Abstract: The ATLAS experiment at the LHC has measured the centrality dependence of charged particle pseudorapidity distributions over vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2 in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. In order to include particles with transverse momentum as low as 30 MeV, the data were recorded with the central solenoid magnet off. Charged particles were reconstructed with two algorithms (2-point “tracklets” and full tracks) using information from the pixel detector only. The lead-lead collision centrality was characterized by the total transverse energy in the forward calorimeter in the range 3.2 < vertical bar eta vertical bar< 4.9. Measurements are presented of the per-event charged particle pseudorapidity distribution, dN(ch)/d eta, and the average charged particle multiplicity in the pseudorapidity interval vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.5 in several intervals of collision centrality. The results are compared to previous mid-rapidity measurements at the LHC and RHIC. The variation of the mid-rapidity charged particle yield per colliding nucleon pair with the number of participants is consistent with lower root s(NN) results. The shape of the dN(ch)/d eta distribution is found to be independent of centrality within the systematic uncertainties of the measurement.

Abstract: In models of anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB), the lightest chargino is predicted to have a lifetime long enough to be detected in collider experiments. This letter explores AMSB scenarios in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV by attempting to identify decaying charginos which result in tracks that appear to have few associated hits in the outer region of the tracking system. The search was based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.02 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in 2011. The p(T) spectrum of candidate tracks is found to be consistent with the expectation from Standard Model background processes and constraints on the lifetime and the production cross section were obtained. In the minimal AMSB framework with m(3/2) < 32 TeV, m(0) < 1.5 TeV, tan beta = 5 and μ> 0, a chargino having mass below 92 GeV and a lifetime between 0.5 ns and 2 ns is excluded at 95 % confidence level.

Abstract: A combined search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC using datasets corresponding to integrated luminosities from 1.04 fb(-1) to 4.9 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected at root s = 7 TeV is presented. The Higgs boson mass ranges 112.9-115.5 GeV, 131-238 GeV and 251-466 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level (CL), while the range 124-519 GeV is expected to be excluded in the absence of a signal. An excess of events is observed around m(H) similar to 126 GeV with a local significance of 3.5 standard deviations (sigma). The local significances of H -> gamma, H -> ZZ(()*()) -> l(+)l(-)l'(+)l'(-) and H -> WW(*()) l(+)nu l'(-)(nu) over bar, the three most sensitive channels in this mass range, are 2.8 sigma, 2.1 sigma and 1.4 sigma. respectively. The global probability for the background to produce such a fluctuation anywhere in the explored Higgs boson mass range 110-600 GeV is estimated to be similar to 1.4% or, equivalently, 2.2 sigma.

Abstract: A measurement of spin correlation in t (t) over bar production is reported using data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.1 fb(-1). Candidate events are selected in the dilepton topology with large missing transverse energy and at least two jets. The difference in azimuthal angle between the two charged leptons in the laboratory frame is used to extract the correlation between the top and antitop quark spins. In the helicity basis the measured degree of correlation corresponds to A(helicity) = 0.40(-0.08)(+0.09), in agreement with the next-to-leading-order standard model prediction. The hypothesis of zero spin correlation is excluded at 5.1 standard deviations.

Abstract: A measurement of the production cross-section for top quark pairs (t (t) over bar) in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in the single lepton topology by requiring an electron or muon, large missing transverse momentum and at least three jets. With a data sample of 35 pb(-1), two different multivariate methods, one of which uses b-quark jet identification while the other does not, use kinematic variables to obtain cross-section measurements of sigma(t (t) over bar) = 187 +/- 11(stat.)(-17)(+18)(syst.) +/- 6(lumi.) pb and sigma(t (t) over bar) = 173 +/- 17(stat.)(-16)(+18)(syst.) +/- 6(lumi.) pb respectively. The two measurements are in agreement with each other and with QCD calculations. The first measurement has a better a priori sensitivity and constitutes the main result of this Letter.