ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for heavy vector-like quarks coupling to light quarks in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Lett. B, 712(1-2), 22–39.
Abstract: This Letter presents a search for singly produced vector-like quarks, Q, coupling to light quarks, q. The search is sensitive to both charged current (CC) and neutral current (NC) processes, pp -> Qq -> Wqq' and pp -> Qq -> Zqq' with a leptonic decay of the vector gauge boson. In 1.04 fb(-1) of data taken in 2011 by the ATLAS experiment at a center-of-mass energy root s = 7 TeV, no evidence of such heavy vector-like quarks is observed above the expected Standard Model background. Limits on the heavy vector-like quark production cross section times branching ratio as a function of mass m(Q) are obtained. For a coupling K-qQ = v/m(Q), where v is the Higgs vacuum expectation value, 95% C.L. lower limits on the mass of a vector-like quark are set at 900 GeV and 760 GeV from CC and NC processes, respectively.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for contact interactions in dilepton events from pp collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Lett. B, 712(1-2), 40–58.
Abstract: This Letter presents a search for contact interactions in the dielectron and dimuon channels using data from proton-proton collisions produced by the LHC at,root s = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. The data sample, collected in 2011, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.08 and 1.21 fb(-1) in the e(+)e(-) and mu(+)mu(-) channels, respectively. No significant deviations from the standard model are observed. Using a Bayesian approach with a prior flat in 1/A(2), the following 95% CL lower limits are placed on the energy scale of llqq contact interactions: A(-) > 10.1 TeV (A(+) > 9.4 TeV) in the electron channel and A(-) > 8.0 TeV (A(+) > 7.0 TeV) in the muon channel for constructive (destructive) interference in the left-left isoscalar contact interaction model. Limits are also provided for a prior flat in 1/A(4).
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HADES Collaboration(Lapidus, K. et al), Diaz, J., & Gil, A. (2012). The HADES-at-FAIR project. Phys. Atom. Nuclei, 75(5), 589–593.
Abstract: After the completion of the experimental program at SIS18 the HADES setup will migrate to FAIR, where it will deliver high-quality data for heavy-ion collisions in an unexplored energy range of up to 8 A GeV. In this contribution, we briefly present the physics case, relevant detector characteristics and discuss the recently completed upgrade of HADES.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for same-sign top-quark production and fourth-generation down-type quarks in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 069–40pp.
Abstract: A search is preseritecl for same-sign top-quark production and down-type heavy quarks of charge -1/3 in events with two isolated leptons (c or mu) that have the same electric charge, at least two jets and large missing transverse momentum. The data are selected from pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.04 fb(-1). The observed data are consistent with expectations from Standard Model processes. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on the cross section of new sources of same-sign top-quark pair production of 1.4-2.0 pb depending on the assumed mediator mass. Upper limits are also set on the pair-production cross-section for new heavy down-type quarks; a lower limit of 450 GeV is set at 95% confidence level on the mass of heavy down-type quarks under the assumption that they decay 100% of the time to Wt.
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Cabrera, M. E., Casas, J. A., Mitsou, V. A., Ruiz de Austri, R., & Terron, J. (2012). Histogram comparison tools for the search of new physics at LHC. Application to the CMSSM. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 133–27pp.
Abstract: We propose a rigorous and effective way to compare experimental and theoretical histograms, incorporating the different sources of statistical and systematic uncertainties. This is a useful tool to extract as much information as possible from the comparison between experimental data with theoretical simulations, optimizing the chances of identifying New Physics at the LHC. We illustrate this by showing how a search in the CMSSM parameter space, using Bayesian techniques, can effectively find the correct values of the CMSSM parameters by comparing histograms of events with multijets + missing transverse momentum displayed in the effective-mass variable. The procedure is in fact very efficient to identify the true supersymmetric model, in the case supersymmetry is really there and accessible to the LHC.
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Wurm, M. et al, & Mena, O. (2012). The next-generation liquid-scintillator neutrino observatory LENA. Astropart Phys., 35(11), 685–732.
