Search for dark matter candidates and large extra dimensions in events with a jet and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector

A search for new phenomena in events with a high-energy jet and large missing transverse momentum is performed using data from proton-proton collisions at s√=7TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Four kinematic regions are explored using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb−1. No excess of events beyond expectations from Standard Model processes is observed, and limits are set on large extra dimensions and the pair production of dark matter particles

Search for doubly charged Higgs bosons in like-sign dilepton final states at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons decaying to pairs of electrons and/or muons is presented. The search is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4. 7 fb-1 of pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Pairs of prompt, isolated, high-pT leptons with the same electric charge (e±e±, e±μ±, μ±μ±) are selected, and their invariant mass distribution is searched for a narrow resonance. No significant excess over Standard Model background expectations is observed, and limits are placed on the cross section times branching ratio for pair production of doubly charged Higgs bosons. The masses of doubly charged Higgs bosons are constrained depending on the branching ratio into these leptonic final states. Assuming pair production, coupling to left-handed fermions, and a branching ratio of 100 % for each final state, masses below 409 GeV, 375 GeV, and 398 GeV are excluded for e±e±, e±μ±, and μ±μ±, respectively. © 2012 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration

Characterisation and mitigation of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector during the 2011 proton-proton run

"This paper presents a summary of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector and discusses methods to tag and remove background contaminated events in data. Trigger-rate based monitoring of beam-related backgrounds is presented. The correlations of backgrounds with machine conditions, such as residual pressure in the beam-pipe, are discussed. Results from dedicated beam-background simulations are shown, and their qualitative agreement with data is evaluated. Data taken during the passage of unpaired, i.e. non-colliding, proton bunches is used to obtain background-enriched data samples. These are used to identify characteristic features of beam-induced backgrounds, which then are exploited to develop dedicated background tagging tools. These tools, based on observables in the Pixel detector, the muon spectrometer and the calorimeters, are described in detail and their efficiencies are evaluated. Finally an example of an application of these techniques to a monojet analysis is given, which demonstrates the importance of such event cleaning techniques for some new physics searches.

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data at s=7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: Λ<(22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, σ<(27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and σ<(15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Λ and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. © 2012 CERN

Improved luminosity determination in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The luminosity calibration for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at [Formula: see text] in 2010 and 2011 is presented. Evaluation of the luminosity scale is performed using several luminosity-sensitive detectors, and comparisons are made of the long-term stability and accuracy of this calibration applied to the pp collisions at [Formula: see text]. A luminosity uncertainty of [Formula: see text] is obtained for the 47 pb-1 of data delivered to ATLAS in 2010, and an uncertainty of [Formula: see text] is obtained for the 5.5 fb-1 delivered in 2011

Measurement of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A study of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. In total, 317 candidates, with a background expectation of 68 +/- 10 events, are observed in double-leptonic decay final states with electrons, muons and missing transverse momentum. The total cross-section is determined to be sigma(tot)(WZ) = 19.0(-1.3)(+1.4)(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.) +/- 0.4(lumi.) pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 17.6(-1.0)(+1.1) pb. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are derived using the transverse momentum spectrum of Z bosons in the selected events. The cross-section is also presented as a function of Z boson transverse momentum and diboson invariant mass

Studies of the performance of the ATLAS detector using cosmic-ray muons

22 pages plus author list (33 pages total), 21 figures, 2 tablesMuons from cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere provide a high-statistics source of particles that can be used to study the performance and calibration of the ATLAS detector. Cosmic-ray muons can penetrate to the cavern and deposit energy in all detector subsystems. Such events have played an important role in the commissioning of the detector since the start of the installation phase in 2005 and were particularly important for understanding the detector performance in the time prior to the arrival of the first LHC beams. Global cosmic-ray runs were undertaken in both 2008 and 2009 and these data have been used through to the early phases of collision data-taking as a tool for calibration, alignment and detector monitoring. These large datasets have also been used for detector performance studies, including investigations that rely on the combined performance of different subsystems. This paper presents the results of performance studies related to combined tracking, lepton identification and the reconstruction of jets and missing transverse energy. Results are compared to expectations based on a cosmic-ray event generator and a full simulation of the detector response

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

"The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb(-1). The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 -dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m(jj) < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured b (b) over bar -dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta. RI Gutierrez, Phillip\/C-1161-2011; Ferrando, James\/A-9192-2012; collins-tooth, christopher\/A-9201-2012; Perrino, Roberto\/B-4633-2010; Laurelli, Paolo\/B-1432-2012; De Cecco, Sandro\/B-1016-2012; Stoicea, Gabriel\/B-6717-2011; branchini, paolo\/A-4857-2011; Wolter, Marcin\/A-7412-2012; Rotaru, Marina\/A-3097-2011; O'Shea, Val\/G-1279-2010; Doyle, Anthony\/C-5889-2009; Buttar, Craig\/D-3706-2011; Pina, Joao \/C-4391-2012; Takai, Helio\/C-3301-2012; St.Denis, Richard\/C-8997-2012; Jones, Roger\/H-5578-2011; Britton, David\/F-2602-2010; Li, Xuefei\/C-3861-2012; Fazio, Salvatore \/G-5156-2010; Smirnova, Lidia\/D-8089-2012; Smirnov, Sergei\/F-1014-2011; Gladilin, Leonid\/B-5226-2011; Barreiro, Fernando\/D-9808-2012; Kramarenko, Victor\/E-1781-2012; Prokoshin, Fedor\/E-2795-2012; Alexa, Calin\/F-6345-2010; Pacheco Pages, Andres\/C-5353-2011; Moorhead, Gareth\/B-6634-2009; Livan, Michele\/D-7531-2012; Petrucci, Fabrizio\/G-8348-2012; Wemans, Andre\/A-6738-2012; Fabbri, Laura\/H-3442-2012; Kurashige, Hisaya\/H-4916-2012; Villa, Mauro\/C-9883-2009; Kuzhir, Polina\/H-8653-2012; Delmastro, Marco\/I-5599-2012