We report on the measurement of the Central Exclusive Production of charged particle pairs $h^{+}h^{-}$ ($h = \pi, K, p$) with the STAR detector at RHIC in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV. The charged particle pairs produced in the reaction $pp\to p^\prime+h^{+}h^{-}+p^\prime$ are reconstructed from the tracks in the central detector, while the forward-scattered protons are measured in the Roman Pot system. Differential cross sections are measured in the fiducial region, which roughly corresponds to the square of the four-momentum transfers at the proton vertices in the range $0.04~\mbox{GeV}^2 < -t_1 , -t_2 < 0.2~\mbox{GeV}^2$, invariant masses of the charged particle pairs up to a few GeV and pseudorapidities of the centrally-produced hadrons in the range $|\eta|<0.7$. The measured cross sections are compared to phenomenological predictions based on the Double Pomeron Exchange (DPE) model. Structures observed in the mass spectra of $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ and $K^{+}K^{-}$ pairs are consistent with the DPE model, while angular distributions of pions suggest a dominant spin-0 contribution to $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ production. The fiducial $\pi^+\pi^-$ cross section is extrapolated to the Lorentz-invariant region, which allows decomposition of the invariant mass spectrum into continuum and resonant contributions. The extrapolated cross section is well described by the continuum production and at least three resonances, the $f_0(980)$, $f_2(1270)$ and $f_0(1500)$, with a possible small contribution from the $f_0(1370)$. Fits to the extrapolated differential cross section as a function of $t_1$ and $t_2$ enable extraction of the exponential slope parameters in several bins of the invariant mass of $\pi^+\pi^-$ pairs. These parameters are sensitive to the size of the interaction region.

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The production of $W$ and $Z$ bosons in association with jets is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 fb$^{-1}$. The $W$ boson is identified using its decay to a muon and a neutrino, while the $Z$ boson is identified through its decay to a muon pair. Total cross-sections are measured and combined into charge ratios, asymmetries, and ratios of $W+$jet and $Z$+jet production cross-sections. Differential measurements are also performed as a function of both boson and jet kinematic variables. All results are in agreement with Standard Model predictions.

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.

The production of Kshort and Lambda hadrons is studied in inelastic pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 0.9 and 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a minimum-bias trigger. The observed distributions of transverse momentum, rapidity, and multiplicity are corrected to hadron level in a model-independent way within well defined phase-space regions. The distribution of the production ratio of Lambdabar to Lambda baryons is also measured. The results are compared with various Monte Carlo simulation models. Although most of these models agree with data to within 15% in the Kshort distributions, substantial disagreements with data are found in the Lambda distributions of transverse momentum.

A study of the associated production of a Z boson and a charm quark jet (Z + c), and a comparison to production with a b quark jet (Z + b), in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV are presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The Z boson candidates are identified through their decays into pairs of electrons or muons. Jets originating from heavy flavour quarks are identified using semileptonic decays of c or b flavoured hadrons and hadronic decays of charm hadrons. The measurements are performed in the kinematic region with two leptons with $p_{\rm T}^{\ell} > $ 20 GeV, ${|\eta^{\ell}|} < $ 2.1, 71 $ < m_{\ell\ell} < $ 111 GeV, and heavy flavour jets with $p_{\rm T}^{{\rm jet}} > $ 25 GeV and ${|\eta^{{\rm jet}}|} < $ 2.5. The Z + c production cross section is measured to be $\sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{c} + \mathrm{X}) {\cal B}(\mathrm{Z} \rightarrow \ell^+\ell^-) = $ 8.8 $ \pm $ 0.5 (stat) $ \pm $ 0.6 (syst) pb. The ratio of the Z + c and Z + b production cross sections is measured to be $\sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{c} + \mathrm{X}) / \sigma({\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}} \rightarrow \mathrm{Z} + \mathrm{b} + \mathrm{X}) = $ 2.0 $ \pm $ 0.2 (stat) $ \pm $ 0.2 (syst). The Z + c production cross section and the cross section ratio are also measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the Z boson and of the heavy flavour jet. The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions.

