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Agapopoulou, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Agapopoulou, C..

At least 55 records · Page 3

Measurement of the Z boson production cross-section in proton-lead collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 8.16 TeV

This article presents the first measurement of the differential Z-boson production cross-section in the forward region using proton-lead collisions with the LHCb detector. The dataset was collected at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 8.16 TeV in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 30.8 nb –1 . The forward-backward ratio and the nuclear modification factors are measured together with the differential cross-section as functions of the Z boson rapidity in the centre-of-mass frame, the transverse momentum of the Z boson and a geometric variable $\phi$*. The results are in good agreement with the predictions from nuclear parton distribution functions, providing strong constraining power at small Bjorken-x.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Differential $t\overline{t}$ cross-section measurements using boosted top quarks in the all-hadronic final state with 139 fb -1 of ATLAS data

Measurements of single-, double-, and triple-differential cross-sections are presented for boosted top-quark pair-production in 13 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The top quarks are observed through their hadronic decay and reconstructed as large-radius jets with the leading jet having transverse momentum (pT) greater than 500 GeV. The observed data are unfolded to remove detector effects. The particle-level cross-section, multiplied by the $t\overline{t}$ $\rightarrow$ $WWb$$\overline{b}$ branching fraction and measured in a fiducial phase space defined by requiring the leading and second-leading jets to have p T > 500 GeV and p T > 350 GeV, respectively, is 331 ± 3(stat.) ± 39(syst.) fb. This is approximately 20% lower than the prediction of ${398}^{+48}_{-49}$ fb by POWHEG+PYTHIA 8 with next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy but consistent within the theoretical uncertainties. Results are also presented at the parton level, where the effects of top-quark decay, parton showering, and hadronization are removed such that they can be compared with fixed-order next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) calculations. The parton-level cross-section, measured in a fiducial phase space similar to that at particle level, is 1.94 ± 0.02(stat.) ± 0.25(syst.) pb. This agrees with the NNLO prediction of ${1.96}^{+0.02}_{-0.17}$ pb. Reasonable agreement with the differential cross-sections is found for most NLO models, while the NNLO calculations are generally in better agreement with the data. The differential cross-sections are interpreted using a Standard Model effective field-theory formalism and limits are set on Wilson coefficients of several four-fermion operators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of CP asymmetries in ${D}_{(s)}^{+}\to \eta {\pi}^{+}$ and ${D}_{(s)}^{+}\to {\eta}^{\prime }{\pi}^{+}$ decays

Searches for CP violation in the decays ${D}_{(s)}^{+}\to \eta {\pi}^{+}$ and ${D}_{(s)}^{+}\to {\eta}^{\prime }{\pi}^{+}$ are performed using pp collision data corresponding to 6 fb –1 of integrated luminosity collected by the LHCb experiment. The calibration channels ${D}_{(s)}^{+}\to \phi {\pi}^{+}$ are used to remove production and detection asymmetries. The resulting CP-violating asymmetries are $\mathcal{A}^{CP} = (D^+ \to ηπ^+) = (0.34 ± 0.66 ± 0.16 ± 0.05)$ %, $\mathcal{A}^{CP} = (D^+_s \to ηπ^+) = (0.32 ± 0.51 ± 0.12)$ %, $\mathcal{A}^{CP} = (D^+ \to η'π^+) = (0.49 ± 0.18 ± 0.06 ± 0.05)$ %, $\mathcal{A}^{CP} = (D^+_s \to η'π^+) = (0.01 ± 0.12 ± 0.08)$ %, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third, relevant for the D + channels, is due to the uncertainty on ${\mathcal{A}}^{CP}=\left({D}^{+}\to \phi {\pi}^{+}\right)$. These measurements, currently the most precise for three of the four channels considered, are consistent with the absence of CP violation. A combination of these results with previous LHCb measurements is presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Observation of electroweak production of two jets and a $Z$-boson pair

