Nucl.Phys.B

The b -hadron production cross section is measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at s=7 TeV , using 3.3 pb−1 of integrated luminosity, collected during the 2010 LHC run. The b -hadrons are selected by partially reconstructing D⁎+μ−X final states. Differential cross sections are measured as functions of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity. The measured production cross section for a b -hadron with pT>9 GeV and |η|<2.5 is 32.7±0.8(stat.)−6.8+4.5(syst.)μb , higher than the next-to-leading-order QCD predictions but consistent within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties.

Eur. Phys. J. C

A search for supersymmetry (SUSY) in events with large missing transverse momentum, jets, and at least one hadronically decaying tau lepton, with zero or one additional light lepton (e/mu), has been performed using 4.7 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed and a 95% confidence level visible cross-section upper limit for new phenomena is set. In the framework of gauge-mediated SUSY-breaking models, lower limits on the mass scale Lambda are set at 54 TeV in the regions where the stau is the next-to-lightest SUSY particle (tan(beta) > 20). These limits provide the most stringent tests to date of GMSB models in a large part of the parameter space considered.

Eur. Phys. J. C

A measurement of event shape variables is presented for large momentum transfer proton-proton collisions using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Six event shape variables calculated using hadronic jets are studied in inclusive multi-jet events in 35 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. These measurements are compared to predictions by three Monte Carlo event generators containing leading-logarithmic parton showers matched to leading order matrix elements for 2 to 2 and 2 to n (n=2,...6) scattering. Measurements of the third-jet resolution parameter, aplanarity, thrust, sphericity, and transverse sphericity are generally well described. The mean value of each event shape variable is evaluated as a function of the average momentum of the two leading jets pT1 and pT2, with a mean pT approaching 1 TeV.

Eur.Phys.J.C

A study of dijet production in proton-proton collisions was performed at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV for jets with pt > 35 GeV and abs(y) < 4.7 using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2010. Events with at least one pair of jets are denoted as 'inclusive'. Events with exactly one pair of jets are called 'exclusive'. The ratio of the cross section of all pairwise combinations of jets to the exclusive dijet cross section as a function of the rapidity difference between jets abs(Delta(y)) is measured for the first time up to abs(Delta(y)) = 9.2. The ratio of the cross section for the pair consisting of the most forward and the most backward jet from the inclusive sample to the exclusive dijet cross section is also presented. The predictions of the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 agree with the measurements. In both ratios the HERWIG++ generator exhibits a more pronounced rise versus abs(Delta(y)) than observed in the data. The BFKL-motivated generators CASCADE and HEJ+ARIADNE predict for these ratios a significantly stronger rise than observed.

Phys. Lett. B

The PAX Collaboration has successfully performed a spin-filtering experiment with protons at the COSY-ring. The measurement allowed the determination of the spin-dependent polarizing cross section, that compares well with the theoretical prediction from the nucleon-nucleon potential. The test confirms that spin-filtering can be adopted as a method to polarize a stored beam and that the present interpretation of the mechanism in terms of the proton-proton interaction is correct. The outcome of the experiment is of utmost importance in view of the possible application of the method to polarize a beam of stored antiprotons.

Eur. Phys. J. C

A search for a doubly-charged Higgs boson in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed using events with three or more isolated charged leptons of any flavor, giving sensitivity to the decays of pair-produced triplet components Phi[++]Phi[--], and Phi[++]Phi[-] from associated production. No excess is observed compared to the background prediction, and upper limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the Phi[++] production cross section, under specific assumptions on its branching fractions. Lower bounds on the Phi[++] mass are reported, providing significantly more stringent constraints than previously published limits.

Phys. Rev. Lett.

The COMPASS collaboration at CERN has investigated the \pi^- \gamma -> \pi^- \pi^- \pi^+ reaction at center-of-momentum energy below five pion masses, sqrt(s) < 5 m(\pi), embedded in the Primakoff reaction of 190 GeV pions impinging on a lead target. Exchange of quasi-real photons is selected by isolating the sharp Coulomb peak observed at smallest momentum transfers, t' < 0.001 (GeV/c)^2. Using partial-wave analysis techniques, the scattering intensity of Coulomb production described in terms of chiral dynamics and its dependence on the 3\pi-invariant mass m(3\pi) = sqrt(s) were extracted. The absolute cross section was determined in seven bins of $\sqrt{s}$ with an overall precision of 20%. At leading order, the result is found to be in good agreement with the prediction of chiral perturbation theory over the whole energy range investigated.

JHEP

The ATLAS experiment at the LHC has measured the production cross section of events with two isolated photons in the final state, in proton-proton collisions at . The full data set collected in 2011, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb(−1), is used. The amount of background, from hadronic jets and isolated electrons, is estimated with data-driven techniques and subtracted. The total cross section, for two isolated photons with transverse energies above 25 GeV and 22 GeV respectively, in the acceptance of the electromagnetic calorimeter (|η| < 1.37 and 1.52 < |η| < 2.37) and with an angular separation ΔR > 0.4, is pb. The differential cross sections as a function of the di-photon invariant mass, transverse momentum, azimuthal separation, and cosine of the polar angle of the largest transverse energy photon in the Collins-Soper di-photon rest frame are also measured. The results are compared to the prediction of leading-order parton-shower and next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order parton-level generators.

