Abstract: A measurement of the total ppcross section at the LHC at root s = 8TeV is presented. An integrated luminosity of 500 μb(-1) was accumulated in a special run with high-beta* beam optics to measure the differential elastic cross section as a function of the Mandelstam momentum transfer variable t. The measurement is performed with the ALFA sub-detector of ATLAS. Using a fit to the differential elastic cross section in the -t range from 0.014 GeV2 to 0.1 GeV2 to extrapolate t -> 0, the total cross section, sigma(tot)( pp -> X), is measured via the optical theorem to be sigma(tot)(pp -> X) = 96.07 +/- 0.18 (stat.) +/- 0.85 (exp.) +/- 0.31 (extr.) mb, where the first error is statistical, the second accounts for all experimental systematic uncertainties and the last is related to uncertainties in the extrapolation t -> 0. In addition, the slope of the exponential function describing the elastic cross section at small t is determined to be B = 19.74 +/- 0.05 (stat.) +/- 0.23 (syst.) GeV-2.

Abstract: Using a data sample of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), the Xi(-)(b) and Omega(-)(b) baryons are reconstructed in the Xi(-)(b) -> J/psi Xi(-) and Omega(-)(b) -> J/psi Omega(-) decay modes and their lifetimes measured to be tau(Xi(-)(b)) = 1.55(-0.09)(+0.10) (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) ps, tau(Omega(-)(b)) = 1.54(-0.21)(+0.26) (stat) +/- 0.05 (syst) ps. These are the most precise determinations to date. Both measurements are in good agreement with previous experimental results and with theoretical predictions.

Abstract: We study the f(+) form factor for the semileptonic (B) over bar (s) -> K+ l(-) (V) over bar (l) decay in a constituent quark model. The valence quark estimate is supplemented with the contribution from the (B) over bar* pole that dominates the high q(2) region. We use a multiply-subtracted Omnes dispersion relation to extend the quark model predictions from its region of applicability near q(max)(2) = (M-Bs – M-K)(2) similar to 23.75 GeV2 to all q(2) values accessible in the physical decay. To better constrain the dependence of f(+) on q(2), we fit the subtraction constants to a combined input from previous light cone sum rule by Duplancic and Melic (2008) [11] and the present quark model results. From this analysis, we obtain Gamma ( (B) over bar (s) -> K+ l(-) (V) over bar (l)) = (5.47(-0.46)(+0.54)) vertical bar Vub vertical bar(2) x 10(-9) MeV, which is about 10% and 20% higher than the predictions based on Lattice QCD and QCD light cone sum rules respectively. The former predictions, for both the form factor f(+) (q(2)) and the differential decay width, lie within the 1 sigma band of our estimated uncertainties for all q(2) values accessible in the physical decay, except for a quite small region very close to q(max)(2). Differences with the light cone sum results for the form factor f(+) are larger than 20% in the region above q(2) = 15 GeV2.

Abstract: This Letter presents evidence for the associated production of a W boson and a top quark using 2.05 fb(-1) of pp collision data at root s = 7 TeV accumulated with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on the selection of the dileptonic final states with events featuring two isolated leptons, electron or muon, with significant transverse missing momentum and at least one jet. An approach based on boosted decision trees has been developed to improve the discrimination of single top-quark Wt events from background. A template fit to the final classifier distributions is performed to determine the cross-section. The result is incompatible with the background-only hypothesis at the 3.3 sigma level, the expected sensitivity assuming the Standard Model production rate being 3.4 sigma. The corresponding cross-section is determined and found to be sigma(wt) = 16.8 +/- 2.9 (stat) +/- 4.9 (syst) pb, in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation. From this result the CKM matrix element vertical bar V-tb vertical bar = 1.03(-0.19)(+0.16) is derived assuming that the Wt production through vertical bar V-ts vertical bar and vertical bar V-td vertical bar is small. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Abstract: Results of three searches are presented for the production of supersymmetric particles decaying into final states with missing transverse momentum and exactly two isolated leptons, e or mu. The analysis uses a data sample collected during the first half of 2011 that corresponds to a total integrated luminosity of 1 fb(-1) of root s = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Opposite-sign and same-sign dilepton events are separately studied, with no deviations from the Standard Model expectation observed. Additionally, in opposite-sign events, a search is made for an excess of same-flavour over different-flavour lepton pairs. Effective production cross sections in excess of 9.9 fb for opposite-sign events containing supersymmetric particles with missing transverse momentum greater than 250 GeV are excluded at 95% CL For same-sign events containing supersymmetric particles with missing transverse momentum greater than 100 GeV, effective production cross sections in excess of 14.8 fb are excluded at 95% CL The latter limit is interpreted in a simplified electroweak gaugino production model excluding chargino masses up to 200 GeV, under the assumption that slepton decay is dominant.