Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured with the first data from $pp$ collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of $13\,\mathrm{TeV}$. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $4.98 \pm 0.19\,\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of $D^{0}$, $D^{+}$, $D_{s}^{+}$, and $D^{*+}$ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, $p_{\mathrm{T}}$, and rapidity, $y$, and cover the range $0 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 15\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $2.0 < y < 4.5$. The inclusive cross-sections for the four mesons, including charge conjugation, within the range of $1 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 8\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$ are found to be \begin{equation} \sigma(pp \to D^{0} X) = 2072 \pm 2 \pm 124\,\mu\mathrm{b}\\ \sigma(pp \to D^{+} X) = 834 \pm 2 \pm \phantom{1}78\,\mu\mathrm{b}\\ \sigma(pp \to D_{s}^{+} X) = 353 \pm 9 \pm \phantom{1}76\,\mu\mathrm{b}\\ \sigma(pp \to D^{*+} X) = 784 \pm 4 \pm \phantom{1}87\,\mu\mathrm{b} \end{equation} where the uncertainties are due to statistical and systematic uncertainties, respectively.
Charm production at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV is studied with the LHCb detector. The decays D0 -> K- pi+, D+ -> K- pi+ pi+, D*+ -> D0(K- pi+) pi+, D_s+ -> phi(K- K+) pi+, Lambda_c+ -> p K- pi+, and their charge conjugates are analysed in a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 15 nb^{-1}. Differential cross-sections dsigma/dp_T are measured for prompt production of the five charmed hadron species in bins of transverse momentum and rapidity in the region 0 < p_T < 8 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. Theoretical predictions are compared to the measured differential cross-sections. The integrated cross-sections of the charm hadrons are computed in the above p_T-y range, and their ratios are reported. A combination of the five integrated cross-section measurements gives sigma(c\bar{c})_{p_T < 8 GeV/c, 2.0 < y < 4.5} = 1419 +/- 12 (stat) +/- 116 (syst) +/- 65 (frag) microbarn, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the fragmentation functions.
A measurement of the $Z(\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-)$+jet production cross-section in $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV is presented. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of $1.0\,\text{fb}^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb experiment. Results are shown with two jet transverse momentum thresholds, 10 and 20 GeV, for both the overall cross-section within the fiducial volume, and for six differential cross-section measurements. The fiducial volume requires that both the jet and the muons from the Z boson decay are produced in the forward direction ($2.0<\eta<4.5$). The results show good agreement with theoretical predictions at the second-order expansion in the coupling of the strong interaction.
The cross-section for inelastic proton-proton collisions, with at least one prompt long-lived charged particle of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}>0.2$ GeV/$c$ in the pseudorapidity range $2.0<\eta<4.5$, is measured by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. The cross-section in this kinematic range is determined to be $\sigma_{\rm inel}^{\rm acc} = 55.0 \pm 2.4$ mb within the spectrometer acceptance with an experimental uncertainty that is dominated by systematic contributions. Extrapolation to the full phase space, using PYTHIA 6, yields $\sigma_{\rm inel} = 66.9 \pm 2.9 \pm 4.4$ mb, where the first uncertainty is experimental and the second is due to the extrapolation.
Charged particle multiplicities are studied in proton-proton collisions in the forward region at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 7\;$TeV with data collected by the LHCb detector. The forward spectrometer allows access to a kinematic range of $2.0<\eta<4.8$ in pseudorapidity, momenta down to $2\;$GeV/$c$ and transverse momenta down to $0.2\;$GeV/$c$. The measurements are performed using minimum-bias events with at least one charged particle in the kinematic acceptance. The results are presented as functions of pseudorapidity and transverse momentum and are compared to predictions from several Monte Carlo event generators.
The energy flow created in pp collisions at is studied within the pseudorapidity range 1.9<η<4.9 with data collected by the LHCb experiment. The measurements are performed for inclusive minimum-bias interactions, hard scattering processes and events with an enhanced or suppressed diffractive contribution. The results are compared to predictions given by Pythia-based and cosmic-ray event generators, which provide different models of soft hadronic interactions.
Decays of $b$ hadrons into final states containing a $D^0$ meson and a muon are used to measure the $b\bar{b}$ production cross-section in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. In the pseudorapidity interval $2 < \eta < 6$ and integrated over all transverse momenta we find that the average cross-section to produce $b$-flavoured or $\bar{b}$-flavoured hadrons is ($75.3 \pm 5.4 \pm 13.0$) microbarns.
The charged-particle production ratios $\bar{p}/p$, $K^-/K^+$, $\pi^-/\pi^+$, $(p + \bar{p})/(\pi^+ + \pi^-)$, $(K^+ + K^-)/(\pi^+ + \pi^-)$ and $(p + \bar{p})/(K^+ + K^-)$ are measured with the LHCb detector using $0.3 {\rm nb^{-1}}$ of $pp$ collisions delivered by the LHC at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ TeV and $1.8 {\rm nb^{-1}}$ at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The measurements are performed as a function of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and pseudorapidity $\eta$. The production ratios are compared to the predictions of several Monte Carlo generator settings, none of which are able to describe adequately all observables. The ratio $\bar{p}/p$ is also considered as a function of rapidity loss, $\Delta y \equiv y_{\rm beam} - y$, and is used to constrain models of baryon transport.
A measurement of the cross-section for pp$ \rightarrow$Z$ \rightarrow$e$^+$e$^-$ is presented using data at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.94 fb$^{-1}$. The process is measured within the kinematic acceptance $p_{\mathrm{T}}>20$GeV/$c$ and $2<\eta<4.5$ for the daughter electrons and dielectron invariant mass in the range 60-120 GeV/$c^2$. The cross-section is determined to be $$\sigma(pp \rightarrow Z \rightarrow e^+ e^- )=76.0\pm0.8\pm2.0\pm2.6{\rm pb}$$ where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is the uncertainty in the luminosity. The measurement is performed as a function of Z rapidity and as a function of an angular variable which is closely related to the Z transverse momentum. The results are compared with previous LHCb measurements and with theoretical predictions from QCD.
The cross-section for inclusive phi meson production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV has been measured with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The differential cross-section is measured as a function of the phi transverse momentum p_T and rapidity y in the region 0.6 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c and 2.44 < y < 4.06. The cross-section for inclusive phi production in this kinematic range is sigma(pp -> phi X) = 1758 pm 19(stat) ^{+43}_{-14}(syst) pm 182(scale) microbarn, where the first systematic uncertainty depends on the p_T and y region and the second is related to the overall scale. Predictions based on the Pythia 6.4 generator underestimate the cross-section.
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