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.

A measurement of the production cross-section of Z bosons in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV is presented using dimuon and dielectron final states in LHCb data. The cross-section is measured for leptons with pseudorapidities in the range $2.0 < \eta < 4.5$, transverse momenta $p_\text{T} > 20$ GeV and dilepton invariant mass in the range $60<m(\ell\ell)<120$ GeV. The integrated cross-section from averaging the two final states is \begin{equation*}\sigma_{\text{Z}}^{\ell\ell} = 194.3 \pm 0.9 \pm 3.3 \pm 7.6\text{ pb,}\end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is due to systematic effects, and the third is due to the luminosity determination. In addition, differential cross-sections are measured as functions of the Z boson rapidity, transverse momentum and the angular variable $\phi^*_\eta$.

Measurements are presented of electroweak boson production using data from $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8\mathrm{\,Te\kern -0.1em V}$. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of $2.0\mathrm{\,fb}^{-1}$ recorded with the LHCb detector. The bosons are identified in the $W\rightarrow\mu\nu$ and $Z\rightarrow\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ decay channels. The cross-sections are measured for muons in the pseudorapidity range $2.0 < \eta < 4.5$, with transverse momenta $p_{\rm T} > 20{\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c}$ and, in the case of the $Z$ boson, a dimuon mass within $60 < M_{\mu^{+}\mu^{-}} < 120{\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c^{2}}$. The results are \begin{align*} \sigma_{W^{+}\rightarrow\mu^{+}\nu} &= 1093.6 \pm 2.1 \pm 7.2 \pm 10.9 \pm 12.7{\rm \,pb} \, , \sigma_{W^{-}\rightarrow\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}} &= \phantom{0}818.4 \pm 1.9 \pm 5.0 \pm \phantom{0}7.0 \pm \phantom{0}9.5{\rm \,pb} \, , \sigma_{Z\rightarrow\mu^{+}\mu^{-}} &= \phantom{00}95.0 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.7 \pm \phantom{0}1.1 \pm \phantom{0}1.1{\rm \,pb} \, , \end{align*} where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, the third are due to the knowledge of the LHC beam energy and the fourth are due to the luminosity determination. The evolution of the $W$ and $Z$ boson cross-sections with centre-of-mass energy is studied using previously reported measurements with $1.0\mathrm{\,fb}^{-1}$ of data at $7\mathrm{\,Te\kern -0.1em V}$. Differential distributions are also presented. Results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

The production of Upsilon(1S), Upsilon(2S) and Upsilon(3S) mesons decaying into the dimuon final state is studied with the LHCb detector using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.3 pb^{-1} collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt{s}=2.76 TeV. The differential production cross-sections times dimuon branching fractions are measured as functions of the Upsilon transverse momentum and rapidity, over the ranges p_T<15 GeV/c and 2.0<y<4.5. The total cross-sections in this kinematic region, assuming unpolarised production, are measured to be sigma(pp -> Upsilon(1S) X) x B(Upsilon(1S) -> mu+mu-) = 1.111 +/- 0.043 +/- 0.044 nb, sigma(pp -> Upsilon(2S) X) x B(Upsilon(2S) -> mu+mu-) = 0.264 +/- 0.023 +/- 0.011 nb, sigma(pp -> Upsilon(3S) X) x B(Upsilon(3S) -> mu+mu-) = 0.159 +/- 0.020 +/- 0.007 nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.

The production of $J/\psi$ mesons in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV is studied with the \lhcb detector. Cross-section measurements are performed as a function of the transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T}$ and the rapidity $y$ of the $J/\psi$ meson in the region $p_\mathrm{T}<14\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$, for both prompt $J/\psi$ mesons and $J/\psi$ mesons from $b$-hadron decays. The production cross-sections integrated over the kinematic coverage are $15.03\pm 0.03\pm 0.94$ $\mu$b for prompt $J/\psi$ and $2.25\pm 0.01\pm 0.14$ $\mu$b for $J/\psi$ from $b$-hadron decays, assuming zero polarization of the $J/\psi$ meson. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The cross-section reported for $J/\psi$ mesons from $b$-hadron decays is used to extrapolate to a total $b\bar{b}$ cross-section. The ratios of the cross-sections with respect to $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV are also determined.

A measurement of the production cross-section for $Z$ bosons that decay to muons is presented. The data were recorded by the LHCb detector during $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb$^{-1}$. The cross-section is measured for muons in the pseudorapidity range $2.0 < \eta < 4.5$ with transverse momenta $p_{T} > 20$ GeV/c. The dimuon mass is restricted to $60 < M_{\mu^{+}\mu^{-}} < 120$ GeV/c$^{2}$. The measured cross-section is $$\sigma_{Z\rightarrow\mu^{+}\mu^{-}} = (76.0 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.5 \pm 1.0 \pm 1.3) \, \text{pb}$$ where the uncertainties are due to the sample size, systematic effects, the beam energy and the luminosity. This result is in good agreement with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. The cross-section is also measured differentially as a function of kinematic variables of the $Z$ boson. Ratios of the production cross-sections of electroweak bosons are presented using updated LHCb measurements of $W$ boson production. A precise test of the Standard Model is provided by the measurement of the ratio $$\frac{\sigma_{W^{+}\rightarrow\mu^{+}\nu_{\mu}} + \sigma_{W^{-}\rightarrow\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu}}}{\sigma_{Z\rightarrow\mu^{+}\mu^{-}}} = 20.63\pm0.09\pm0.12\pm0.05,$$ where the uncertainty due to luminosity cancels.

