Abstract: It is well known that in the MSSM the lightest neutral Higgs h(0) must be, at the tree level, lighter than the Z boson and that the loop corrections shift this stringent upper bound up to about 130GeV. Extending the MSSM gauge group in a suitable way, the new Higgs sector dynamics can push the tree-level mass of h(0) well above the tree-level MSSM limit if it couples to the new gauge sector. This effect is further pronounced at the loop level and h(0) masses in the 140GeV ballpark can be reached easily. We exemplify this for a sample setting with a low-scale U(1)(R) x U(1)(B-L) gauge symmetry in which neutrino masses can be implemented via the inverse seesaw mechanism.

Abstract: An inclusive search is presented for new physics in events with two isolated leptons (e or mu) having the same electric charge. The data are selected from events collected from pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV by the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The spectra in dilepton invariant mass, missing transverse momentum and jet multiplicity are presented and compared to Standard Model predictions. In this event sample, no evidence is found for contributions beyond those of the Standard Model. Limits are set on the cross-section in a ducial region for new sources of same-sign high-mass dilepton events in the ee, emu and mumu channels. Four models predicting same-sign dilepton signals are constrained: two descriptions of Majorana neutrinos, a cascade topology similar to supersymmetry or universal extra dimensions, and fourth generation d-type quarks. Assuming a new physics scale of 1 TeV, Majorana neutrinos produced by an effective operator V with masses below 460 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. A lower limit of 290 GeV is set at 95% confidence level on the mass of fourth generation d-type quarks.

Abstract: We present a measurement of two-particle angular correlations in proton-proton collisions at root s = 900 GeV and 7 TeV. The collision events were collected during 2009 and 2010 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using a single-arm minimum bias trigger. Correlations are measured for charged particles produced in the kinematic range of transverse momentum p(T) > 100 MeV and pseudorapidity vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5. A complex structure in pseudorapidity and azimuth is observed at both collision energies. Results are compared to PYTHIA 8 and HERWIG++ as well as to the AMBT2B, DW and Perugia 2011 tunes of PYTHIA 6. The data are not satisfactorily described by any of these models.

Abstract: Recent data from long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments have provided new information on theta(13), hinting that 0.01 less than or similar to sin(2) 2 theta(13) less than or similar to 0.1 at 2 sigma confidence level. In the near future, further confirmation of this result with high significance will have a crucial impact on the optimization of the future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments designed to probe the neutrino mass ordering and leptonic CP violation. In this context, we expound in detail the physics reach of an experimental setup where neutrinos produced in a conventional wide-band beam facility at CERN are observed in a proposed Giant Liquid Argon detector at the Pyhasalmi mine, at a distance of 2290 km. Due to the strong matter effects and the high detection efficiency at both the first and second oscillation maxima, this particular setup would have unprecedented sensitivity to the neutrino mass ordering and leptonic CP violation in the light of the emerging hints of large theta(13). With a 10 to 20 kt 'pilot' detector and just a few years of neutrino beam running, the neutrino mass hierarchy could be determined, irrespective of the true values of delta(CP) and the mass hierarchy, at 3 sigma (5 sigma) confidence level if sin(2) 2 theta(13)(true) = 0.05 (0.1). With the same exposure, we start to have 3 sigma sensitivity to CP violation if sin(2) 2 theta(13)(true) > 0.05, in particular testing maximally CP-violating scenarios at a high confidence level. After optimizing the neutrino and anti-neutrino running fractions, we study the performance of the setup as a function of the exposure, identifying three milestones to have roughly 30%, 50% and 70% coverage in delta(CP) (true) for 3 sigma CP violation discovery. For comparison, we also study the CERN to Slanic baseline of 1540 km. This work nicely demonstrates that an incremental program, staged in terms of the exposure, can achieve the desired physics goals within a realistically feasible timescale, and produce significant new results at each stage.

Abstract: A measurement is reported of the production cross section of top-quark pairs (t (t) over bar) in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Candidate events have a signature consistent with containing two isolated leptons, large missing transverse momentum, and at least two jets. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.70 fb(-1), a t (t) over bar production cross section sigma(t (t) over bar) = 176 +/- 5(stat.)(-11)(+14)(syst.) +/- 8(lum.) pb is measured for an assumed top-quark mass of m(t) = 172.5 GeV. This measurement is in good agreement with Standard Model predictions.