Abstract: As part of the European LAGUNA design study on a next-generation neutrino detector, we propose the liquid-scintillator detector LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy) as a multipurpose neutrino observatory. The outstanding successes of the Borexino and KamLAND experiments demonstrate the large potential of liquid-scintillator detectors in low-energy neutrino physics. Low energy threshold, good energy resolution and efficient background discrimination are inherent to the liquid-scintillator technique. A target mass of 50 kt will offer a substantial increase in detection sensitivity. At low energies, the variety of detection channels available in liquid scintillator will allow for an energy and flavor-resolved analysis of the neutrino burst emitted by a galactic Supernova. Due to target mass and background conditions, LENA will also be sensitive to the faint signal of the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background. Solar metallicity, time-variation in the solar neutrino flux and deviations from MSW-LMA survival probabilities can be investigated based on unprecedented statistics. Low background conditions allow to search for dark matter by observing rare annihilation neutrinos. The large number of events expected for geoneutrinos will give valuable information on the abundances of Uranium and Thorium and their relative ratio in the Earth's crust and mantle. Reactor neutrinos enable a high-precision measurement of solar mixing parameters. A strong radioactive or pion decay-at-rest neutrino source can be placed close to the detector to investigate neutrino oscillations for short distances and sub-MeV to MeV energies. At high energies, LENA will provide a new lifetime limit for the SUSY-favored proton decay mode into kaon and antineutrino, surpassing current experimental limits by about one order of magnitude. Recent studies have demonstrated that a reconstruction of momentum and energy of GeV particles is well feasible in liquid scintillator. Monte Carlo studies on the reconstruction of the complex event topologies found for neutrino interactions at multi-GeV energies have shown promising results. If this is confirmed. LENA might serve as far detector in a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment currently investigated in LAGUNA-LBNO.
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Baker, M. J., Bordes, J., Hong-Mo, C., & Tsun, T. S. (2012). Developing the Framed Standard Model. Int. J. Mod. Phys. A, 27(17), 1250087–45pp.
Abstract: The framed standard model (FSM) suggested earlier, which incorporates the Higgs field and three fermion generations as part of the framed gauge theory (FGT) structure, is here developed further to show that it gives both quarks and leptons hierarchical masses and mixing matrices akin to what is experimentally observed. Among its many distinguishing features which lead to the above results are (i) the vacuum is degenerate under a global su(3) symmetry which plays the role of fermion generations, (ii) the fermion mass matrix is “universal,” rank-one and rotates (changes its orientation in generation space) with changing scale mu, (iii) the metric in generation space is scale-dependent too, and in general nonflat, (iv) the theta-angle term in the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) action of topological origin gets transformed into the CP-violating phase of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix for quarks, thus offering at the same time a solution to the strong CP problem.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Measurement of the W W cross section in root s=7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector and limits on anomalous gauge couplings. Phys. Lett. B, 712(4-5), 289–308.
Abstract: This Letter reports a measurement of the W W production cross section in root s = 7 TeV pp collisions using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.02 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector. Using leptonic decays of oppositely charged W bosons, the total measured cross section is sigma (pp -> W W) = 54.4 +/- 4.0 (stat.) +/- 3.9 (syst.) +/- 2.0 (lumi.) pb, consistent with the Standard Model prediction of sigma (pp -> W W)= 44.4 +/- 2.8 pb. Limits on anomalous electroweak triple-gauge couplings are extracted from a fit to the transverse-momentum distribution of the leading charged lepton in the event.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for new particles decaying to ZZ using final states with leptons and jets with the ATLAS detector in root s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions. Phys. Lett. B, 712(4-5), 331–350.
Abstract: A search is presented for a narrow resonance decaying to a pair of Z bosons using data corresponding to 1.02 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS experiment from pp collisions at root s= 7 TeV. Events containing either four charged leptons (llll) or two charged leptons and two jets (lljj) are analyzed and found to be consistent with the Standard Model background expectation. Lower limits on a resonance mass are set using the Randall-Sundrum (RS1) graviton model as a benchmark. Using both llll and lljj events, an RS1 graviton with k/(m) over bar (pl) = 0.1 and mass between 325 and 845 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level. In addition, the llll events are used to set a model-independent fiducial cross section limit of sigma(fid)(pp -> X -> ZZ) < 0.92 pb at 95% confidence level for any new sources of ZZ production with m(ZZ) greater than 300 GeV.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Ferrer, A., et al. (2012). Search for FCNC single top-quark production at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Lett. B, 712(4-5), 351–369.
Abstract: A search for the production of single top-quarks via flavour-changing neutral-currents is presented. Data collected with the ATLAS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.05 fb(-1), are used. Candidate events with a semileptonic top-quark decay signature are classified as signal- or background-like events by using several kinematic variables as input to a neural network. No signal is observed in the neural network output distribution and a Bayesian upper limit is placed on the production cross-section. The observed upper limit at 95% confidence level on the cross-section multiplied by the t -> Wb branching fraction is measured to be sigma(qg -> t) x B(t -> Wb) < 3.9 pb. This upper limit is converted using a model-independent approach into upper limits on the coupling strengths kappa(ugt)/Lambda < 6.9.10(-3) TeV-1 and kappa(cgt)/Lambda < 1.6.10(-2) TeV-1, where A is the new physics scale, and on the branching fractions B(t -> ug) < 5.7.10(-5) and B(t -> cg) < 2.7.10(-4).
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