Abstract: Measurements of normalized differential cross-sections of top-quark pair production are presented as a function of the top-quark, t (t) over bar system and event-level kinematic observables in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV. The observables have been chosen to emphasize the t (t) over bar production process and to be sensitive to effects of initial-and final-state radiation, to the different parton distribution functions, and to non-resonant processes and higher-order corrections. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1), recorded in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Events are selected in the lepton+jets channel, requiring exactly one charged lepton and at least four jets with at least two of the jets tagged as originating from a b-quark. The measured spectra are corrected for detector effects and are compared to several Monte Carlo simulations. The results are in fair agreement with the predictions over a wide kinematic range. Nevertheless, most generators predict a harder top-quark transverse momentum distribution at high values than what is observed in the data. Predictions beyond NLO accuracy improve the agreement with data at high top-quark transverse momenta. Using the current settings and parton distribution functions, the rapidity distributions are not well modelled by any generator under consideration. However, the level of agreement is improved when more recent sets of parton distribution functions are used.

Abstract: Distributions of transverse momentum p(T)(ll) and the related angular variable phi(eta)*. of Drell-Yan lepton pairs are measured in 20.3 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at root s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Measurements in electron-pair and muon-pair final states are corrected for detector effects and combined. Compared to previous measurements in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV, these new measurements benefit from a larger data sample and improved control of systematic uncertainties. Measurements are performed in bins of lepton-pair mass above, around and below the Z-boson mass peak. The data are compared to predictions from perturbative and resummed QCD calculations. For values of phi(eta)*. < 1 the predictions from the Monte Carlo generator ResBos are generally consistent with the data within the theoretical uncertainties. However, at larger values of phi(eta)*. this is not the case. Monte Carlo generators based on the parton-shower approach are unable to describe the data over the full range of p(T)(ll) while the fixed-order prediction of Dynnlo falls below the data at high values of p(T)(ll). ResBos and the parton-shower Monte Carlo generators provide a much better description of the evolution of the phi(eta)*. and p(T)(ll) distributions as a function of lepton-pair mass and rapidity than the basic shape of the data.

Abstract: In the pp -> t (t) over bar process the angular distributions of top and anti-top quarks are expected to present a subtle difference, which could be enhanced by processes not included in the Standard Model. This Letter presents a measurement of the charge asymmetry in events where the top-quark pair is produced with a large invariant mass. The analysis is performed on 20.3 fb(-1) of pp collision data at root s=8 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, using reconstruction techniques specifically designed for the decay topology of highly boosted top quarks. The charge asymmetry in a fiducial region with large invariant mass of the top-quark pair (m(t (t) over bar) > 0.75 TeV) and an absolute rapidity difference of the top and anti-top quark candidates within -2 vertical bar y(t)vertical bar – vertical bar y(<(t) over bar)vertical bar < 2is measured to be 4.2 +/- 3.2%, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction at next-to-leading order. A differential measurement in three <(t)over bar> mass bins is also presented.