Abstract: Simultaneous measurements of the t (t) over bar, W+W-, and Z/gamma* -> tau tau production cross-sections using an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 7 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 next-to-leading-order predictions for t (t) over bar and Z/gamma* -> tau tau underestimate the data, while those at next-to-next-to-leading-order generally describe the data well. The full cross-sections are measured to be sigma(t (t) over bar) = 181.2 +/- 2.8(-9.5)(+9.7) +/- 3.3 +/- 3.3 pb, sigma(W+W-) = 53.3 +/- 2.7(-8.0)(+7.3) +/- 1.0 +/- 0.5 pb, and sigma(Z/gamma* -> tau tau) = 1174 +/- 24(-87)(+72) +/- 21 +/- 9 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 -> W+W-.

Abstract: Solutions to the backreaction equation in 1 + 1-dimensional semiclassical electrodynamics are obtained and analyzed when considering a time-varying homogeneous electric field initially generated by a classical electric current, coupled to either a quantized scalar field or a quantized spin-1/2 field. Particle production by way of the Schwinger effect leads to backreaction effects that modulate the electric field strength. Details of the particle production process are investigated along with the transfer of energy between the electric field and the particles. The validity of the semiclassical approximation is also investigated using a criterion previously implemented for chaotic inflation and, in an earlier form, semiclassical gravity. The criterion states that the semiclassical approximation will break down if any linearized gauge-invariant quantity constructed from solutions to the linear response equation, with finite nonsingular data, grows rapidly for some period of time. Approximations to homogeneous solutions of the linear response equation are computed and it is found that the criterion is violated when the maximum value, E-max, obtained by the electric field is of the order of the critical scale for the Schwinger effect, E-max similar to E-crit m(2)/q, where m is the mass of the quantized field and q is its electric charge. For these approximate solutions the criterion appears to be satisfied in the extreme limits qE(max)/m(2) << 1 and qE(max)/m(2) >> 1.

Abstract: Sterile neutrinos with masses in the range of 1-100 GeV have been searched for in a variety of experiments. Here, we discuss the prospects of searching for sterile neutrinos at the LHC using displaced vertices. Two different cases are discussed: (i) the standard model extended with sterile neutrinos, and (ii) right-handed neutrinos in a left-right symmetric extension of the standard model. A dedicated displaced vertex search will allow us to probe parts of the parameter space not accessible to other searches, but both cases will require a large luminosity.

Abstract: Structure of the decay B0s. J=.pp- is studied using data corresponding to 3 fb- 1 of integrated luminosity from pp collisions produced by the LHC and collected by the LHCb detector. Five interfering pp- states are required to describe the decay: F-0(980), F-0(1500), F-0(1790), F-2 (1270) and F-2(1525) An alternative model including these states and a nonresonant J=.pp- component also provides a good description of the data. Based on the different transversity components measured for the spin- 2 intermediate states, the final state is found to be compatible with being entirely CP odd. The CP- even part is found to be < 2.3% at a 95% confidence level. The f 0d500 state is not observed, allowing a limit to be set on the absolute value of the mixing angle with the f 0d980 of < 7.7 at a 90% confidence level, consistent with a tetraquark interpretation of the f(0)(980) substructure.

Abstract: Supersymmetry has often been invoked as the new physics that might reconcile the experimental muon magnetic anomaly, a(mu), with the theoretical prediction (basing the computation of the hadronic contribution on e(+)e(-) data). However, in the context of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM), the required supersymmetric contributions (which grow with decreasing supersymmetric masses) are in potential tension with a possibly large Higgs mass (which requires large stop masses). In the limit of very large m(h) supersymmetry gets decoupled, and the CMSSM must show the same discrepancy as the standard model with a(mu). But it is much less clear for which size of m(h) does the tension start to be unbearable. In this paper, we quantify this tension with the help of Bayesian techniques. We find that for m(h) >= 125 GeV the maximum level of discrepancy given the current data (similar to 3.2 sigma) is already achieved. Requiring less than 3 sigma discrepancy, implies m(h) less than or similar to 120 GeV. For a larger Higgs mass we should give up either the CMSSM model or the computation of a(mu) based on e(+)e(-); or accept living with such an inconsistency.