Electroweak symmetry breaking explains the origin of the masses of elementary particles through their interactions with the Higgs field. Besides the measurements of the Higgs boson properties, the study of the scattering of massive vector bosons with spin 1 allows the nature of electroweak symmetry breaking to be probed. Among all processes related to vector-boson scattering, the electroweak production of two jets and a $Z$-boson pair is a rare and important one. Here we report the observation of this process from proton–proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We consider two different final states originating from the decays of the $Z$-boson pair: one containing four charged leptons and another containing two charged leptons and two neutrinos. The hypothesis of no electroweak production is rejected with a statistical significance of 5.7$σ$, and the measured cross-section for electroweak production is consistent with the Standard Model prediction. In addition, we report cross-sections for inclusive production of a $Z$-boson pair and two jets for the two final states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurement of the polarisation of single top quarks and antiquarks produced in the $t$-channel at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV and bounds on the $tWb$ dipole operator from the ATLAS experiment

A simultaneous measurement of the three components of the top-quark and top-antiquark polarisation vectors in t-channel single-top-quark production is presented. This analysis is based on data from proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 , collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Selected events contain exactly one isolated electron or muon, large missing transverse momentum and exactly two jets, one being b-tagged. Stringent selection requirements are applied to discriminate t-channel single-top-quark events from the background contributions. The top-quark and top-antiquark polarisation vectors are measured from the distributions of the direction cosines of the charged-lepton momentum in the top-quark rest frame. The three components of the polarisation vector for the selected top-quark event sample are P x' = 0.01 ± 0.18, P y' = –0.029 ± 0.027, P z' = 0.91 ± 0.10 and for the top-antiquark event sample they are P x' = –0.02 ± 0.20, P y' = –0.007 ± 0.051, P z' = 0.79 ± 0.16. Normalised differential cross-sections corrected to a fiducial region at the stable-particle level are presented as a function of the charged-lepton angles for top-quark and top-antiquark events inclusively and separately. These measurements are in agreement with Standard Model predictions. The angular differential cross-sections are used to derive bounds on the complex Wilson coefficient of the dimension-six O tW operator in the framework of an effective field theory. The obtained bounds are C tW ϵ [–0.9, 1.4] and C itW ϵ [–0.8, 0.2], both at 95% confidence level.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Performance in beam tests of irradiated Low Gain Avalanche Detectors for the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector

The High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) will be installed in the ATLAS detector to mitigate pile-up effects during the High Luminosity (HL) upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The design of the HGTD is based on the use of Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs), with an active thickness of 50 μm, that allow to measure with high-precision the time of arrival of particles. The HGTD will improve the particle-vertex assignment by measuring the track time with a resolution ranging from approximately 30 ps at the beginning of the HL-LHC operations to 50 ps at the end. Performances of several unirradiated, as well as neutron- and proton-irradiated, LGAD sensors from different vendors have been measured in beam test campaigns during the years 2018 and 2019 at CERN SPS and DESY. This paper presents the results obtained with data recorded by an oscilloscope synchronized with a beam telescope which provides particle position information within a resolution of a few μm. Collected charge, time resolution and hit efficiency are presented. In addition to these properties, the charge uniformity is also studied as a function of the position of the incident particle inside the sensor pad.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Search for Higgs boson pair production in the two bottom quarks plus two photons final state in p p collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Searches are performed for nonresonant and resonant di-Higgs boson production in the $b\bar{b}γγ$ final state. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No excess above the expected background is found and upper limits on the di-Higgs boson production cross sections are set. A 95% confidence-level upper limit of 4.2 times the cross section predicted by the Standard Model is set on pp → HH nonresonant production, where the expected limit is 5.7 times the Standard Model predicted value. The expected constraints are obtained for a background hypothesis excluding pp → HH production. The observed (expected) constraints on the Higgs boson trilinear coupling modifier κ λ are determined to be [–1.5, 6.7] ([– 2.4, 7.7]) at 95% confidence level, where the expected constraints on κ λ are obtained excluding pp → HH production from the background hypothesis. For resonant production of a new hypothetical scalar particle X (X → HH → $b\bar{b}γγ$), limits on the cross section for pp → X → HH are presented in the narrow-width approximation as a function of m X in the range 251 GeV ≤ m X ≤ 1000 GeV. The observed (expected) limits on the cross section for pp → X → HH range from 640 fb to 44 fb (391 fb to 46 fb) over the considered mass range.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurements of Higgs boson production cross-sections in the $H → τ^+τ^-$ decay channel in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of the production cross-sections of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson (H) decaying into a pair of τ-leptons are presented. The measurements use data collected with the ATLAS detector from pp collisions produced at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 . Leptonic (τ → ℓν ℓ ν τ ) and hadronic (τ → hadrons ν τ ) decays of the τ-lepton are considered. All measurements account for the branching ratio of H → ττ and are performed with a requirement |y H | < 2.5, where y H is the true Higgs boson rapidity. The cross-section of the pp → H → ττ process is measured to be 2.94 ± 0.21(stat)$^{+0.37}_{-0.32}$(syst) pb, in agreement with the SM prediction of 3.17 ± 0.09 pb. Inclusive cross-sections are determined separately for the four dominant production modes: 2.65 ± 0.41(stat)$^{+0.91}_{-0.67}$(syst) pb for gluon-gluon fusion, 0.197 ± 0.028(stat)$^{+0.032}_{-0.026}$(syst) pb for vector-boson fusion, 0.115 ± 0.058(stat)$^{+0.042}_{-0.040}$(syst) pb for vector-boson associated production, and 0.033 ± 0.031(stat)$^{+0.022}_{-0.017}$(syst) pb for top-quark pair associated production. Measurements in exclusive regions of the phase space, using the simplified template cross-section framework, are also performed. All results are in agreement with the SM predictions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurements of jet observables sensitive to $\textit{b}$-quark fragmentation in $t\bar{t}$ events at the LHC with the ATLAS detector

