Abstract: This article reports on a search for dark matter pair production in association with bottom or top quarks in 20.3 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected at root s = 8 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with large missing transverse momentum are selected when produced in association with high-momentum jets of which one or more are identified as jets containing b-quarks. Final states with top quarks are selected by requiring a high jet multiplicity and in some cases a single lepton. The data are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectations and limits are set on the mass scale of effective field theories that describe scalar and tensor interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles. Limits on the dark-matter-nucleon cross-section for spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions are also provided. These limits are particularly strong for low-mass dark matter. Using a simplified model, constraints are set on the mass of dark matter and of a coloured mediator suitable to explain a possible signal of annihilating dark matter.

Abstract: This Letter presents a search at the LHC for s-channel single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analyzed data set was recorded by the ATLAS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1). Selected events contain one charged lepton, large missing transverse momentum and exactly two b-tagged jets. A multivariate event classifier based on boosted decision trees is developed to discriminate s-channel single top-quark events from the main background contributions. The signal extraction is based on a binned maximum-likelihood fit of the output classifier distribution. The analysis leads to an upper limit on the s-channel single topquark production cross-section of 14.6 pb at the 95% confidence level. The fit gives a cross-section of sigma(s) = 5.0 +/- 4.3 pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation.

Abstract: This Letter presents a search for a hidden-beauty counterpart of the X(3872) in the mass ranges of 10.05-10.31 GeV and 10.40-11.00 GeV, in the channel X-b -> pi(+)pi(-)gamma(1S)(-> mu(+)mu(-)), using 16.2 fb(-1) of root s = 8 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No evidence for new narrow states is found, and upper limits are set on the product of the Xb cross section and branching fraction, relative to those of the gamma(25), at the 95% confidence level using the CLs approach. These limits range from 0.8% to 4.0%, depending on mass. For masses above 10.1 GeV, the expected upper limits from this analysis are the most restrictive to date. Searches for production of the gamma(1(3)D(J)), gamma(10860), and gamma(11 020) states also reveal no significant signals.

Abstract: This Letter presents a search for new resonances decaying to final states with a vector boson produced in association with a high transverse momentum photon, V gamma, with V = W(-> l nu) or Z(-> l(+)l(-)), where l = μor mu. The measurements use 20.3fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are found, and production cross section limits are set at 95% confidence level. Masses of the hypothetical a(T) and omega(T) states of a benchmark Low Scale Technicolor model are excluded in the ranges [275, 960] GeV and [200, 700]boolean OR[750, 890] GeV, respectively. Limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a singlet scalar resonance decaying to Z gamma final states have also been obtained for masses below 1180 GeV.

Abstract: This Letter presents measurements of correlated production of nearby jets in Pb+Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement was performed using 0.14 nb(-1)of data recorded in 2011. The production of correlated jet pairs was quantified using the rate, R-Delta R, of “neighbouring” jets that accompany “test” jets within a given range of angular distance, Delta R, in the pseudorapidity-azimuthal angle plane. The jets were measured in the ATLAS calorimeter and were reconstructed using the anti-ktalgorithm with radius parameters d = 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. R-Delta R was measured in different Pb+Pbcollision centrality bins, characterized by the total transverse energy measured in the forward calorimeters. Acentrality dependence of R-Delta R is observed for all three jet radii with R-Delta R found to be lower in central collisions than in peripheral collisions. The ratios formed by the R-Delta R values in different centrality bins and the values in the 40-80% centrality bin are presented.