This paper describes a measurement of the flavour composition of dijet events produced in pp collisions at sqrt{s}=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector. The measurement uses the full 2010 data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 39 pb^-1. Six possible combinations of light, charm and bottom jets are identified in the dijet events, where the jet flavour is defined by the presence of bottom, charm or solely light flavour hadrons in the jet. Kinematic variables, based on the properties of displaced decay vertices and optimised for jet flavour identification, are used in a multidimensional template fit to measure the fractions of these dijet flavour states as functions of the leading jet transverse momentum in the range 40 GeV to 500 GeV and jet rapidity |y| < 2.1. The fit results agree with the predictions of leading- and next-to-leading-order calculations, with the exception of the dijet fraction composed of bottom and light flavour jets, which is underestimated by all models at large transverse jet momenta. The ability to identify jets containing two b-hadrons, originating from e.g. gluon splitting, is demonstrated. The difference between bottom jet production rates in leading and subleading jets is consistent with the next-to-leading-order predictions.

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb^-1 of pp collision data at sqrt(s)=7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96 +0.26 -0.30 at Q^2=1.9 GeV^2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio sigma(W^+ + bar{c})/sigma(W^- + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s-bar{s} quark asymmetry.

Ratios of cross sections, $\sigma$(Z+c jets)/$\sigma$(Z+jets), $\sigma$(Z+b jets)/$\sigma$(Z+jets), and $\sigma$(Z+c jets)/$\sigma$(Z+b jets) in the associated production of a Z boson with at least one charm or bottom quark jet are measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV. The data sample, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$, with a fiducial volume of $p_\mathrm{T}>$ 30 GeV and $|\eta|<$ 2.4 for the jets, where $p_\mathrm{T}$ and $\eta$ represent transverse momentum and pseudorapidity, respectively. The Z boson candidates come from leptonic decays into electrons or muons with $p_\mathrm{T}>$ 25 GeV and $|\eta|<$ 2.4, and the dilepton mass satisfies 71 $\lt m_\mathrm{Z}\lt$ 111 GeV. The measured values are $\sigma$(Z+c jets)/$\sigma$(Z+jets) = 0.102 $\pm$ 0.002 $\pm$ 0.009, $\sigma$(Z+b jets)/$\sigma$(Z+jets) = 0.0633 $\pm$ 0.0004 $\pm$ 0.0015, and $\sigma$(Z+c jets)/$\sigma$(Z+b jets) = 1.62 $\pm$ 0.03 $\pm$ 0.15. Results on the inclusive and differential cross section ratios as functions of jet and Z boson transverse momentum are compared with predictions from leading and next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations. These are the first measurements of the cross section ratios at 13 TeV, and the measurement precision is better than that of the current theoretical predictions.

Measurements of cross sections of inelastic and diffractive processes in proton--proton collisions at LHC energies were carried out with the ALICE detector. The fractions of diffractive processes in inelastic collisions were determined from a study of gaps in charged particle pseudorapidity distributions: for single diffraction (diffractive mass $M_X < 200$ GeV/$c^2$) $\sigma_{\rm SD}/\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 0.21 \pm 0.03, 0.20^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$, and $0.20^{+0.04}_{-0.07}$, respectively at centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76$, and 7~TeV; for double diffraction (for a pseudorapidity gap $\Delta\eta > 3$) $\sigma_{\rm DD}/\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 0.11 \pm 0.03, 0.12 \pm 0.05$, and $0.12^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$, respectively at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76$, and 7~TeV. To measure the inelastic cross section, beam properties were determined with van der Meer scans, and, using a simulation of diffraction adjusted to data, the following values were obtained: $\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 62.8^{+2.4}_{-4.0} (model) \pm 1.2 (lumi)$ mb at $\sqrt{s} =$ 2.76~TeV and $73.2^{+2.0}_{-4.6} (model) \pm 2.6 (lumi)$ mb at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7~TeV. The single- and double-diffractive cross sections were calculated combining relative rates of diffraction with inelastic cross sections. The results are compared to previous measurements at proton--antiproton and proton--proton colliders at lower energies, to measurements by other experiments at the LHC, and to theoretical models.