The exclusive production of pion pairs in the process $pp\to pp\pi^+\pi^-$ has been measured at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using 80 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ of low-luminosity data. The pion pairs were detected in the ATLAS central detector while outgoing protons were measured in the forward ATLAS ALFA detector system. This represents the first use of proton tagging to measure an exclusive hadronic final state at the LHC. A cross-section measurement is performed in two kinematic regions defined by the proton momenta, the pion rapidities and transverse momenta, and the pion-pion invariant mass. Cross section values of $4.8 \pm 1.0 \text{(stat.)} + {}^{+0.3}_{-0.2} \text{(syst.)}\mu$b and $9 \pm 6 \text{(stat.)} + {}^{+2}_{-2}\text{(syst.)}\mu$b are obtained in the two regions; they are compared with theoretical models and provide a demonstration of the feasibility of measurements of this type.

The ALICE collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity $|y|<0.8$ and transverse momentum $1<p_{\mathrm{T}}<10$ GeV/$c$, in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = $ 2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD calculations agree with the measured cross section within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. The integrated visible cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b} \rightarrow \mathrm{e}} = 3.47\pm0.40(\mathrm{stat})^{+1.12}_{-1.33}(\mathrm{sys})\pm0.07(\mathrm{norm}) \mu$b, was extrapolated to full phase space using Fixed Order plus Next-to-Leading Log (FONLL) predictions to obtain the total b$\bar{\mathrm{b}}$ production cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{b\bar{b}}} = 130\pm15.1(\mathrm{stat})^{+42.1}_{-49.8}(\mathrm{sys})^{+3.4}_{-3.1}(\mathrm{extr})\pm2.5(\mathrm{norm})\pm4.4(\mathrm{BR}) \mu$b.

Production cross sections of the Higgs boson are measured in the H $\to$ ZZ $\to$ $4\ell$ ($\ell$ $=$ e, $\mu$) decay channel. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ is used. The signal strength modifier $\mu$, defined as the ratio of the Higgs boson production rate in the $4\ell$ channel to the standard model (SM) expectation, is measured to be $\mu$ $=$ 0.94 $\pm$ 0.07 (stat) ${}^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$ (syst) at a fixed value of $m_H$ = 125.38 GeV. The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also reported. The inclusive fiducial cross section for the H $\to$ $4\ell$ process is measured to be 2.84 $^{+0.23}_{-0.22}$ (stat) ${}^{+0.26}_{-0.21}$ (syst) fb, which is compatible with the SM prediction of 2.84 $\pm$ 0.15 fb for the same fiducial region. Differential cross sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet are measured. A new set of cross section measurements in mutually exclusive categories targeted to identify production mechanisms and kinematical features of the events is presented. The results are in agreement with the SM predictions.

The production rates and the transverse momentum distribution of strange hadrons at mid-rapidity ($\ |y\ | < 0.5$) are measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV as a function of the charged particle multiplicity, using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The production rates of $\rm{K}^{0}_{S}$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, and $\Omega$ increase with the multiplicity faster than what is reported for inclusive charged particles. The increase is found to be more pronounced for hadrons with a larger strangeness content. Possible auto-correlations between the charged particles and the strange hadrons are evaluated by measuring the event-activity with charged particle multiplicity estimators covering different pseudorapidity regions. When comparing to lower energy results, the yields of strange hadrons are found to depend only on the mid-rapidity charged particle multiplicity. Several features of the data are reproduced qualitatively by general purpose QCD Monte Carlo models that take into account the effect of densely-packed QCD strings in high multiplicity collisions. However, none of the tested models reproduce the data quantitatively. This work corroborates and extends the ALICE findings on strangeness production in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV.

This paper reports a measurement of the W+b-jets production cross-section in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. These results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector. Cross-sections are presented as a function of jet multiplicity and of the transverse momentum of the leading b-jet for both the muon and electron decay modes of the W boson. The W+b-jets cross-section, corrected for all known detector effects, is quoted in a limited kinematic range, using jets reconstructed with the anti-k_t clustering algorithm with transverse momentum above 25 GeV and rapidity within +/- 2.1. Combining the muon and electron channels, the fiducial cross-section for W+b-jets is measured to be 7.1 +/- 0.5 (stat) +/- 1.4 (syst) pb, consistent with next-to-leading order QCD calculations within 1.5 standard deviations.

