Abstract: This paper presents a measurement of the production cross-section of aZboson in association withb-jets, in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.6 fb(-1). Inclusive and differential cross-sections are measured for events containing aZboson decaying into electrons or muons and produced in association with at least one or at least two b-jets with transverse momentum p(T)>20 GeV and rapidity vertical bar y vertical bar <2.5. Predictions from several Monte Carlo generators based on leading-order (LO) or next-to-leading-order (NLO) matrix elements interfaced with a parton-shower simulation and testing different flavour schemes for the choice of initial-state partons are compared with measured cross-sections. The 5-flavour number scheme predictions at NLO accuracy agree better with data than 4-flavour number scheme ones. The 4-flavour number scheme predictions underestimate data in events with at least one b-jet.

Abstract: This paper describes precision measurements of the transverse momentum p(T)(ll) (l = e, mu) and of the angular variable phi(eta)*. distributions of Drell-Yan lepton pairs in a mass range of 66-116 GeV. The analysis uses data from 36.1 fb(-1) ovf proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. Measurements in electron-pair and muon-pair final states are performed in the same fiducial volumes, corrected for detector effects, and combined. Compared to previous measurements in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 and 8 TeV, these new measurements probe perturbative QCD at a higher centre-of-mass energy with a different composition of initial states. They reach a precision of 0.2% for the normalized spectra at low values of p(T)(ll). The data are compared with different QCD predictions, where it is found that predictions based on resummation approaches can describe the full spectrum within uncertainties.

Abstract: We apply the diabatic formalism, first introduced in molecular physics, to the description of heavy-quark mesons. In this formalism the dynamics is completely described by a diabatic potential matrix whose elements can be derived from unquenched lattice QCD studies of string breaking. For energies far below the lowest open flavor meson-meson threshold, the resulting diabatic approach reduces to the well-known Born-Oppenheimer approximation where heavy-quark meson masses correspond to energy levels in an effective quark-antiquark potential. For energies close below or above that threshold, where the Born-Oppenheimer approximation fails, this approach provides a set of coupled Schrodinger equations incorporating meson-meson components nonperturbatively, i.e., beyond loop corrections. A spectral study of heavy mesons containing c (c) over bar with masses below 4.1 GeV is carried out within this framework. From it a unified description of conventional as well as unconventional resonances comes out.

Abstract: Current LHC searches for nonsupersymmetric singly charged scalars, based on two-Higgs-doublet models, in general, focus the analysis in third-generation fermions in the final state. However, singly charged scalars in alternative extensions of the scalar sector involve Yukawa couplings not proportional to the mass of the fermions. Assuming the scalar decays into electrons and muons, it can manifest cleaner experimental signatures. In this paper, we suggest that a singly charged scalar singlet, with electroweak production, can start to be probed in the near future with dedicated search strategies. Depending on the strength of the Yukawa couplings, two independent scenarios arc considered: direct pair production (small couplings) and single production via a virtual neutrino exchange (large couplings). We show that, up to a mass as large as 500 GeV, most of the parameter space could be excluded at the 95% C.L. in a high-luminosity phase of the LHC. Our results also apply to other frameworks, provided the singly charged scalar exhibits similar production patterns and dominant decay modes.

Abstract: We studied the proton-rich T-z = -1 nucleus Kr-70 through inelastic scattering at intermediate energies in order to extract the reduced transition probability, B(E2; 0+ -> 2+). Comparison with the other members of the A = 70 isospin triplet, Br-70 and Se-70, studied in the same experiment, shows a 3 sigma deviation from the expected linearity of the electromagnetic matrix elements as a function of T-z. At present, no established nuclear structure theory can describe this observed deviation quantitatively. This is the first violation of isospin symmetry at this level observed in the transition matrix elements. A heuristic approach may explain the anomaly by a shape change between the mirror nuclei Kr-70 and Se-70 contrary to the model predictions.