Several observables sensitive to the fragmentation of $\textit{b}$ quarks into $\textit{b}$ hadrons are measured using 36 fb -1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Jets containing b hadrons are obtained from a sample of dileptonic $t\bar{t}$ events, and the associated set of charged-particle tracks is separated into those from the primary $\textit{pp}$ interaction vertex and those from the displaced b-decay secondary vertex. This division is used to construct observables that characterize the longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions of the $\textit{b}$ hadron within the jet. The measurements have been corrected for detector effects and provide a test of heavy-quark-fragmentation modeling at the LHC in a system where the top-quark decay products are color connected to the proton beam remnants. The unfolded distributions are compared with the predictions of several modern Monte Carlo parton-shower generators and generator tunes, and a wide range of agreement with the data is observed, with $\textit{p}$ values varying from 5 × 10 -4 to 0.98. These measurements complement similar measurements from $e^+e^-$ collider experiments in which the $\textit{b}$ quarks originate from a color singlet $Z/γ^{\ast}$.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Study of ${\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+}\to \mathrm{J}/\psi {\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{c}}^{+}\to \mathrm{J}/\psi {\mathrm{D}}_{\mathrm{s}}^{\ast +}$ decays in pp collisions at $\sqrt{\mathrm{s}}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A study of ${B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{+}$ and ${B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{\ast +}$ decays using 139 fb –1 of integrated luminosity collected with the ATLAS detector from $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collisions at the LHC is presented. The ratios of the branching fractions of the two decays to the branching fraction of the ${B}_c^{+}$ → J/ψπ + decay are measured: $\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{+}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/{\psi \pi}^{+}\right)$ = 2.76 ± 0.47 and $\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{\ast +}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/{\psi \pi}^{+}\right)$ = 5.33 ± 0.96. The ratio of the branching fractions of the two decays is found to be $\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{\ast +}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{\ast +}\right)$ = 1.93 ± 0.26. For the ${B}_c^{+}\to J/\psi {D}_s^{\ast +}$ decay, the transverse polarization fraction, Γ ±± /Γ, is measured to be 0.70 ± 0.11. The reported uncertainties include both the statistical and systematic components added in quadrature. The precision of the measurements exceeds that in all previous studies of these decays. These results supersede those obtained in the earlier ATLAS study of the same decays with $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 and 8 TeV pp collision data. A comparison with available theoretical predictions for the measured quantities is presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Measurements of the Higgs boson inclusive and differential fiducial cross-sections in the diphoton decay channel with pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of inclusive and differential fiducial cross-sections for the production of the Higgs boson decaying into two photons is performed using 139 fb –1 of proton-proton collision data recorded at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The inclusive cross-section times branching ratio, in a fiducial region closely matching the experimental selection, is measured to be 67 ± 6 fb, which is in agreement with the state-of-the-art Standard Model prediction of 64 ± 4 fb. Extrapolating this result to the full phase space and correcting for the branching ratio, the total cross-section for Higgs boson production is estimated to be 58 ± 6 pb. In addition, the cross-sections in four fiducial regions sensitive to various Higgs boson production modes and differential cross-sections as a function of either one or two of several observables are measured. All the measurements are found to be in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. The measured transverse momentum distribution of the Higgs boson is used as an indirect probe of the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson to the bottom and charm quarks. In addition, five differential cross-section measurements are used to constrain anomalous Higgs boson couplings to vector bosons in the Standard Model effective field theory framework.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Constraints on the CKM angle γ from B ± → Dh ± decays using D → h ± h' ∓ π 0 final states