The WZ production cross section is measured by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collision data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of 4.9 inverse femtobarns collected at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV, and 19.6 inverse femtobarns at sqrt(s)= 8 TeV. The measurements are performed using the fully-leptonic WZ decay modes with electrons and muons in the final state. The measured cross sections for 71 < m[Z] < 111 GeV are sigma(pp to WZ; sqrt(s)= 7 TeV) = 20.14 +/- 1.32 (stat) +/- 1.13 (syst) +/- 0.44 (lumi) pb and sigma(pp to WZ; sqrt(s)= 8 TeV) = 24.09 +/- 0.87 (stat) +/- 1.62 (syst) +/- 0.63 (lumi) pb. Differential cross sections with respect to the Z boson pt, the leading jet pt, and the number of jets are obtained using the sqrt(s)= 8 TeV data. The results are consistent with standard model predictions and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings are obtained.

Properties of the Higgs boson are measured in the H to ZZ to 4l (l= e, mu) decay channel. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 inverse femtobarns is used. The signal strength modifier mu, defined as the ratio of the observed Higgs boson rate in the H to ZZ to 4l decay channel to the standard model expectation, is measured to be mu = 1.05 +0.19/-0.17 at m[H ]= 125.09 GeV, the combined ATLAS and CMS measurement of the Higgs boson mass. The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also measured. The cross section in the fiducial phase space defined by the requirements on lepton kinematics and event topology is measured to be 2.92 +0.48/-0.44 (stat) +0.28/-0.24 (syst) fb, which is compatible with the standard model prediction of 2.76 +/- 0.14 fb. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of the transverse momentum of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet. The Higgs boson mass is measured to be m[H] = 125.26 +/- 0.21 GeV and the width is constrained using on-shell production to be Gamma[H] < 1.10 GeV, at 95% confidence level.

The production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons ${\rm D^0}$, ${\rm D^+}$, ${\rm D^{*+}}$ and ${\rm D_s^+}$ were measured at mid-rapidity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). D mesons were reconstructed from their decays ${\rm D}^0 \to {\rm K}^-\pi^+$, ${\rm D}^+\to {\rm K}^-\pi^+\pi^+$, ${\rm D}^{*+} \to {\rm D}^0 \pi^+$, ${\rm D_s^{+}\to \phi\pi^+\to K^-K^+\pi^+}$, and their charge conjugates. With respect to previous measurements in the same rapidity region, the coverage in transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) is extended and the uncertainties are reduced by a factor of about two. The accuracy on the estimated total $\rm c\overline c$ production cross section is likewise improved. The measured $p_{\rm T}$-differential cross sections are compared with the results of three perturbative QCD calculations.

The production of $D^{*\pm}$, $D^\pm$ and $D_s^\pm$ charmed mesons has been measured with the ATLAS detector in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $280\,$nb$^{-1}$. The charmed mesons have been reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum $3.5<p_{\rm T}(D)<100$ GeV and pseudorapidity $|\eta(D)|<2.1$. The differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity were measured for $D^{*\pm}$ and $D^\pm$ production. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions are consistent with the data in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. Using the visible $D$ cross sections and an extrapolation to the full kinematic phase space, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm fragmentation, the fraction of charged non-strange $D$ mesons produced in a vector state, and the total cross section of charm production at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV were derived.

Measurements are presented of the cross section for the production of at least four jets, of which at least two originate from b quarks, in proton-proton collisions. Data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 inverse picobarns. The cross section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum for pt > 20 GeV, and of the jet pseudorapidity for abs(eta) < 2.4 (b jets), 4.7 (untagged jets). The correlations in azimuthal angle and pt between the jets are also studied. The inclusive cross section is measured to be sigma(pp to 2 b + 2 j + X) = 69 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 24 (syst) nb. The eta and pt distributions of the four jets and the correlations between them are well reproduced by event generators that combine perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading-order accuracy with contributions from parton showers and multiparton interactions.