ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2016). Search for invisible decays of a Higgs boson using vector-boson fusion in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 172–44pp.
Abstract: A search for a Higgs boson produced via vector-boson fusion and decaying into invisible particles is presented, using 20.3 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. For a Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV, assuming the Standard Model production cross section, an upper bound of 0.28 is set on the branching fraction of H -> invisible at 95% confidence level, where the expected upper limit is 0.31. The results are interpreted in models of Higgs-portal dark matter where the branching fraction limit is converted into upper bounds on the dark-matter-nucleon scattering cross section as a function of the dark-matter particle mass, and compared to results from the direct dark-matter detection experiments.
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Double Chooz collaboration(Abe, Y. et al), & Novella, P. (2016). Measurement of theta(13) in Double Chooz using neutron captures on hydrogen with novel background rejection techniques. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 163–29pp.
Abstract: The Double Chooz collaboration presents a measurement of the neutrino mixing angle theta(13) using reactor (nu) over bar (e) observed via the inverse beta decay reaction in which the neutron is captured on hydrogen. This measurement is based on 462.72 live days data, approximately twice as much data as in the previous such analysis, collected with a detector positioned at an average distance of 1050m from two reactor cores. Several novel techniques have been developed to achieve significant reductions of the backgrounds and systematic uncertainties. Accidental coincidences, the dominant background in this analysis, are suppressed by more than an order of magnitude with respect to our previous publication by a multi-variate analysis. These improvements demonstrate the capability of precise measurement of reactor (nu) over bar (e) without gadolinium loading. Spectral distortions from the (nu) over bar (e) reactor flux predictions previously reported with the neutron capture on gadolinium events are confirmed in the independent data sample presented here. A value of sin(2) 2 theta(13) = 0.095(0.039)(+0.039)(stat+syst) is obtained from a fit to the observed event rate as a function of the reactor power, a method insensitive to the energy spectrum shape. A simultaneous fit of the hydrogen capture events and of the gadolinium capture events yields a measurement of sin(2) 2 theta(13) = 0.088 +/- 0.033(stat+syst).
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2016). Measurement of forward W and Z boson production in pp collisions at root s=8TeV. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 155–45pp.
Abstract: Measurements are presented of electroweak boson production using data from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8TeV. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb detector. The bosons are identified in the W -> μnu and Z -> mu(+)mu(-) decay channels. The cross-sections are measured for muons in the pseudorapidity range 2.0 < eta < 4.5, with transverse momenta p(T) > 20 GeV/c and, in the case of the Z boson, a dimuon mass within 60 < M mu+mu- < 120 GeV/c(2). The results are sigma(W+) -> mu(+)nu(-) = 1093.6 +/- 2.1 +/- 7.2 +/- 10.9 +/- 12.7 pb, sigma(W-) -> mu(-)nu(-) = 818.4 +/- 1.9 +/- 5.0 +/- 7.0 +/- 9.5 pb, sigma(Z) -> mu(+)mu(-) = 95.0 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.7 +/- 1.1 +/- 1.1 pb, where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, the third are due to the knowledge of the LHC beam energy and the fourth are due to the luminosity determination. The evolution of the W and Z boson cross-sections with centre-of-mass energy is studied using previously reported measurements with 1.0 fb(-1) of data at 7 TeV. Differential distributions are also presented. Results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2016). Angular analysis of the B-0 -> K*(0) mu(+) mu(-) decay using 3 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity. J. High Energy Phys., 02(2), 104–79pp.
Abstract: An angular analysis of the B-0 -> K*(0) (-> K+pi(-))mu(+)mu(-) decay is presented. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected at the LHCb experiment. The complete angular information from the decay is used to determine CP-averaged observables and CP asymmetries, taking account of possible contamination from decays with the K+pi(-) system in an S-wave configuration. The angular observables and their correlations are reported in bins of q(2), the invariant mass squared of the dimuon system. The observables are determined both from an unbinned maximum likelihood fit and by using the principal moments of the angular distribution. In addition, by fitting for q(2)-dependent decay amplitudes in the region 1.1 < q(2) < 6.0 GeV2/(c)4, the zero-crossing points of several angular observables are computed. A global fit is performed to the complete set of CP-averaged observables obtained from the maximum likelihood fit. This fit indicates differences with predictions based on the Standard Model at the level of 3.4 standard deviations. These differences could be explained by contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model, or by an unexpectedly large hadronic effect that is not accounted for in the Standard Model predictions.
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NEXT Collaboration(Ferrario, P. et al), Laing, A., Lopez-March, N., Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Alvarez, V., Carcel, S., et al. (2016). First proof of topological signature in the high pressure xenon gas TPC with electroluminescence amplification for the NEXT experiment. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 104–18pp.
Abstract: The NEXT experiment aims to observe the neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136 in a high-pressure xenon gas TPC using electroluminescence (EL) to amplify the signal from ionization. One of the main advantages of this technology is the possibility to reconstruct the topology of events with energies close to Q(beta beta). This paper presents the first demonstration that the topology provides extra handles to reject background events using data obtained with the NEXT-DEMO prototype. Single electrons resulting from the interactions of Na-22 1275 keV gammas and electron-positron pairs produced by conversions of gammas from the Th-228 decay chain were used to represent the background and the signal in a double beta decay. These data were used to develop algorithms for the reconstruction of tracks and the identification of the energy deposited at the end-points, providing an extra background rejection factor of 24.3 +/- 1.4 (stat.)%, while maintaining an efficiency of 66.7 +/- 1.% for signal events.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2016). Search for a high-mass Higgs boson decaying to a W boson pair in pp collisions at root s=8TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 032–66pp.
