The emission of pions from relativistic heavy-ion collisions of S+S, S+Ag and S+Pb at 200 GeV/nucleon is characterized using two-particle interferometry. The multiplicity dependence of the pion source parameters near midrapidity is studied. The transversal ( R t ) and longitudinal ( R l ) pion source parameters are independent of the initial nuclei in the interaction and increase with increasing multiplicity. This suggests that the freeze-out process is governed mainly by the particle multiplicity. The multiplicity dependence is weaker than that expected from a simple model of a freeze-out at a constant density.

The NA44 Collaboration has measured yields and differential distributions of K, Preprint submitted to Elsevier Preprint 28 January 2013 K−, π, π− in transverse kinetic energy and rapidity, around the center-of-mass rapidity in 158 A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. A considerable enhancement of K production per π is observed, as compared to p + p collisions at this energy. To illustrate the importance of secondary hadron rescattering as an enhancement mechanism, we compare strangeness production at the SPS and AGS with predictions of the transport model RQMD.

A measurement of the $ZZ$ production cross section in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $1.02\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC is presented. Twelve events containing two $Z$ boson candidates decaying to electrons and/or muons are observed, with an expected background of $0.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3(\mathrm{stat}{)}_{\ensuremath{-}0.3}^{+0.4}(\mathrm{syst})$ events. The cross section measured in a phase-space region with good detector acceptance and for dilepton masses within the range 66 to 116 GeV is ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{ZZ\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}^{\mathrm{fid}}={19.4}_{\ensuremath{-}5.2}^{+6.3}(\mathrm{stat}{)}_{\ensuremath{-}0.7}^{+0.9}(\mathrm{syst})\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7(\mathrm{lumi})\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fb}$. The resulting total cross section for on-shell $ZZ$ production, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{ZZ}^{\mathrm{tot}}={8.5}_{\ensuremath{-}2.3}^{+2.7}(\mathrm{stat}{)}_{\ensuremath{-}0.3}^{+0.4}(\mathrm{syst})\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3(\mathrm{lumi})\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{pb}$, is consistent with the standard model expectation of ${6.5}_{\ensuremath{-}0.2}^{+0.3}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{pb}$ calculated at the next-to-leading order in QCD. Limits on anomalous neutral triple gauge boson couplings are derived.

A search for contact interactions has been performed using dimuon events recorded with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $42\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{pb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. No significant deviation from the standard model is observed in the dimuon mass spectrum, allowing the following 95% C.L. limits to be set on the energy scale of contact interactions: $\ensuremath{\Lambda}>4.9\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ (4.5 TeV) for constructive (destructive) interference in the left-left isoscalar compositeness model. These limits are the most stringent to date for $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\mu}qq$ contact interactions.

The ATLAS experiment has measured the production cross-section of events with two isolated photons in the final state, in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The full data set acquired in 2010 is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^-1. The background, consisting of hadronic jets and isolated electrons, is estimated with fully data-driven techniques and subtracted. The differential cross-sections, as functions of the di-photon mass, total transverse momentum and azimuthal separation, are presented and compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD.

Jet shapes have been measured in inclusive jet production in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV using 3 pb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Jets are reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with transverse momentum 30 GeV

The time reconstruction performance of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter readout is studied. The contribution of the electronics to the time resolution is estimated to be about 20 ps, thus demonstrating the possibility of achieving a small constant term in the time resolution for particles. The resolution to electromagnetic showers produced by an electron beam is also measured. After correction for the effects due to the calorimeter geometry, a 100 ps constant term is found for a typical cell.