JHEP

A search for resonances produced in 7 TeV proton-proton collisions and decaying into top-quark pairs is described. In this Letter events where the top-quark decay produces two massive jets with large transverse momenta recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are considered. Two techniques that rely on jet substructure are used to separate top-quark jets from those arising from light quarks and gluons. In addition, each massive jet is required to have evidence of an associated bottom-quark decay. The data are consistent with the Standard Model, and limits can be set on the production cross section times branching fraction of a Z' boson and a Kaluza-Klein gluon resonance. These limits exclude, at the 95% credibility level, Z' bosons with masses 0.70-1.00 TeV as well as 1.28-1.32 TeV and Kaluza-Klein gluons with masses 0.70-1.62 TeV.

JHEP

A search for neutral Higgs bosons of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is reported. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The data were recorded in 2011 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(−1) to 4.8 fb(−1). Higgs boson decays into oppositely-charged muon or τ lepton pairs are considered for final states requiring either the presence or absence of b-jets. No statistically significant excess over the expected background is observed and exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are derived. The exclusion limits are for the production cross-section of a generic neutral Higgs boson, ϕ, as a function of the Higgs boson mass and for h/A/H production in the MSSM as a function of the parameters m ( )A( ) and tan β in the scenario for m ( )A( ) in the range of 90 GeV to 500 GeV.

JHEP

The cross sections for inelastic photoproduction of J/ψ and ψ′ mesons have been measured in ep collisions with the ZEUS detector at HERA, using an integrated luminosity of 468 pb(−1) collected in the period 1996–2007. The ψ′ to J/ψ cross section ratio was measured in the range 0.55 < z < 0.9 and 60 < W < 190 GeV as a function of W, z and p ( )T( ). Here W denotes the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy, z is the fraction of the incident photon energy carried by the meson and p ( )T( ) is the transverse momentum of the meson with respect to the beam axis. The J/ψ cross sections were measured for 0.1 < z < 0.9, 60 < W < 240 GeV and p ( )T( )  > 1 GeV. Theoretical predictions within the non-relativistic QCD framework including NLO colour-singlet and colour-octet contributions were compared to the data, as were predictions based on the k ( )T( )-factorisation approach.

Nucl.Phys.B

Inclusive-jet cross sections have been measured in the reaction ep→e+jet+X for photon virtuality Q2<1 GeV2 and γp centre-of-mass energies in the region 14217 GeV and −1<ηjet<2.5 . In addition, measurements of double-differential inclusive-jet cross sections are presented as functions of ETjet in different regions of ηjet . Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations give a good description of the measurements, except for jets with low ETjet and high ηjet . The influence of non-perturbative effects not related to hadronisation was studied. Measurements of the ratios of cross sections using different jet algorithms are also presented; the measured ratios are well described by calculations including up to O(αs2) terms. Values of αs(MZ) were extracted from the measurements and the energy-scale dependence of the coupling was determined. The value of αs(MZ) extracted from the measurements based on the kT jet algorithm is αs(MZ)=0.1206−0.0022+0.0023(exp.)−0.0035+0.0042(th.) ; the results from the anti- kT and SIScone algorithms are compatible with this value and have a similar precision.

JINST

The ``Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon Time-Projection Chamber'' (NEXT) is intended to investigate the neutrinoless double beta decay of (136)Xe, which requires a severe suppression of potential backgrounds. An extensive screening and material selection process is underway for NEXT since the control of the radiopurity levels of the materials to be used in the experimental set-up is a must for rare event searches. First measurements based on Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry and gamma-ray spectroscopy using ultra-low background germanium detectors at the Laboratorio Subterr&apos,aneo de Canfranc (Spain) are described here. Activity results for natural radioactive chains and other common radionuclides are summarized, being the values obtained for some materials like copper and stainless steel very competitive. The implications of these results for the NEXT experiment are also discussed.

JINST

NEXT-DEMO is a large-scale prototype of the NEXT-100 detector, an electroluminescent time projection chamber that will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of \XE using 100–150 kg of enriched xenon gas. NEXT-DEMO was built to prove the expected performance of NEXT-100, namely, energy resolution better than 1% FWHM at 2.5 MeV and event topological reconstruction. In this paper we describe the prototype and its initial results. A resolution of 1.75% FWHM at 511 keV (which extrapolates to 0.8% FWHM at 2.5 MeV) was obtained at 10 bar pressure using a gamma-ray calibration source. Also, a basic study of the event topology along the longitudinal coordinate is presented, proving that it is possible to identify the distinct dE/dx of electron tracks in high-pressure xenon using an electroluminescence TPC.

Phys. Rev. D

The first observation of the decays $\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\bar{B}^0\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-$ are reported using an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb experiment. The branching fractions, normalized with respect to $\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ and $\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-$, respectively, are measured to be {\br(\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-)\over\br(\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-)} &= (5.2\pm0.5\pm0.3)\times10^{-2}, {\br(\bar{B}^0\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-)\over\br(\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+K^-^\pi^+\pi^-)} &= 0.54\pm0.07\pm0.07, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The $\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+K^-\pi^+\pi^-$ decay is of particular interest as it can be used to measure the weak phase $\gamma$. First observation of the $\bar{B}^0_s\to D_{s1}(2536)^+\pi^-, D_{s1}^+\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+$ decay is also presented, and its branching fraction relative to $\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ is found to be {\br(\bar{B}^0_s\to D_{s1}(2536)^+\pi^-, D_{s1}^+\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+)\over\br(\bar{B}^0_{s}\to D_s^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-)} &= (4.0\pm1.0\pm0.4)\times10^{-3}.

Phys.Lett.B

The COMPASS Collaboration at CERN has measured the transverse spin azimuthal asymmetry of charged hadrons produced in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering using a 160 GeV μ+ beam and a transversely polarised NH 3 target. The Collins asymmetry of the proton was extracted in the Bjorken x range 0.003