A precise measurement of the atomic-mass dependence of dimuon production induced by 800-GeV protons is reported. Over 450 000 muon pairs with dimuon mass M≥4 GeV were recorded from targets of H2, C, Ca, Fe, and W. The ratio of dimuon yield per nucleon for nuclei versus H2, R=YA/Y2H, is sensitive to modifications of the antiquark sea in nuclei. No nuclear dependence of this ratio is observed over the range of target-quark momentum fraction 0.1<xt<0.3. For xt<0.1 the ratio is slightly less than unity for the heavy nuclei. These results are compared with predictions of models of the European Muon Collaboration effect.
The yields of the 1S and the sum of the 2S and 3S Υ resonances have been measured for 800-GeV protons incident on targets of H2, C, Ca, Fe, and W. A significant nuclear dependence is seen in the yield per nucleon which, within errors, is the same for the Υ(1S) and Υ(2S+3D) states. A large decrease in the relative yield from heavy nuclei is found for the range xF<0. Significant nuclear dependence is also observed in the pt distribution. Differential cross sections for the Υ(1S) for H2 are presented over the ranges 0.24≤pt≤3.4 GeV/c and -0.15≤xF≤0.5.
Absolute cross sections as functions of kinematic variables are presented for the production of muon pairs from 800 GeV proton bombardment of H2. Drell-Yan (continuum) dimuons were recorded in the mass regions 4.5≤Mμ+μ−≤9 GeV and Mμ+μ−≥11 GeV, with an x-Feynman range -0.1≤xF≤0.75. This range corresponds to smaller masses and larger values of xF than previous 800 GeV Drell-Yan data. Cross sections for the Υ(1S) resonance are also given versus the transverse momentum and xF.
The yield of J/ψ and ψ’ vector-meson states has been measured for 800-GeV protons incident on deuterium, carbon, calcium, iron, and tungsten targets. A depletion of the yield per nucleon from heavy nuclei is observed for both J/ψ and ψ’ production. This depletion exhibits a strong dependence on xF and pt. Within experimental errors the depletion is the same for the J/ψ and the ψ’.
First measurements of the W -> lnu and Z/gamma* -> ll (l = e, mu) production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV are presented using data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The results are based on 2250 W -> lnu and 179 Z/gamma* -> ll candidate events selected from a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 320 nb-1. The measured total W and Z/gamma*-boson production cross sections times the respective leptonic branching ratios for the combined electron and muon channels are $\stotW$ * BR(W -> lnu) = 9.96 +- 0.23(stat) +- 0.50(syst) +- 1.10(lumi) nb and $\stotZg$ * BR(Z/gamma* -> ll) = 0.82 +- 0.06(stat) +- 0.05(syst) +- 0.09(lumi) nb (within the invariant mass window 66 < m_ll < 116 GeV). The W/Z cross-section ratio is measured to be 11.7 +- 0.9(stat) +- 0.4(syst). In addition, measurements of the W+ and W- production cross sections and of the lepton charge asymmetry are reported. Theoretical predictions based on NNLO QCD calculations are found to agree with the measurements.
Dijet angular distributions from the first LHC pp collisions at center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV have been measured with the ATLAS detector. The dataset used for this analysis represents an integrated luminosity of 3.1 pb-1. Dijet $\chi$ distributions and centrality ratios have been measured up to dijet masses of 2.8 TeV, and found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions. Analysis of the $\chi$ distributions excludes quark contact interactions with a compositeness scale $\Lambda$ below 3.4 TeV, at 95% confidence level, significantly exceeding previous limits.
Jet cross sections have been measured for the first time in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector. The measurement uses an integrated luminosity of 17 nb-1 recorded at the Large Hadron Collider. The anti-kt algorithm is used to identify jets, with two jet resolution parameters, R = 0.4 and 0.6. The dominant uncertainty comes from the jet energy scale, which is determined to within 7% for central jets above 60 GeV transverse momentum. Inclusive single-jet differential cross sections are presented as functions of jet transverse momentum and rapidity. Dijet cross sections are presented as functions of dijet mass and the angular variable $\chi$. The results are compared to expectations based on next-to-leading-order QCD, which agree with the data, providing a validation of the theory in a new kinematic regime.
This Letter presents a search for new physics manifested as anomalous triple gauge boson couplings in WW and WZ diboson production in proton-proton collisions. The search is performed using events containing a W boson that decays leptonically and a W or Z boson whose decay products are merged into a single reconstructed jet. The data, collected at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19 inverse femtobarns. No evidence for anomalous triple gauge couplings is found and the following 95% confidence level limits are set on their values: lambda ([-0.011, 0.011]), Delta kappa[gamma] ([-0.044, 0.063]), and Delta g[1,Z] ([-0.0087, 0.024]). These limits are also translated into their effective field theory equivalents: c[WWW] / Lambda^2 ([-2.7, 2.7] TeV^{-2}), c[B] / Lambda^2 ([-14, 17] TeV^{-2}), and c[W] / Lambda^2 ([-2.0, 5.7] TeV^{-2}).
An analysis of the decay $\Lambda_b \to J/\psi(\to\mu^+\mu^-)\Lambda(\to p \pi^-)$ decay is performed to measure the $\Lambda_b$ polarization and three angular parameters in data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 and 8 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The $\Lambda_b$ polarization is measured to be 0.00 $\pm$ 0.06 (stat) $\pm$ 0.06 (syst) and the parity-violating asymmetry parameter is determined to be 0.14 $\pm$ 0.14 (stat) $\pm$ 0.10 (syst). The measurements are compared to various theoretical predictions, including those from perturbative quantum chromodynamics.
A measurement of the coupling strength of the Higgs boson to a pair of tau leptons is performed using events recorded in proton-proton collisions by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns. The H to tau tau signal is established with a significance of 4.9 standard deviations, to be compared to an expected significance of 4.7 standard deviations. The best fit of the product of the observed H to tau tau signal production cross section and branching fraction is 1.09 +0.27-0.26 times the standard model expectation. The combination with the corresponding measurement performed with data collected by the CMS experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV leads to an observed significance of 5.9 standard deviations, equal to the expected significance. This is the first observation of Higgs boson decays to tau leptons by a single experiment.