Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-09-09
Abstract: A measurement of the Higgs boson mass is presented based on the combined data samples of the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the CERN LHC in the H→γγ and H→ZZ→4ℓ decay channels. The results are obtained from a simultaneous fit to the reconstructed invariant mass peaks in the two channels and for the two experiments. The measured masses from the individual channels and the two experiments are found to be consistent among themselves. The combined measured mass of the Higgs boson is mH=125.09±0.21(stat.)±0.11(syst.) GeV.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: The production of W±Z events in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The collected data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1. The W±Z candidates are reconstructed using leptonic decays of the gauge bosons into electrons or muons. The measured inclusive cross section in the detector fiducial region for leptonic decay modes is σfid.W±Z→ℓ′νℓℓ=63.2±3.2 (stat.) ±2.6 (sys.) ±1.5 (lumi.) fb. In comparison, the next-to-leading-order Standard Model prediction is 53.4+3.6−2.8 fb. The extrapolation of the measurement from the fiducial to the total phase space yields σtot.W±Z=50.6±2.6 (stat.) ±2.0 (sys.) ±0.9 (th.) ±1.2 (lumi.) pb, in agreement with a recent next-to-next-to-leading-order calculation of 48.2+1.1−1.0 pb. The cross section as a function of jet multiplicity is also measured, together with the charge-dependent W+Z and W−Z cross sections and their ratio.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: A search for W′ bosons in events with one lepton (electron or muon) and missing transverse momentum is presented. The search uses 3.2 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at s√=13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015. The transverse mass distribution is examined and no significant excess of events above the level expected from Standard Model processes is observed. Upper limits on the W′boson cross-section times branching ratio to leptons are set as a function of the W′ mass. Assuming a W′ boson as predicted by the Sequential Standard Model, W′ masses below 4.07 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level. This extends the limit set using LHC data at s√=8 TeV by around 800 GeV.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: The results of a search for the stop, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, in final states with one isolated electron or muon, jets, and missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses the 2015 LHC pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1. The analysis targets two types of signal models: gluino-mediated pair production of stops with a nearly mass-degenerate stop and neutralino; and direct pair production of stops, decaying to the top quark and the lightest neutralino. The experimental signature in both signal scenarios is similar to that of a top quark pair produced in association with large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits on gluino and stop masses are set at 95% confidence level. The results extend the LHC Run-1 exclusion limit on the gluino mass up to 1460 GeV in the gluino-mediated scenario in the high gluino and low stop mass region, and add an excluded stop mass region from 745 to 780 GeV for the direct stop model with a massless lightest neutralino. The results are also reinterpreted to set exclusion limits in a model of vector-like top quarks.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: Searches for new resonances decaying into two photons in the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are described. The analysis is based on proton--proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1 at s√=13 TeV recorded in 2015. Two searches are performed, one targeted at a spin-2 particle of mass larger than 500 GeV, using Randall--Sundrum graviton states as a benchmark model, and one optimized for a spin-0 particle of mass larger than 200 GeV. Varying both the mass and the decay width, the most significant deviation from the background-only hypothesis is observed at a diphoton invariant mass around 750 GeV with local significances of 3.8 and 3.9 standard deviations in the searches optimized for a spin-2 and spin-0 particle, respectively. The global significances are estimated to be 2.1 standard deviations for both analyses. The consistency between the data collected at 13 TeV and 8 TeV is also evaluated. Limits on the production cross section times branching ratio to two photons for the two resonance types are reported.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: This paper describes a measurement of the inclusive top quark pair production cross-section (σtt¯) with a data sample of 3.2 fb−1 of proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV, collected in 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This measurement uses events with an opposite-charge electron--muon pair in the final state. Jets containing b-quarks are tagged using an algorithm based on track impact parameters and reconstructed secondary vertices. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two b-tagged jets are counted and used to determine simultaneously σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and b-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section is measured to be: σtt¯= 818 ± 8 (stat) ± 27 (syst) ± 19 (lumi) ± 12 (beam) pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total relative uncertainty of 4.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. A fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons is also presented.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: This Letter presents a measurement of the inelastic proton-proton cross section using 60 μb−1 of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy s√ of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Inelastic interactions are selected using plastic scintillators in the forward region of the detector. A cross section of 68.2±1.5 mb is measured in the fiducial region ξ=M2X/s>10−6, where MX is the largest invariant mass of the two hadronic systems separated by the largest rapidity gap in the event. In this ξ range the scintillators are highly efficient. For diffractive events this corresponds to cases where at least one proton dissociates to a system with MX>13 GeV. The measured cross section is compared with a range of theoretical predictions. When extrapolated to the full phase space, a cross-section of 79.3±2.9 mb is measured, consistent with the inelastic cross section increasing with center-of-mass energy.