Measurements of the production cross section of a $Z$ boson in association with jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV are presented, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.16 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015. Inclusive and differential cross sections are measured for events containing a $Z$ boson decaying to electrons or muons and produced in association with up to seven jets with $p_T > 30$ GeV and $|y| <2.5$. Predictions from different Monte Carlo generators based on leading-order and next-to-leading-order matrix elements for up to two additional partons interfaced with parton shower and fixed-order predictions at next-to-leading order and next-to-next-to-leading order are compared with the measured cross sections. Good agreement within the uncertainties is observed for most of the modelled quantities, in particular with the generators which use next-to-leading-order matrix elements and the more recent next-to-next-to-leading-order fixed-order predictions.

The production of jets in association with Z bosons, reconstructed via the mu+mu- and e+e- decay channels, is studied in pp and, for the first time, in PbPb collisions. Both data samples were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The PbPb collisions were analyzed in the 0-30% centrality range. The back-to-back azimuthal alignment was studied in both pp and PbPb collisions for Z bosons with transverse momentum p[tz] > 60 GeV/c and a recoiling jet with p[tj] > 30 GeV/c. The pt imbalance, x[jz] = p[tj] / p[tz], as well as the average number of jet partners per Z, R[jz], were studied in intervals of p[tz], in both pp and PbPb collisions. The R[jz] is found to be smaller in PbPb than in pp collisions, which suggests that in PbPb collisions a larger fraction of partons, associated with the Z bosons, lose energy and fall below the 30 GeV/c p[tj] threshold.

The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{{\textit s}_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV was studied for $2 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$ with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The measurement was performed at forward (p-going direction) and backward (Pb-going direction) rapidity, in the ranges of rapidity in the center-of-mass system (cms) $2.03<y_{\rm cms}<3.53$ and $-4.46<y_{\rm cms}<-2.96$, respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$, it is above unity by more than 2$\sigma$. The ratio of the forward-to-backward production cross sections is also measured in the overlapping interval $2.96 < \vert y_{\rm cms} \vert < 3.53$ and is smaller than unity by 3.7$\sigma$ in $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$. The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.

A search is presented for extra spatial dimensions, quantum black holes, and quark contact interactions in measurements of dijet angular distributions in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.6 inverse femtobarns. The distributions are found to be in agreement with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics that include electroweak corrections. Limits for different contact interaction models are obtained in a benchmark model, valid to next-to-leading order in QCD, in which only left-handed quarks participate, quark contact interactions are excluded up to a scale of 11.5 or 14.7 TeV for destructive or constructive interference, respectively. The production of quantum black holes is excluded for masses below 7.8 or 5.3 TeV, depending on the model. The lower limits for the scales of virtual graviton exchange in the Arkani-Hamed--Dimopoulos--Dvali model of extra spatial dimensions are in the range 7.9-11.2 TeV, and are the most stringent set of limits available.

The production of a $Z$ boson and a photon in association with a high-mass dijet system is studied using 20.2fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider. Final states with a photon and a Z boson decaying into a pair of either electrons, muons, or neutrinos are analysed. Electroweak and total $pp \to Z\gamma j j$ cross-sections are extracted in two fiducial regions with different sensitivities to electroweak production processes. Quartic couplings of vector bosons are studied in regions of phase space with an enhanced contribution from pure electroweak production, sensitive to vector-boson scattering processes $VV \to Z\gamma$. No deviations from Standard Model predictions are observed and constraints are placed on anomalous couplings parameterized by higher-dimensional operators using effective field theory.

Interactions between jets and the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy ion collisions are studied via the angular distributions of summed charged-particle transverse momenta (pt) with respect to both the leading and subleading jet axes in high-pt dijet events. The contributions of charged particles in different momentum ranges to the overall event pt balance are decomposed into short-range jet peaks and a long-range azimuthal asymmetry in charged-particle pt. The results for PbPb collisions are compared to those in pp collisions using data collected in 2011 and 2013, at collision energy sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV with integrated luminosities of 166 inverse microbarns and 5.3 inverse picobarns, respectively, by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Measurements are presented as functions of PbPb collision centrality, charged-particle pt, relative azimuth, and radial distance from the jet axis for balanced and unbalanced dijets.