A data sample collected with the LHCb detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb –1 is used to measure eleven CP violation observables in B ± → Dh ± decays, where h is either a kaon or a pion. The neutral D meson decay is reconstructed in the three-body final states: K ± π ∓ π o ; π + π – π o ; K + K – π o and the suppressed π ± K ∓ π o combination. The mode where a large CP asymmetry is expected, B ± → [π ± K ∓ π o ] D K ± , is observed with a significance greater than seven standard deviations. The ratio of the partial width of this mode relative to that of the favoured mode, B ± → [K ± π ∓ π o ] D K ± , is R ADS(K) = (1.27 ± 0.16 ± 0.02) × 10 –2 . Evidence for a large CP asymmetry is also seen: A ADS(K) = –0.38 ± 0.12 ± 0.02. Constraints on the CKM angle γ are calculated from the eleven reported observables.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Precision measurement of forward $\mathrm{Z}$ boson production in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A precision measurement of the Z boson production cross-section at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV in the forward region is presented, using pp collision data collected by the LHCb detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 fb –1 The production cross-section is measured using $\mathrm{Z}$ →$μ^+μ^-$ events within the fiducial region defined as pseudorapidity 2.0 < η < 4.5 and transverse momentum p T > 20 GeV/c for both muons and dimuon invariant mass 60 , M $_{μμ}$ < 120 GeV/c 2 . The integrated cross-section is determined to be $σ(Z → μ^+μ^-)$ = 196.4 ± 0.2 ± 1.6 ± 3.9 pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the luminosity determination. The measured results are in agreement with theoretical predictions within uncertainties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Measurement of Higgs boson decay into $b$-quarks in associated production with a top-quark pair in $pp$ collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The associated production of a Higgs boson and a top-quark pair is measured in events characterized by the presence of one or two electrons or muons. The Higgs boson decay into a b-quark pair is used. The analyzed data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 , were collected in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV. The measured signal strength, defined as the ratio of the measured signal yield to that predicted by the Standard Model, is $0.35$ $^{+0.36}_{–0.34}$. This result is compatible with the Standard Model prediction and corresponds to an observed (expected) significance of 1.0 (2.7) standard deviations. The signal strength is also measured differentially in bins of the Higgs boson transverse momentum in the simplified template cross-section framework, including a bin for specially selected boosted Higgs bosons with transverse momentum above 300 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Study of the doubly charmed tetraquark $\mathrm{T}$ $^+_{cc}$

Quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong force, describes interactions of coloured quarks and gluons and the formation of hadronic matter. Conventional hadronic matter consists of baryons and mesons made of three quarks and quark-antiquark pairs, respectively. Particles with an alternative quark content are known as exotic states. Here a study is reported of an exotic narrow state in the D 0 D 0 π + mass spectrum just below the D *+ D 0 mass threshold produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The state is consistent with the ground isoscalar T$^{+}_{cc}$ tetraquark with a quark content of cc$\bar{u}\bar{d}$ and spin-parity quantum numbers J P = 1 + . Study of the DD mass spectra disfavours interpretation of the resonance as the isovector state. The decay structure via intermediate off-shell D *+ mesons is consistent with the observed D 0 π+ mass distribution. To analyse the mass of the resonance and its coupling to the D*D system, a dedicated model is developed under the assumption of an isoscalar axial-vector T$^{+}_{cc}$ state decaying to the D*D channel. Using this model, resonance parameters including the pole position, scattering length, effective range and compositeness are determined to reveal important information about the nature of the T$^{+}_{cc}$ state. In addition, an unexpected dependence of the production rate on track multiplicity is observed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