Abstract: This Letter presents a search for quantum black-hole production using 20.3 fb(-1) of data collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The quantum black holes are assumed to decay into a final state characterized by a lepton (electron or muon) and a jet. In either channel, no event with a lepton-jet invariant mass of 3.5 TeV or more is observed, consistent with the expected background. Limits are set on the product of cross sections and branching fractions for the lepton + jet final states of quantum black holes produced in a search region for invariant masses above 1 TeV. The combined 95% confidence level upper limit on this product for quantum black holes with threshold mass above 3.5 TeV is 0.18 fb. This limit constrains the threshold quantum black-hole mass to be above 5.3 TeV in the model considered.

Abstract: Using a sample of dilepton top-quark pair ((tt) over bar) candidate events, a study is performed of the production of top-quark pairs together with heavy-flavor (HF) quarks, the sum of (tt) over bar + b + X and (tt) over bar + c + X, collectively referred to as (tt) over bar + HF. The data set used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The presence of additional HF (b or c) quarks in the (tt) over bar sample is inferred by looking for events with at least three b-tagged jets, where two are attributed to the b quarks from the (tt) over bar decays and the third to additional HF production. The dominant background to (tt) over bar + HF in this sample is (tt) over bar + jet events in which a light-flavor jet is misidentified as a heavy-flavor jet. To determine the heavy-and light-flavor content of the additional b-tagged jets, a fit to the vertex mass distribution of b-tagged jets in the sample is performed. The result of the fit shows that 79 +/- 14 (stat) +/- 22 (syst) of the 105 selected extra b-tagged jets originate from HF quarks, 3 standard deviations away from the hypothesis of zero (tt) over bar + HF production. The result for extra HF production is quoted as a ratio (R-HF) of the cross section for (tt) over bar + HF production to the cross section for (tt) over bar production with at least one additional jet. Both cross sections are measured in a fiducial kinematic region within the ATLAS acceptance. R-HF is measured to be [6.2 +/- 1.1(stat) +/- 1.8 (syst)]% for jets with p(T) > 25 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5, in agreement with the expectations from Monte Carlo generators.

Abstract: Measurements of four-lepton (4l, l = e,mu) production cross sections at the Z resonance in pp collisions at the LHC with the ATLAS detector are presented. For dilepton and four-lepton invariant mass regions m (l+l)- > 5 GeV and 80 < m(4l) < 100 GeV, the measured cross sections are 76 +/- 18(stat) +/- 4(syst) +/- 1.4(lumi) fb and 107 +/- 9(stat) +/- 4(syst) +/- 3.0(lumi) fb at root s=7 and 8 TeV, respectively. By subtracting the nonresonant 4l production contributions and normalizing with Z -> mu(+)mu(-) events, the branching fraction for the Z boson decay to 4l is determined to be (3.20 +/- 0.25(stat) +/- 0.13(syst)) x10(-6), consistent with the standard model prediction.

Abstract: A search is presented for direct top squark pair production using events with at least two leptons including a same-flavour opposite-sign pair with invariant mass consistent with the boson mass, jets tagged as originating from -quarks and missing transverse momentum. The analysis is performed with proton-proton collision data at collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb. No excess beyond the Standard Model expectation is observed. Interpretations of the results are provided in models based on the direct pair production of the heavier top squark state () followed by the decay to the lighter top squark state () via , and for pair production in natural gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking scenarios where the neutralino () is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle and decays producing a boson and a gravitino () via the process.

Abstract: A measurement is presented of the phi x BR(phi -> K+ K-) production cross section at root s = 7 TeV using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 383 μb(-1), collected with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Selection of phi(1020) mesons is based on the identification of charged kaons by their energy loss in the pixel detector. The differential cross section is measured as a function of the transverse momentum, pT, phi, and rapidity, y(phi), of the phi(1020) meson in the fiducial region 500 < pT,phi < 1200MeV, vertical bar y phi| < 0.8, kaon p(T), (K) > 230 MeV and kaon momentum p(K) < 800 MeV. The integrated phi(1020)-meson production cross section in this fiducial range is measured to be sigma(phi) x BR(phi -> K+ K-) = 570 +/- 8 (stat) +/- 66 (syst) +/- 20 (lumi) μb.