We present the first observation of exclusive $e^+e^-$ production in hadron-hadron collisions, using $p\bar{p}$ collision data at \mbox{$\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV} taken by the Run II Collider Detector at Fermilab, and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of \mbox{532 pb$^{-1}$}. We require the absence of any particle signatures in the detector except for an electron and a positron candidate, each with transverse energy {$E_T>5$ GeV} and pseudorapidity {$|\eta|<2$}. With these criteria, 16 events are observed compared to a background expectation of {$1.9\pm0.3$} events. These events are consistent in cross section and properties with the QED process \mbox{$p\bar{p} \to p + e^+e^- + \bar{p}$} through two-photon exchange. The measured cross section is \mbox{$1.6^{+0.5}_{-0.3}\mathrm{(stat)}\pm0.3\mathrm{(syst)}$ pb}. This agrees with the theoretical prediction of {$1.71 \pm 0.01$ pb}.
Three-jet production in deep inelastic ep scattering and photoproduction was investigated with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 127 pb-1. Measurements of differential cross sections are presented as functions of angular correlations between the three jets in the final state and the proton-beam direction. These correlations provide a stringent test of perturbative QCD and show sensitivity to the contributions from different colour configurations. Fixed-order perturbative QCD calculations assuming the values of the colour factors C_F, C_A and T_F as derived from a variety of gauge groups were compared to the measurements to study the underlying gauge group symmetry. The measured angular correlations in the deep inelastic ep scattering and photoproduction regimes are consistent with the admixture of colour configurations as predicted by SU(3) and disfavour other symmetry groups, such as SU(N) in the limit of large N.
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.
Measurements of inclusive production of the Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons in two-photon collisions with the L3 detector at LEP are presented. The inclusive differential cross sections for Lambda and Xi- are measured as a function of the baryon transverse momentum, pt, and pseudo-rapidity, eta. The mean number of Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons per hadronic two-photon event is determined in the kinematic range 0.4 GeV < pt< 2.5 GeV, |eta| < 1.2. Overall agreement with the theoretical models and Monte Carlo predictions is observed. A search for inclusive production of the pentaquark theta+(1540) in two-photon collisions through the decay theta+ -> proton K0s is also presented. No evidence for production of this state is found.
Di-jet production is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e+e- centre-of-mass energies 161 and 172 GeV. The jets are reconstructed using a cone jet finding algorithm. The angular distributions of direct and double-resolved processes are measured and compared to the predictions of leading order and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD. The jet energy profiles are also studied. The inclusive two-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse energy and rapidity and compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The inclusive two-jet cross-section as a function of rapidity is compared to the prediction of the leading order Monte Carlo generators PYTHIA and PHOJET. The Monte Carlo predictions are calculated with different parametrisations of the parton distributions of the photon. The influence of the `underlying event' has been studied to reduce the model dependence of the predicted jet cross-sections from the Monte Carlo generators.
The Standard Model predictions for $W\gamma$ and $Z\gamma$ production are tested using an integrated luminosity of 200 pb$^{-1}$ of \ppbar collision data collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The cross sections are measured selecting leptonic decays of the $W$ and $Z$ bosons, and photons with transverse energy $E_T>7$ GeV that are well separated from leptons. The production cross sections and kinematic distributions for the $W\gamma$ and $Z\gamma$ are compared to SM predictions.
The transverse momentum cross section of $e^+e^-$ pairs in the $Z$-boson mass region of 66-116 GeV/$c^2$ is precisely measured using Run II data corresponding to 2.1 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The cross section is compared with quantum chromodynamic calculations. One is a fixed-order perturbative calculation at ${\cal O}(\alpha_s^2)$, and the other combines perturbative predictions at high transverse momentum with the gluon resummation formalism at low transverse momentum. Comparisons of the measurement with calculations show reasonable agreement. The measurement is of sufficient precision to allow refinements in the understanding of the transverse momentum distribution.
We present a study of eegamma and mumugamma events using over 1 fb-1 of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar Collider at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. Having observed 453 (515) candidates in the eegamma (mumugamma) final state, we measure the Zgamma production cross section for a photon with transverse energy ET > 7 GeV, separation between the photon and leptons Delta R(lgamma} > 0.7, and invariant mass of the di-lepton pair M(ll) > 30 GeV, to be 4.96 +/- 0.30(stat. + syst.) +/- 0.30(lumi.) pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction of 4.74 +/- 0.22 pb. This is the most precise Zgamma cross section measurement at a hadron collider. We set limits on anomalous trilinear Zgammagamma and ZZgamma gauge boson couplings of -0.085 < h(30)^(gamma) < 0.084, -0.0053 < h(40)^(gamma) < 0.0054 and -0.083 < h(30)^(Z) < 0.082, -0.0053 < h(40)^(Z) < 0.0054 at the 95% C.L. for the form-factor scale Lambda = 1.2 TeV.
We report on a CDF measurement of the total cross section and rapidity distribution, $d\sigma/dy$, for $q\bar{q}\to \gamma^{*}/Z\to e^{+}e^{-}$ events in the $Z$ boson mass region ($66<M_{ee}<116$GeV/c$^2$) produced in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$TeV with 2.1fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity. The measured cross section of $257\pm16$pb and $d\sigma/dy$ distribution are compared with Next-to-Leading-Order(NLO) and Next-to-Next-to-Leading-Order(NNLO) QCD theory predictions with CTEQ and MRST/MSTW parton distribution functions (PDFs). There is good agreement between the experimental total cross section and $d\sigma/dy$ measurements with theoretical calculations with the most recent NNLO PDFs.
We present a measurement of the electron charge asymmetry in $p\bar{p}\rightarrow W+X \rightarrow e\nu +X$ events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using data corresponding to 9.7~fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The asymmetry is measured as a function of the electron pseudorapidity and is presented in five kinematic bins based on the electron transverse energy and the missing transverse energy in the event. The measured asymmetry is compared with next-to-leading-order predictions in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and provides accurate information for the determination of parton distribution functions of the proton. This is the most precise lepton charge asymmetry measurement to date.