We present the first measurements at a hadron collider of differential cross sections for Z+jet+X production in delta phi(Z, jet), |delta y(Z, jet)| and |y_boost(Z, jet)|. Vector boson production in association with jets is an excellent probe of QCD and constitutes the main background to many small cross section processes, such as associated Higgs production. These measurements are crucial tests of the predictions of perturbative QCD and current event generators, which have varied success in describing the data. Using these measurements as inputs in tuning event generators will increase the experimental sensitivity to rare signals.
We report the first observation of single-top-quark production in the s channel through the combination of the CDF and D0 measurements of the cross section in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data correspond to total integrated luminosities of up to 9.7 fb-1 per experiment. The measured cross section is $\sigma_s = 1.29^{+0.26}_{-0.24}$ pb. The probability of observing a statistical fluctuation of the background to a cross section of the observed size or larger is $1.8 \times 10^{-10}$, corresponding to a significance of 6.3 standard deviations for the presence of an s-channel contribution to the production of single-top quarks.
We present a new measurement of the Z/gamma* transverse momentum distribution in the range 0 - 330GeV, in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. The measurement uses 0.97 fb-1 of integrated luminosity recorded by the D0 experiment and is the first using the Z/gamma*->mu+mu- + X channel at this center-of-mass energy. This is also the first measurement of the Z/gamma* transverse momentum distribution that presents the result at the level of particles entering the detector, minimizing dependence on theoretical models. As any momentum of the Z/gamma* in the plane transverse to the incoming beams must be balanced by some recoiling system, primarily the result of QCD radiation in the initial state, this variable is an excellent probe of the underlying process. Tests of the predictions of QCD calculations and current event generators show they have varied success in describing the data. Using this measurement as an input to theoretical predictions will allow for a better description of hadron collider data and hence it will increase experimental sensitivity to rare signals.
Using 7.3 pb-1 of ppbar collisions collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we measure the distribution of the variable \phistar, which probes the same physical effects as the Z/gamma* boson transverse momentum, but is less susceptible to the effects of experimental resolution and efficiency. A QCD prediction is found to describe the general features of the \phistar distribution, but is unable to describe its detailed shape or dependence on boson rapidity. A prediction that includes a broadening of transverse momentum for small values of the parton momentum fraction is strongly disfavored.
We study the process of associated photon and jet production, p+pbar --> photon + jet + X, using 8.7 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at a center-of-mass energy sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. Photons are reconstructed with rapidity |y^gamma| <1.0 or 1.5<|y^{gamma}| < 2.5 and transverse momentum pT^gamma GeV. The highest-p_T jet is required to be in one of four rapidity regions up to |y^{jet}|< 3.2. For each rapidity configuration we measure the differential cross sections in pT_gamma separately for events with the same sign (y^{gamma} y^{jet}}>0) and opposite sign (y^{gamma} y^{jet}<=0) of photon and jet rapidities. We compare the measured triple differential cross sections, d^3 sigma / d pT_gamma y^{gamma} y^{jet}, to next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations using different sets of parton distribution functions and to predictions from the SHERPA and PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generators. The NLO calculations are found to be in general agreement with the data, but do not describe all kinematic regions.
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