Abstract: The production cross sections of top-quark pairs in association with massive vector bosons have been measured using data from pp collisions at root s = 8 TeV. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1) collected by the ATLAS detector in 2012 at the LHC. Final states with two, three or four leptons are considered. A fit to the data considering the t (t) over barW and t (t) over barZ processes simultaneously yields a significance of 5.0 sigma (4.2 sigma) over the background-only hypothesis for t (t) over barW (t (t) over barZ) production. The measured cross sections are sigma(t (t) over barW) = 369(-91)(+100) fb and sigma(t (t) over barZ) = 176(-52)(+58) fb. The background-only hypothesis with neither t (t) over barW nor t (t) over barZ production is excluded at 7.1 sigma. All measurements are consistent with next-to-leading-order calculations for the t (t) over barW and t (t) over barZ processes.

Abstract: The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb(-1) of pp collision data at root s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96(-0.30)(+0.26) at Q (2) = 1.9 GeV2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio sigma(W (+) +)/sigma(W (-) + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s-(s) over bar quark asymmetry.

Abstract: Knowledge of the material in the ATLAS inner tracking detector is crucial in under-standing the reconstruction of charged-particle tracks, the performance of algorithms that identify jets containing b-hadrons and is also essential to reduce background in searches for exotic particles that can decay within the inner detector volume. Interactions of primary hadrons produced in pp collisions with the material in the inner detector are used to map the location and amount of this material. The hadronic interactions of primary particles may result in secondary vertices, which in this analysis are reconstructed by an inclusive vertex-finding algorithm. Data were collected using minimum-bias triggers by the ATLAS detector operating at the LHC during 2010 at centre-of-mass energy root s = 7 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19 nb(-1). Kinematic properties of these secondary vertices are used to study the validity of the modelling of hadronic interactions in simulation. Secondary-vertex yields are compared between data and simulation over a volume of about 0.7m(3) around the interaction point, and agreement is found within overall uncertainties.