Z boson (VH), and are searched for in final states including 0, 1, or 2 charged leptons and two identified bottom quark jets. The results from the measurement of these processes in a data sample recorded by the CMS experiment in 2017, comprising 41.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, are described. When combined with previous VH measurements using data collected at $\sqrt{s}=$ 7, 8, and 13 TeV, an excess of events is observed at $m_\mathrm{H} =$ 125.09 GeV with a significance of 4.8 standard deviations, where the expectation for the SM Higgs boson is 4.9. The corresponding measured signal strength is 1.01 $\pm$ 0.22. The combination of this result with searches by the CMS experiment for H $\to\mathrm{b\overline{b}}$ in other production processes yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.6 (5.5) standard deviations and a signal strength of 1.04 $\pm$ 0.20.
A search for strongly produced supersymmetric particles using signatures involving multiple energetic jets and either two isolated same-sign leptons ($e$ or $\mu$), or at least three isolated leptons, is presented. The analysis relies on the identification of $b$-jets and high missing transverse momentum to achieve good sensitivity. A data sample of proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 13$ TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$, is used for the search. No significant excess over the Standard Model prediction is observed. The results are interpreted in several simplified supersymmetric models featuring $R$-parity conservation or $R$-parity violation, extending the exclusion limits from previous searches. In models considering gluino pair production, gluino masses are excluded up to 1.87 TeV at 95% confidence level. When bottom squarks are pair-produced and decay to a chargino and a top quark, models with bottom squark masses below 700 GeV and light neutralinos are excluded at 95% confidence level. In addition, model-independent limits are set on a possible contribution of new phenomena to the signal region yields.
The WZ production cross section is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV using data collected with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The inclusive cross section is measured to be $\sigma_{\text{tot}}$(pp $\to$ WZ$)$ = 48.09 $^{+1.00}_{-0.96}$ (stat) $^{+0.44}_{-0.37}$ (theo) $^{+2.39}_{-2.17}$ (syst) $\pm$ 1.39 (lumi) pb, resulting in a total uncertainty of $-$2.78/$+$2.98 pb. Fiducial cross section and ratios of charge-dependent cross section measurements are provided. Differential cross section measurements are also presented with respect to three variables: the Z boson transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$, the leading jet $p_\mathrm{T}$, and the $m$(WZ) variable, defined as the invariant mass of the system composed of the three leptons and the missing transverse momentum. Differential measurements with respect to the W boson $p_\mathrm{T}$, separated by charge, are also shown. Results are consistent with standard model predictions, favouring next-to-next-to-leading-order predictions over those at next-to-leading order. Constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings are derived via a binned maximum likelihood fit to the $m$(WZ) variable.
Neutron angular distributions from the charge-exchange (π0n) and inelastic modes (π0π0n,π+π−n) of the π−−p interaction have been investigated at 313 and 371 MeV incident-pion kinetic energy. The data were obtained with an electronic counter system. Elastic and inelastic neutrons were separated in the all-neutral final states by time of flight. At both energies the charge-exchange differential cross section at the forward neutron angles differs from that determined by Caris et al. from measurements of the π0-decay gamma distributions, but generally agrees with the phase-shift-analysis calculations of Roper. The distribution of inelastic neutrons from both modes shows a strong preference for low center-of-mass neutron energies. The distribution of these neutrons does not correspond to that expected from the I=0, π−π interaction (ABC effect) suggested to account for the anomaly in p−d collisions observed by Abashian et al. Finally, all available charge-exchange differential-cross-section data from this and other experiments were combined by at least-squares fit to a Legendre expansion of the form dσdΩ*(cosθπ0*)=Σl=0NalPl(cosθπ0*) with the following results (in mb/sr):
Semi-inclusive triple differential multiplicity distributions of positively charged kaons have been measured over a wide range in rapidity and transverse mass for central collisions of $^{58}$Ni with $^{58}$Ni nuclei. The transverse mass ($m_t$) spectra have been studied as a function of rapidity at a beam energy 1.93 AGeV. The $m_t$ distributions of K^+ mesons are well described by a single Boltzmann-type function. The spectral slopes are similar to that of the protons indicating that rescattering plays a significant role in the propagation of the kaon. Multiplicity densities have been obtained as a function of rapidity by extrapolating the Boltzmann-type fits to the measured distributions over the remaining phase space. The total K^+ meson yield has been determined at beam energies of 1.06, 1.45, and 1.93 AGeV, and is presented in comparison to existing data. The low total yield indicates that the K^+ meson can not be explained within a hadro-chemical equilibrium scenario, therefore indicating that the yield does remain sensitive to effects related to its production processes such as the equation of state of nuclear matter and/or modifications to the K^+ dispersion relation.