A study is presented of central exclusive production of $\Upsilon(nS)$ states, where the $\Upsilon(nS)$ resonances decay to the $\mu^+\mu^-$ final state, using $pp$ collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment. The cross-section is measured in the rapidity range $2<y(\Upsilon)<4.5$ where the muons are reconstructed in the pseudorapidity range $2<\eta(\mu^\pm)<4.5$. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 fb$^{-1}$ and was collected at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ TeV and $8$ TeV. The measured $\Upsilon(1S)$ and $\Upsilon(2S)$ production cross-sections are \begin{eqnarray} \sigma(pp \to p\Upsilon(1S)p) &=& 9.0 \pm 2.1 \pm 1.7\textrm{ pb and}\nonumber\\ \sigma(pp \to p\Upsilon(2S)p) &=& 1.3 \pm 0.8 \pm 0.3\textrm{ pb},\nonumber \end{eqnarray} where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The $\Upsilon(1S)$ cross-section is also measured as a function of rapidity and is found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions. An upper limit is set at 3.4 pb at the 95\% confidence level for the exclusive $\Upsilon(3S)$ production cross-section, including possible contamination from $\chi_b(3P)\to\Upsilon(3S)\gamma$ decays.

The differential cross-section as a function of rapidity has been measured for the exclusive production of $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ mesons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV, using data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 930 pb$^{-1}$. The cross-sections times branching fractions to two muons having pseudorapidities between 2.0 and 4.5 are measured to be $$\begin{array}{rl} \sigma_{pp\rightarrow J/\psi\rightarrow{\mu^+}{\mu^-}}(2.0<\eta_{\mu^\pm }<4.5)=&291\pm 7\pm19 {\rm \ pb},\\ \sigma_{pp\rightarrow\psi(2S)\rightarrow{\mu^+}{\mu^-}}(2.0<\eta_{\mu^\pm}<4.5)=&6.5\pm 0.9\pm 0.4 {\rm \ pb},\end{array}$$ where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The measurements agree with next-to-leading order QCD predictions as well as with models that include saturation effects.

We present the general properties of jets produced bye+e− annihilation. Their production and fragmentation characteristics have been studied with charged particles for c.m. energies between 12 and 43 GeV. In this energy rangee+e− annihilation into hadrons is dominated by pair production of the five quarksu, d, s, c andb. In addition, hard gluon bremsstrahlung effects which are invisible at low energies become prominent at the high energies. The observed multiplicity distributions deviate from a Poisson distribution. The multiplicity distributions for the overall event as well as for each event hemisphere satisfy KNO scaling to within ∼20%. The distributions ofxp=2p/W are presented; scale breaking is observed at the level of 25%. The quantityxpdδ/dxp is compared with multigluon emission calculations which predict a Gaussian distribution in terms of ln(1/x). The observed energy dependence of the maximum of the distributions is in qualitative agreement with the calculations. Particle production is analysed with respect to the jet axis and longitudinal and transverse momentum spectra are presented. The angular distribution of the jet axis strongly supports the idea of predominant spin 1/2 quark pair production. The particle distributions with respect to the event plane show clearly the growing importance of planar events with increasing c.m. energies. They also exclude the presence of heavy quark production,e+e−→Q\(\bar Q\) for quark masses up to 5<mQ<20.3 GeV (|eQ|=2/3) and 7<mQ<19 GeV (|eQ|=1/3). The comparison of 1/σtotdδ/dpT measured at 14, 22 and 34 GeV suggests that hard gluon bremsstrahlung contributes mainly to transverse momenta larger than 0.5 GeV/c. The rapidity distribution forW≧22 GeV shows an enhancement away fromy=0 which corresponds to an increase in yield of 10–15% compared to the centre region (y=0). The enhancement probably results from heavy quark production and gluon bremsstrahlung. The particle flux around the jet axis shows with increasing c.m. energy a rapidly growing number of particles collimated around the jet axis, while at large angles to the jet axis almost noW dependence is observed. For fixed longitudinal momentump‖ approximate “fan invariance” is seen: The shape of the angular distribution around the jet axis is almost independent ofW. The collimation depends strongly onp‖. For smallp‖,p‖<0.2 GeV/c, isotropy is observed. With increasingp‖ the particles tend to be emitted closer and closer to the jet axis.

We have studied inclusive KS0, Λ, and Λ¯ production in π+d interactions at 24 GeV/c. The observed cross sections are 2.5±0.13 mb for KS0, 1.62±0.09 mb for Λ, and 0.12±0.02 mb for Λ¯. Longitudinal- and transverse-momentum distributions of the produced particles are presented. The average charged multiplicities of the system associated with a KS0 or with a Λ are presented and discussed. A nonzero average Λ polarization (-0.10±0.03) is observed. The x distribution of the backward (forward) KS0 and Λ produced in the reaction are in agreement with the x distribution of valence quarks in nucleons in nuclear target (pion beam), as predicted by the quark-recombination model of particle production applied to nuclear targets.