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb−1 of proton--proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at s√=13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Exclusion limits are set for models of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: A search with the ATLAS detector is presented for the Standard Model Higgs boson produced by vector-boson fusion and decaying to a pair of bottom quarks, using 20.2 fb−1 of LHC proton--proton collision data at s√ = 8 TeV. The signal is searched for as a resonance in the invariant mass distribution of a pair of jets containing b-hadrons in vector-boson-fusion candidate events. The yield is measured to be −0.8±2.3 times the Standard Model cross-section for a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV. The upper limit on the cross-section times the branching ratio is found to be 4.4 times the Standard Model cross-section at the 95% confidence level, consistent with the expected limit value of 5.4 (5.7) in the background-only (Standard Model production) hypothesis.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: The top quark mass is measured in the tt¯→ dilepton channel (lepton =e,μ) using ATLAS data recorded in the year 2012 at the LHC. The data were taken at a proton--proton centre-of-mass energy of s√= 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 20.2 fb−1. Exploiting the template method, and using the distribution of invariant masses of lepton--b-jet pairs, the top quark mass is measured to be mtop= 172.99 ± 0.41 (stat) ± 0.74 (syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.84 GeV. Finally, a combination with previous ATLAS mtop measurements from s√=7 TeV data in the tt¯→ dilepton and tt¯→ lepton+jets channels results in mtop= 172.84 ± 0.34 (stat) ± 0.61 (syst) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 0.70 GeV.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: The algorithms used by the ATLAS Collaboration to reconstruct and identify prompt photons are described. Measurements of the photon identification efficiencies are reported, using 4.9 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at the LHC at s√=7 TeV and 20.3 fb−1 at s√=8 TeV. The efficiencies are measured separately for converted and unconverted photons, in four different pseudo rapidity regions, for transverse momenta between 10 GeV and 1.5 TeV. The results from the combination of three data-driven techniques are compared to the predictions from a simulation of the detector response, after correcting the electromagnetic shower momenta in the simulation for the average differences observed with respect to data. Data-to-simulation efficiency ratios used as correction factors in physics measurements are determined to account for the small residual efficiency differences. These factors are measured with uncertainties between 0.5% and 10% in 7 TeV data and between 0.5% and 3% in 8 TeV data, depending on the photon transverse momentum and pseudorapidity.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: This paper presents a measurement of the double-differential cross section for the Drell-Yan Z/γ∗→ℓ+ℓ− and photon-induced γγ→ℓ+ℓ− processes where ℓ is an electron or muon. The measurement is performed for invariant masses of the lepton pairs, mℓℓ, between 116 GeV and 1500 GeV, using a sample of 20.3 fb−1 of pp collisions data at centre-of-mass energy of s√ = 8 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012. The data are presented double differentially in invariant mass and absolute dilepton rapidity as well as in invariant mass and absolute pseudorapidity separation of the lepton pair. The single-differential cross section as a function of mℓℓ is also reported. The electron and muon channel measurements are combined and a total experimental precision of better than 1% is achieved at low mℓℓ. A comparison to next-to-next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions using several recent parton distribution functions and including next-to-leading order electroweak effects indicates the potential of the data to constrain parton distribution functions. In particular, a large impact of the data on the photon PDF is demonstrated.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-29
Abstract: Measurements of distributions of charged particles produced in proton--proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are presented. The particles are required to have a transverse momentum greater than 100 MeV and an absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.5. The charged-particle multiplicity, its dependence on transverse momentum and pseudorapidity and the dependence of the mean transverse momentum on multiplicity are measured in events containing at least two charged particles satisfying the above kinematic criteria. The data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 170 μb−1. The results are corrected for detector effects and compared to the predictions from several Monte Carlo event generators.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-26
Abstract: The angular distributions of Drell-Yan charged lepton pairs around the Z-boson mass peak probe the underlying QCD dynamics of Z-boson production. This paper presents a measurement of the complete set of angular coefficients A0−7 describing these distributions in the Z-boson Collins-Soper frame. The data analysed correspond to 20.3 fb−1 of pp collisions at s√=8 TeV, collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC. The measurements are compared to the most precise fixed-order calculations currently available (O(α2s)) and with theoretical predictions embedded in Monte Carlo generators. The measurements are precise enough to probe QCD corrections beyond the formal accuracy of these calculations and to provide discrimination between different parton-shower models. A significant deviation from the O(α2s)predictions is observed for A0−A2. Evidence is found for non-zero A5,6,7, consistent with expectations.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-26