We present data on proton-proton collisions, obtained at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings, in which two roughly back-to-back π 0 's of high transverse momentum ( p T ) were produced. The angular distribution of the dipion axis relative to the collision axis is found to be independent of both the effective mass m of the dipion system and the centre-of-mass energy √ s of the proton-proton collision. The cross-sections d σ d m at the values of √ s satisfy a scaling law of the form d σ d m = G(x) m n , where x = m(π 0 , π 0 )//trs and n = 6.5 ± 0.5 . We show from our data that the leading π 0 carries most of the momentum of the scattered parton. Given this fact, the axis of the dipion system follows closely the direction of the scattered constituents, and we exploit this to determine the angular dependence of the hard-scattering subprocess. We also compare our data with the lowest order QCD predictions using structure functions as determined in deep-inelastic scattering and fragmentation functions from electron-positron annihilation.
The exclusive photoproduction of J/psi mesons, gamma p->J/psi p, has been studied in ep collisions with the ZEUS detector at HERA, in the kinematic range 20<W<290 GeV, where W is the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy. The J/psi mesons were reconstructed in the muon and the electron decay channels using integrated luminosities of 38 pb^-1 and 55 pb^-1, respectively. The helicity structure of J/psi production shows that the hypothesis of s-channel helicity conservation is satisfied at the two standard-deviation level. The total cross section and the differential cross-section dsigma/dt, where t is the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex, are presented as a function of W, for |t|<1.8 GeV^2. The t distribution exhibits an exponential shape with a slope parameter increasing logarithmically with W with a value b=4.15 \pm 0.05 (stat.)^{+0.30}_{-0.18} (syst.) GeV^-2 at W=90 GeV. The effective parameters of the Pomeron trajectory are alphapom(0) = 1.200 \pm 0.009(stat.)^{+0.004}_{-0.010}(syst.) and alphappom= 0.115 \pm 0.018(stat.)^{+0.008}_{-0.015}(syst.) GeV^-2.
The inclusive production of ρ0 mesons was measured in γp andh±p collisions at beam energies of 65 GeV≦Eγ≦175 GeV andEh=80, 140 GeV, respectively, whereh is π orK. Cross sections were determined for all beams and energies as functions ofxF (−0.1≦xF≦1.0),pT (0≦pT≦3.5 GeV/c) and the polar decay angle of the ρ0 by fitting the ρ0 signal in π+π- mass distributions. The ρ0 line shape is found to be distorted from a pure Breit-Wigner distribution throughout most of thexF−pT plane for both photon and hadron beams and a simple explanation is suggested. Throughout the paper emphasis is put on the comparison of photon and hadron beam data. The comparison of cross sections of γp andhp data provides a measure of the Vector Meson Dominance factor throughout thexF−pT range of the ρ0. The ρ0 production at lowpT can be described for both photon and hadron beams by a triple regge model at largexF. Similarly central production is well described by the quark-antiquark fusion model. At largepT there is an excess of ρ0 photoproduction which is consistent with the expected onset of pointlike photon interactions.
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