Abstract: A search for a high-mass Higgs boson H is performed in the H -> WW -> l nu l nu and H -> WW -> l nu qq decay channels using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1) collected at root s = 8TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No evidence of a high-mass Higgs boson is found. Limits on sigma(H) x BR(H -> WW) as a function of the Higgs boson mass m(H) are determined in three different scenarios: one in which the heavy Higgs boson has a narrow width compared to the experimental resolution, one for a width increasing with the boson mass and modeled by the complex-pole scheme following the same behavior as in the Standard Model, and one for intermediate widths. The upper range of the search is m(H) = 1500 GeV for the narrow-width scenario and m(H) = 1000 GeV for the other two scenarios. The lower edge of the search range is 200{300 GeV and depends on the analysis channel and search scenario. For each signal interpretation, individual and combined limits from the two WW decay channels are presented. At m(H) = 1500 GeV, the highest-mass point tested, sigma(H) x BR(H -> WW) for a narrow-width Higgs boson is constrained to be less than 22 fb and 6.6 fb at 95% CL for the gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion production modes, respectively.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2016). Measurements of fiducial cross-sections for t(t)over-bar production with one or two additional b-jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV using the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 76(1), 11–37pp.
Abstract: Fiducial cross-sections for t (t) over bar production with one or two additional b-jets are reported, using an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider, collected with the ATLAS detector. The cross-section times branching ratio for t (t) over bar events with at least one additional b-jet is measured to be 950 +/- 70 (stat.)(-190)(+240) (syst.) fb in the lepton-plus-jets channel and 50 +/- 10 (stat.)(-10)(+15) (syst.) fb in the e μchannel. The cross-section times branching ratio for events with at least two additional b-jets is measured to be 19.3 +/- 3.5 (stat.) +/- 5.7 (syst.) fb in the dilepton channel (e mu, μmu, and ee) using a method based on tight selection criteria, and 13.5 +/- 3.3 (stat.) +/- 3.6 (syst.) fb using a looser selection that allows the background normalisation to be extracted from data. The latter method also measures a value of 1.30 +/- 0.33 (stat.) +/- 0.28 (syst.)% for the ratio of t (t) over bar production with two additional b-jets to t (t) over bar production with any two additional jets. All measurements are in good agreement with recent theory predictions.
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Hirsch, M., Krauss, M. E., Opferkuch, T., Porod, W., & Staub, F. (2016). A constrained supersymmetric left-right model. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 009–22pp.
Abstract: We present a supersymmetric left-right model which predicts gauge coupling unification close to the string scale and extra vector bosons at the TeV scale. The subtleties in constructing a model which is in agreement with the measured quark masses and mixing for such a low left-right breaking scale are discussed. It is shown that in the constrained version of this model radiative breaking of the gauge symmetries is possible and a SM-like Higgs is obtained. Additional CP-even scalars of a similar mass or even much lighter are possible. The expected mass hierarchies for the supersymmetric states differ clearly from those of the constrained MSSM. In particular, the lightest down-type squark, which is a mixture of the sbottom and extra vector-like states, is always lighter than the stop. We also comment on the model's capability to explain current anomalies observed at the LHC.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2016). Searches for scalar leptoquarks in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 76(1), 5–28pp.
Abstract: Searches for pair-produced scalar leptoquarks are performed using 20 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data provided by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector at root s = 8 TeV. Events with two electrons (muons) and two or more jets in the final state are used to search for first (second)-generation leptoquarks. The results from two previously published ATLAS analyses are interpreted in terms of third-generation leptoquarks decaying to b nu(tau)(b) over bar(nu) over bar (tau) and t nu(tau)(t) over bar(nu) over bar (tau) final states. No statistically significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed in any channel and scalar leptoquarks are excluded at 95 % CL with masses up to m(LQ1) < 1050 GeV for first-generation leptoquarks, m(LQ2) < 1000 GeV for second-generation leptoquarks, m(LQ3) 625 GeV for third-generation leptoquarks in the b nu(tau)<(b) over bar(nu) over bar (tau) channel, and 200 < m(LQ3) < 640 GeV in the t nu(tau)(t) over bar(nu) over bar (tau) channel.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fernandez Martinez, P., et al. (2016). Measurements of the Higgs boson production and decay rates and coupling strengths using pp collision data at root s=7 and 8 TeV in the ATLAS experiment. Eur. Phys. J. C, 76(1), 6–51pp.
Abstract: Combined analyses of the Higgs boson production and decay rates as well as its coupling strengths to vector bosons and fermions are presented. The combinations include the results of the analyses of the H -> gamma gamma, ZZ*, WW*, Z gamma, b (b) over bar, tau tau and μμdecay modes, and the constraints on the associated production with a pair of top quarks and on the off-shell coupling strengths of the Higgs boson. The results are based on the LHC proton-proton collision datasets, with integrated luminosities of up to 4.7 fb(-1) at root s = 7 TeV and 20.3 fb(-1) at root s = 8 TeV, recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2011 and 2012. Combining all production modes and decay channels, the measured signal yield, normalised to the Standard Model expectation, is 1.18(-0.14)(+0.15). The observed Higgs boson production and decay rates are interpreted in a leading-order coupling framework, exploring a wide range of benchmark coupling models both with and without assumptions on the Higgs boson width and on the Standard Model particle content in loop processes. The data are found to be compatible with the Standard Model expectations for a Higgs boson at a mass of 125.36 GeV for all models considered.
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