The nuclear modification factor RAA and the azimuthal anisotropy coefficient v[2] of prompt and nonprompt (i.e. those from decays of b hadrons) J/psi mesons, measured from PbPb and pp collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV at the LHC, are reported. The results are presented in several event centrality intervals and several kinematic regions, for transverse momenta pt > 6.5 GeV/c and rapidity abs(y) < 2.4, extending down to pt = 3 GeV/c in the 1.6 < abs(y) < 2.4 range. The v[2] of prompt J/psi is found to be nonzero, but with no strong dependence on centrality, rapidity, or pt over the full kinematic range studied. The measured v[2] of nonprompt J/psi is consistent with zero. The RAA of prompt J/psi exhibits a suppression that increases from peripheral to central collisions but does not vary as a function of either y or pt in the fiducial range. The nonprompt J/psi RAA shows a suppression which becomes stronger as rapidity or pt increase. The v[2] and nuclear suppression of open and hidden charm, and of open charm and beauty, are compared.

This paper reports the measurement of J/psi meson production in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (pPb) collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The data samples used in the analysis correspond to integrated luminosities of 28 inverse picobarns and 35 inverse nanobarns for pp and pPb collisions, respectively. Prompt and nonprompt J/psi mesons, the latter produced from the decay of B mesons, are measured in their dimuon decay channels. Differential cross sections are measured in the transverse momentum range of 2 < pt < 30 GeV/c, and center-of-mass rapidity ranges of abs(y[CM]) < 2.4 (pp) and -2.87 < y[CM] < 1.93 (pPb). The nuclear modification factor, R[pPb], is measured as functions of both pt and y[CM]. Small modifications of the J/psi cross sections are observed in pPb relative to pp collisions. The ratio of J/psi production cross sections in p-going and Pb-going directions, R[FB], studied as functions of pt and y[CM], shows a significant decrease for increasing transverse energy deposited at large pseudorapidities. These results, which cover a wide kinematic range, provide new insight on the role of cold nuclear matter effects on prompt and nonprompt J/psi production.

A measurement of the production cross section for two isolated photons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV is presented. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement considers photons with pseudorapidities satisfying $|\eta^{\gamma}|<1.37$ or ${1.56<|\eta^{\gamma}|<2.37}$ and transverse energies of respectively $E_{\mathrm{T,1}}^{\gamma}>40$ GeV and $E_{\mathrm{T,2}}^{\gamma}>30$ GeV for the two leading photons ordered in transverse energy produced in the interaction.The background due to hadronic jets and electrons is subtracted using data-driven techniques. The fiducial cross sections are corrected for detector effects and measured differentially as a function of six kinematic observables. The measured cross section integrated within the fiducial volume is $16.8 \pm 0.8$ pb. The data are compared to fixed-order QCD calculations at next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy as well as next-to-leading-order computations including resummation of initial-state gluon radiation at next-to-next-to-leading logarithm or matched to a parton shower, with relative uncertainties varying from 5% to 20%.

The W and Z boson production was measured via the muonic decay channel in proton-lead collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider with the ALICE detector. The measurement covers backward ($-4.46 < y_{\rm cms} < -2.96$) and forward ($2.03 < y_{\rm cms} < 3.53$) rapidity regions, corresponding to Pb-going and p-going directions, respectively. The Z-boson production cross section, with dimuon invariant mass of $60<m_{\mu\mu}<120$ GeV/$c^2$ and muon transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}^\mu$) larger than 20 GeV/$c$, is measured. The production cross section and charge asymmetry of muons from W-boson decays with $p_{\rm T}^\mu>10$ GeV/$c$ are determined. The results are compared to theoretical calculations both with and without including the nuclear modification of the parton distribution functions. The W-boson production is also studied as a function of the collision centrality: the cross section of muons from W-boson decays is found to scale with the average number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions within uncertainties.