The pseudorapidity density and multiplicity distribution of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the LHC, at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV, were measured in the central pseudorapidity region |$\eta$| < 1. Comparisons are made with previous measurements at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9 TeV and 2.36 TeV. At $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, for events with at least one charged particle in |$\eta$| < 1, we obtain dNch/deta = 6.01 $\pm$ 0.01 (stat.) $^{+0.20}_{-0.12}$ (syst.). This corresponds to an increase of 57.6% $\pm$ 0.4% (stat.) $^{+3.6}_{-1.8}$% (syst.) relative to collisions at 0.9 TeV, significantly higher than calculations from commonly used models. The multiplicity distribution at 7 TeV is described fairly well by the negative binomial distribution.
The results of a search for pair production of the lighter scalar partners of top quarks in 2.05 fb-1 of pp collisions at sqrt(s) =7 TeV using the ATLAS experiment at the LHC are reported. Scalar top quarks are searched for in events with two same flavour opposite-sign leptons (electrons or muons) with invariant mass consistent with the Z boson mass, large missing transverse momentum and jets in the final state. At least one of the jets is identified as originating from a b-quark. No excess over Standard Model expectations is found. The results are interpreted in the framework of R-parity conserving, gauge mediated Supersymmetry breaking `natural' scenarios, where the neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle. Scalar top quark masses up to 310 GeV are excluded for the lightest neutralino mass between 115 GeV and 230 GeV at 95% confidence level, reaching an exclusion of the scalar top quark mass of 330 GeV for the lightest neutralino mass of 190 GeV. Scalar top quark masses below 240 GeV are excluded for all values of the lightest neutralino mass above the Z boson mass.
This paper describes a measurement of the W boson transverse momentum distribution using ATLAS pp collision data from the 2010 run of the LHC at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 31 pb^-1. Events from both W -> e nu and W -> mu nu are used, and the transverse momentum of the W candidates is measured through the energy deposition in the calorimeter from the recoil of the W. The resulting distributions are unfolded to obtain the normalized differential cross sections as a function of the W boson transverse momentum. We present results for pTW < 300 GeV in the electron and muon channels as well as for their combination, and compare the combined results to the predictions of perturbative QCD and a selection of event generators.
A search for pair-produced scalar particles decaying to a four-jet final state is presented. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1 recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2010. No deviation from the Standard Model is observed. For a scalar mass of 100 GeV (190 GeV) the limit on the scalar gluon pair production cross section at 95% confidence level is 1 nb (0.28 nb). When these results are interpreted as mass limits, scalar-gluons (hyperpions) with masses of 100 to 185 GeV (100 to 155 GeV) are excluded at 95% confidence level with the exception of a mass window of width about 5 GeV (15 GeV) around 140 GeV.
The dijet invariant mass distribution has been measured in the region between 140 and 1000 GeV/c2, in 1.8 TeV p p¯ collisions. Data collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab show agreement with QCD calculations. A limit on quark compositeness of Λc>1.3 TeV is obtained. Axigluons with masses between 240 and 640 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% C.L. if we assume ten open decay channels. Model-independent limits on the production of heavy particles decaying into two jets are also presented.
We present an analysis of data from p p¯ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s =1800 GeV. A measurement is made of the ratio R≡σB(p p¯→W→eν)/σB(p p¯→Z0→ee). The data represent 19.6 pg−1 collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab during the 1992–1993 collider run of the Fermilab Tevatron. We find R=10.90±0.32(stat)±0.29(syst), and from this value we extract a measurement of the W→eν branching ratio Γ(W→eν)/Γ(W)=0.1094±0.0033(stat)±0.0031(syst). From this branching ratio we set a limit on the top quark mass of mt>62 GeV/c2 at the 95% confidence level. In contrast with direct searches for the top quark, this limit makes no assumptions about the allowed decay modes of the top quark. In addition, we use a calculation of the leptonic width Γ(W→eν) to obtain a value for the W total decay width: Γ(W)=2.064±0.060(stat)±0.059(syst) GeV.
If quarks are composite particles then excited states are expected. We have searched in pp¯ collisions for excited quarks (q*) which decay to common quarks by emitting a W boson (q*→qW) or a photon (q*→qγ). The simplest model of excited quarks has been excluded for mass M*<540 GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level.
Experimental data on multiplicities and correlations of charged particles of different types produced in collisions of 4.5 A GeV/c carbon-12 with emulsion are reported and discussed. The data are compared with the results of other experiments on nucleus–nucleus and hadron–nucleus collisions. It is found that the particle production mechanism in nucleus–nucleus collisions is almost the same as in hadron–nucleus collisions. It is also observed that the shower particles' multiplicity distributions obey a KNO type scaling law, which supports the aforementioned result.
We present the results of a search for the top quark in 19.3 pb−1 of p¯p collisions at √s =1.8 TeV. The data were collected at the Fermilab Tevatron collider using the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). The search includes standard model tt¯ decays to final states eeνν¯, eμνν¯, and μμνν¯ as well as e+ν+jets or μ+ν+jets. In the (e,μ)+ν+jets channel we search for b quarks from t decays via secondary vertex identification and via semileptonic decays of the b and cascade c quarks. In the dilepton final states we find two events with a background of 0.56−0.13+0.25 events. In the e,μ+ν+jets channel with a b identified via a secondary vertex, we find six events with a background of 2.3±0.3. With a b identified via a semileptonic decay, we find seven events with a background of 3.1±0.3. The secondary vertex and semileptonic-decay samples have three events in common. The probability that the observed yield is consistent with the background is estimated to be 0.26%. The statistics are too limited to firmly establish the existence of the top quark; however, a natural interpretation of the excess is that it is due to tt¯ production. We present several cross-checks. Some support this hypothesis; others do not. Under the assumption that the excess yield over background is due to tt¯, constrained fitting on a subset of the events yields a mass of 174±10−12+13 GeV/c2 for the top quark. The tt¯ cross section, using this top quark mass to compute the acceptance, is measured to be 13.9−4.8+6.1 pb.
We report on measurements of the inclusive jet production cross section as a function of the jet transverse momentum in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV}, using the k_T algorithm and a data sample corresponding to 1.0 fb^-1 collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab in Run II. The measurements are carried out in five different jet rapidity regions with |yjet| < 2.1 and transverse momentum in the range 54 < \ptjet < 700 GeV/c. Next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions are in good agreement with the measured cross sections.