The inclusive top-quark-pair production cross section $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$ and its ratio to the $Z$-boson production cross section have been measured in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV, using 29 fb${}^{-1}$ of data collected in 2022 with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Using events with an opposite-charge electron-muon pair and $b$-tagged jets, and assuming Standard Model decays, the top-quark-pair production cross section is measured to be $\sigma_{t\bar{t}} = 850 \pm 3\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 18\mathrm{(syst.)}\pm 20\mathrm{(lumi.)}$ pb. The ratio of the $t\bar{t}$ and the $Z$-boson production cross sections is also measured, where the $Z$-boson contribution is determined for inclusive $e^+e^-$ and $\mu^+\mu^-$ events in a fiducial phase space. The relative uncertainty on the ratio is reduced compared to the $t\bar{t}$ cross section, thanks to the cancellation of several systematic uncertainties. The result for the ratio, $R_{t\bar{t}/Z} = 1.145 \pm 0.003\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 0.021\mathrm{(syst.)}\pm 0.002\mathrm{(lumi.)}$ is consistent with the Standard Model prediction using the PDF4LHC21 PDF set.
The fiducial phase-space definition for the $Z$-boson measurement. Born-level leptons are used.
The measured $t\bar{t}$ cross section and the ratio of the cross sections of $t\bar{t}$ and the $Z$-boson. Full phase-space is considered for $t\bar{t}$, while fiducial phase-space is considered for the $Z$-boson.
Table with pre-fit yields in the four regions used in the measurement
Ratios of top-quark pair to $Z$-boson cross sections measured from proton--proton collisions at the LHC centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt s=13$TeV, 8TeV, and 7TeV are presented by the ATLAS Collaboration. Single ratios, at a given $\sqrt s$ for the two processes and at different $\sqrt s$ for each process, as well as double ratios of the two processes at different $\sqrt s$, are evaluated. The ratios are constructed using previously published ATLAS measurements of the $t\overline{t}$ and $Z$-boson production cross sections, corrected to a common phase space where required, and a new analysis of $Z \rightarrow \ell^+ \ell^-$ where $\ell=e,\mu$ at $\sqrt s=13$TeV performed with data collected in 2015 with an integrated luminosity of $3.2$fb$^{-1}$. Correlations of systematic uncertainties are taken into account when evaluating the uncertainties in the ratios. The correlation model is also used to evaluate the combined cross section of the $Z\rightarrow e^+e^-$ and the $Z\rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-$ channels for each $\sqrt s$ value. The results are compared to calculations performed at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy using recent sets of parton distribution functions. The data demonstrate significant power to constrain the gluon distribution function for the Bjorken-$x$ values near 0.1 and the light-quark sea for $x<0.02$.
Measured fiducial cross section times leptonic branching ratio for Z/gamma* production in the Z/gamma* -> e+e- final state at 13TeV.
Measured fiducial cross section times leptonic branching ratio for Z/gamma* production in the Z/gamma* -> mu+ mu- final state at 13TeV.
Breakdown of systematic uncertainties in percent for the measured fiducial cross section times leptonic branching ratio for Z/gamma* production in the Z/gamma* -> e+e- final state at 13TeV.
Simultaneous measurements of the $t\bar{t}$, $W^+W^-$, and $Z/\gamma^{*}\rightarrow\tau\tau$ production cross-sections using an integrated luminosity of $4.6\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7\,\mathrm{TeV}$ collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. Events are selected with two high transverse momentum leptons consisting of an oppositely charged electron and muon pair. The three processes are separated using the distributions of the missing transverse momentum of events with zero and greater than zero jet multiplicities. Measurements of the fiducial cross-section are presented along with results that quantify for the first time the underlying correlations in the predicted and measured cross-sections due to proton parton distribution functions. These results indicate that the correlated NLO predictions for $t\bar{t}$ and $Z/\gamma^{*}\rightarrow\tau\tau$ underestimate the data, while those at NNLO generally describe the data well. The full cross-sections are measured to be $\sigma(t\bar{t}) = 181.2 \pm 2.8^{+9.7}_{-9.5} \pm 3.3 \pm 3.3\,\mathrm{pb}$, $\sigma(W^+W^-) = 53.3 \pm 2.7^{+7.3}_{-8.0} \pm 1.0 \pm 0.5\,\mathrm{pb}$, and $\sigma(Z/\gamma^{*}\rightarrow\tau\tau) = 1174 \pm 24^{+72}_{-87} \pm 21 \pm 9\,\mathrm{pb}$, where the cited uncertainties are due to statistics, systematic effects, luminosity and the LHC beam energy measurement, respectively. The $W^+W^-$ measurement includes the small contribution from Higgs boson decays, $H\rightarrow W^+W^-$.
Total $t\bar{t}$, $WW$, and $Z/\gamma^* \rightarrow \tau\tau$ cross-sections as measured simultaneously in this analysis with symmetrized uncertainties.
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