Abstract: In this paper, a measurement of tau polarization in W -> tau nu decays is presented. It is measured from the energies of the decay products in hadronic tau decays with a single final state charged particle. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 24 pb(-1), were collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2010. The measured value of the tau polarization is P-tau = -1.06 +/- 0.04 (stat)(-0.07)(+0.05) (syst), in agreement with the Standard Model prediction, and is consistent with a physically allowed 95 % CL interval [-1,-0.91]. Measurements of tau polarization have not previously been made at hadron colliders.

Abstract: Differential measurements of charged particle azimuthal anisotropy are presented for lead-lead collisions at root sNN = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, based on an integrated luminosity of approximately 8 μb(-1). This anisotropy is characterized via a Fourier expansion of the distribution of charged particles in azimuthal angle relative to the reaction plane, with the coefficients v(n) denoting the magnitude of the anisotropy. Significant v(2)-v(6) values are obtained as a function of transverse momentum (0.5 < p(T) < 20 GeV), pseudorapidity (|eta| < 2.5), and centrality using an event plane method. The v(n) values for n >= 3 are found to vary weakly with both eta and centrality, and their p(T) dependencies are found to follow an approximate scaling relation, v(n)(1/n)(p(T)) proportional to v(2)(1/2)(p(T)), except in the top 5% most central collisions. A Fourier analysis of the charged particle pair distribution in relative azimuthal angle (Delta phi = phi(a)-phi(b)) is performed to extract the coefficients v(n,n) = < cos n Delta phi >. For pairs of charged particles with a large pseudorapidity gap (|Delta eta = eta(a) – eta(b)| > 2) and one particle with p(T) < 3 GeV, the v(2,2)-v(6,6) values are found to factorize as v(n,n)(p(T)(a), p(T)(b)) approximate to v(n) (p(T)(a))v(n)(p(T)(b)) in central and midcentral events. Such factorization suggests that these values of v(2,2)-v(6,6) are primarily attributable to the response of the created matter to the fluctuations in the geometry of the initial state. A detailed study shows that the v(1,1)(p(T)(a), p(T)(b)) data are consistent with the combined contributions from a rapidity-even v(1) and global momentum conservation. A two-component fit is used to extract the v(1) contribution. The extracted v(1) isobserved to cross zero at pT approximate to 1.0 GeV, reaches a maximum at 4-5 GeV with a value comparable to that for v(3), and decreases at higher p(T).

Abstract: The b-hadron production cross section is measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV, using 3.3 pb(-1) of integrated luminosity, collected during the 2010 LHC run. The b-hadrons are selected by partially reconstructing D*(+)mu X- final states. Differential cross sections are measured as functions of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity. The measured production cross section for a b-hadron with p(T) > 9 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5 is 32.7 +/- 0.8(stat.)(-6.8)(+4.5)(syst.) μb, higher than the next-to-leading-order QCD predictions but consistent within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties.

Abstract: The integrated elliptic flow of charged particles produced in Pb+Pb collisions at root S-NN = 2.76 TeV has been measured with the ATLAS detector using data collected at the Large Hadron Collider. The anisotropy parameter, upsilon(2), was measured in the pseudorapidity range |eta| <= 2.5 with the event-plane method. In order to include tracks with very low transverse momentum p(T), thus reducing the uncertainty in upsilon(2) integrated over p(T), a 1 μb(-1) data sample recorded without a magnetic field in the tracking detectors is used. The centrality dependence of the integrated upsilon(2) is compared to other measurements obtained with higher PT thresholds. The integrated elliptic flow is weakly decreasing with |eta|. The integrated upsilon 2 transformed to the rest frame of one of the colliding nuclei is compared to the lower-energy RHIC data.

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.