The centrality dependence of the mean charged-particle multiplicity as a function of pseudorapidity is measured in approximately 1 mu b(-1) of proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Charged particles with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.7 are reconstructed using the ATLAS pixel detector. The p + Pb collision centrality is characterised by the total transverse energy measured in the Pb-going direction of the forward calorimeter. The charged-particle pseudorapidity distributions are found to vary strongly with centrality, with an increasing asymmetry between the proton-going and Pb-going directions as the collisions become more central. Three different estimations of the number of nucleons participating in the p + Pb collision have been carried out using the Glauber model as well as two Glauber-Gribov inspired extensions to the Glauber model. Charged-particle multiplicities per participant pair are found to vary differently for these three models, highlighting the importance of including colour fluctuations in nucleon-nucleon collisions in the modelling of the initial state of p + Pb collisions.
Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured $H \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ and $H \rightarrow ZZ ^{*}\rightarrow 4\ell$ event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be $\sigma_{pp \to H} = 33.0 \pm 5.3 \, ({\rm stat}) \pm 1.6 \, ({\rm sys}) \mathrm{pb}$. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions.
Measurements of fiducial cross sections for the electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z -boson are presented. The measurements are performed using 20 . 3 fb −1 of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of √(s) = 8 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The electroweak component is extracted by a fit to the dijet invariant mass distribution in a fiducial region chosen to enhance the electroweak contribution over the dominant background in which the jets are produced via the strong interaction. The electroweak cross sections measured in two fiducial regions are in good agreement with the Standard Model expectations and the background-only hypothesis is rejected with significance above the 5 σ level. The electroweak process includes the vector boson fusion production of a Z -boson and the data are used to place limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings. In addition, measurements of cross sections and differential distributions for inclusive Z -boson-plus-dijet production are performed in five fiducial regions, each with different sensitivity to the electroweak contribution. The results are corrected for detector effects and compared to predictions from the Sherpa and Powheg event generators.
search for a charged Higgs boson ( H + ) in tt̅ decays is presented, where one of the top quarks decays via t → H + b , followed by H + → two jets ( cs̅ ). The other top quark decays to Wb , where the W boson then decays into a lepton ( e / μ ) and a neutrino. The data were recorded in pp collisions at √(s) = 7 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2011, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb −1 . With no observation of a signal, 95
A search for doubly charged Higgs bosons decaying to pairs of electrons and/or muons is presented. The search is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb−1 of pp collisions at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Pairs of prompt, isolated, high-p T leptons with the same electric charge (e ± e ±, e ± μ ±, μ ± μ ±) are selected, and their invariant mass distribution is searched for a narrow resonance. No significant excess over Standard Model background expectations is observed, and limits are placed on the cross section times branching ratio for pair production of doubly charged Higgs bosons. The masses of doubly charged Higgs bosons are constrained depending on the branching ratio into these leptonic final states. Assuming pair production, coupling to left-handed fermions, and a branching ratio of 100 % for each final state, masses below 409 GeV, 375 GeV, and 398 GeV are excluded for e ± e ±, e ± μ ±, and μ ± μ ±, respectively.
The ATLAS detector at the LHC is used to search for high-mass states, such as heavy charged gauge bosons (W'), decaying to a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino. Results are presented based on the analysis of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1. No excess beyond Standard Model expectations is observed. A W' with Sequential Standard Model couplings is excluded at the 95 credibility level for masses up to 2.55 TeV. Excited chiral bosons (W*) with equivalent coupling strength are excluded for masses up to 2.42 TeV.