Abstract: A search for Supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via third-generation squarks to the lightest neutralino is reported. It uses an LHC proton--proton dataset at a center-of-mass energy s√=13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015. The signal is searched for in events containing several energetic jets, of which at least three must be identified as b-jets, large missing transverse momentum and, potentially, isolated electrons or muons. Large-radius jets with a high mass are also used to identify highly boosted top quarks. No excess is found above the predicted background. For neutralino masses below approximately 700 GeV, gluino masses of less than 1.78 TeV and 1.76 TeV are excluded at the 95% CL in simplified models of the pair production of gluinos decaying via sbottom and stop, respectively. These results significantly extend the exclusion limits obtained with the s√=8 TeV dataset.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-26
Abstract: This paper presents the measurement of the relative width difference ΔΓd/Γd of the B0-B¯0 system using the data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV and s√=8TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 25.2 fb−1. The value of ΔΓd/Γd is obtained by comparing the decay-time distributions of B0→J/ψKS and B0→J/ψK∗0(892) decays. The result is ΔΓd/Γd=(−0.1±1.1 (stat.)±0.9 (syst.))×10−2. Currently, this is the most precise single measurement of ΔΓd/Γd. It agrees with the Standard Model prediction and the measurements by other experiments.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-26
Abstract: Measurements of the per-event charged-particle yield as a function of the charged-particle transverse momentum and rapidity are performed using p+Pb collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of sNN−−−−√=5.02 TeV. Charged particles are reconstructed over pseudorapidity |η|<2.3 and transverse momentum between 0.1 GeV and 22 GeV in a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 μb−1. The results are presented in the form of charged-particle nuclear modification factors, where the p+Pb charged-particle multiplicities are compared between central and peripheral p+Pb collisions as well as to charged-particle cross sections measured in pp collisions. The p+Pb collision centrality is characterized by the total transverse energy measured in −4.9<η<−3.1, which is in the direction of the outgoing lead beam. Three different estimations of the number of nucleons participating in the p+Pb collision are carried out using the Glauber model and two Glauber-Gribov colour-fluctuation extensions to the Glauber model. The values of the nuclear modification factors are found to vary significantly as a function of rapidity and transverse momentum. A broad peak is observed for all centralities and rapidities in the nuclear modification factors for charged-particle transverse momentum values around 3 GeV. The magnitude of the peak increases for more central collisions as well as rapidity ranges closer to the direction of the outgoing lead nucleus.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-26
Abstract: An inclusive search for a new-physics signature of lepton-jet resonances has been performed by the ATLAS experiment. Scalar leptoquarks, pair-produced in pp collisions at s√ = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider have been considered. An integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1, corresponding to the full 2015 dataset was used. First (second) generation leptoquarks were sought in events with two electrons (muons) and two or more jets. The observed yield in each channel is consistent with Standard Model background expectations. The observed (expected) leptoquark mass limits at 95% confidence level are 1100 GeV and 1050 GeV (1160 GeV and 1040 GeV) for first and second generation leptoquarks, respectively, assuming a branching ratio into a charged lepton and a quark of 100%. Upper limits on the aforementioned branching ratio are also given as a function of leptoquark mass. Compared with the results of earlier ATLAS searches, the sensitivity is increased for the higher range of accessible leptoquark masses, and the observed exclusion limits confirm and extend the published results.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-25
Abstract: The results of a search for gluinos in final states with an isolated electron or muon, multiple jets and large missing transverse momentum using proton--proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of s√ = 13 TeV are presented. The dataset used was recorded in 2015 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1. Six signal selections are defined that best exploit the signal characteristics. The data agree with the Standard Model background expectation in all six signal selections, and the largest deviation is a 2.1 standard deviation excess. The results are interpreted in a simplified model where pair-produced gluinos decay via the lightest chargino to the lightest neutralino. In this model, gluinos are excluded up to masses of approximately 1.6 TeV depending on the mass spectrum of the simplified model, thus surpassing the limits of previous searches.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Physics >> Nuclear Physics submitted time 2016-08-25
Abstract: A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing hadronic jets, missing transverse momentum but no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2015 by the ATLAS experiment in s√= 13 TeV proton--proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation was observed in 3.2 fb−1 of analyzed data. Results are interpreted within simplified models that assume R-parity is conserved and the neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1.51 TeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino octet and the lightest neutralino, assuming the lightest neutralino is massless. For a simplified model involving the strong production of mass-degenerate first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 1.03 TeV are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino. These limits substantially extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous measurements with the ATLAS detector.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review