ORCID Profile
0000-0001-7602-5771
Current Organisations
Universitatea Politehnica din Bucuresti Facultatea de Electronica Telecomunicatii si Tehnologia Informatiei
,
University of California, San Diego
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Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 25-05-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41567-021-01225-Z
Abstract: Leptons with essentially the same properties apart from their mass are grouped into three families (or flavours). The number of leptons of each flavour is conserved in interactions, but this is not imposed by fundamental principles. Since the formulation of the standard model of particle physics, the observation of flavour oscillations among neutrinos has shown that lepton flavour is not conserved in neutrino weak interactions. So far, there has been no experimental evidence that this also occurs in interactions between charged leptons. Such an observation would be a sign of undiscovered particles or a yet unknown type of interaction. Here the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN reports a constraint on lepton-flavour-violating effects in weak interactions, searching for Z -boson decays into a τ lepton and another lepton of different flavour with opposite electric charge. The branching fractions for these decays are measured to be less than 8.1 × 10 −6 ( e τ ) and 9.5 × 10 −6 ( μ τ ) at the 95% confidence level using 139 fb −1 of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $$\\sqrt{s}=13\\,{\\rm{TeV}}$$ s = 13 TeV and 20.3 fb −1 at $$\\sqrt{s}=8\\,{\\rm{TeV}}.$$ s = 8 TeV . These results supersede the limits from the Large Electron–Positron Collider experiments conducted more than two decades ago.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1007/S43630-020-00001-X
Abstract: This assessment by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides the latest scientific update since our most recent comprehensive assessment (Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 2019, 18, 595–828). The interactive effects between the stratospheric ozone layer, solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and climate change are presented within the framework of the Montreal Protocol and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We address how these global environmental changes affect the atmosphere and air quality human health terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems biogeochemical cycles and materials used in outdoor construction, solar energy technologies, and fabrics. In many cases, there is a growing influence from changes in seasonality and extreme events due to climate change. Additionally, we assess the transmission and environmental effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, in the context of linkages with solar UV radiation and the Montreal Protocol.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 26-03-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10217-Z
Abstract: This paper presents an analysis at next-to-next-to-leading order in the theory of quantum chromodynamics for the determination of a new set of proton parton distribution functions using erse measurements in pp collisions at $$\\sqrt{s} = 7$$ s = 7 , 8 and 13 TeV, performed by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, together with deep inelastic scattering data from ep collisions at the HERA collider. The ATLAS data sets considered are differential cross-section measurements of inclusive $$W^{\\pm }$$ W ± and $$Z/\\gamma ^*$$ Z / γ ∗ boson production, $$W^{\\pm }$$ W ± and Z boson production in association with jets, $$t\\bar{t}$$ t t ¯ production, inclusive jet production and direct photon production. In the analysis, particular attention is paid to the correlation of systematic uncertainties within and between the various ATLAS data sets and to the impact of model, theoretical and parameterisation uncertainties. The resulting set of parton distribution functions is called ATLASpdf21.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S43630-023-00375-8
Abstract: This assessment by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the Montreal Protocol under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) evaluates the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on human health within the context of the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments. We assess work published since our last comprehensive assessment in 2018. Over the last four years gains have been made in knowledge of the links between sun exposure and health outcomes, mechanisms, and estimates of disease burden, including economic impacts. Of particular note, there is new information about the way in which exposure to UV radiation modulates the immune system, causing both harms and benefits for health. The burden of skin cancer remains high, with many lives lost to melanoma and many more people treated for keratinocyte cancer, but it has been estimated that the Montreal Protocol will prevent 11 million cases of melanoma and 432 million cases of keratinocyte cancer that would otherwise have occurred in the United States in people born between 1890 and 2100. While the incidence of skin cancer continues to rise, rates have stabilised in younger populations in some countries. Mortality has also plateaued, partly due to the use of systemic therapies for advanced disease. However, these therapies are very expensive, contributing to the extremely high economic burden of skin cancer, and emphasising the importance and comparative cost-effectiveness of prevention. Photodermatoses, inflammatory skin conditions induced by exposure to UV radiation, can have a marked detrimental impact on the quality of life of sufferers. More information is emerging about their potential link with commonly used drugs, particularly anti-hypertensives. The eyes are also harmed by over-exposure to UV radiation. The incidence of cataract and pterygium is continuing to rise, and there is now evidence of a link between intraocular melanoma and sun exposure. It has been estimated that the Montreal Protocol will prevent 63 million cases of cataract that would otherwise have occurred in the United States in people born between 1890 and 2100. Despite the clearly established harms, exposure to UV radiation also has benefits for human health. While the best recognised benefit is production of vitamin D, beneficial effects mediated by factors other than vitamin D are emerging. For both sun exposure and vitamin D, there is increasingly convincing evidence of a positive role in diseases related to immune function, including both autoimmune diseases and infection. With its influence on the intensity of UV radiation and global warming, the Montreal Protocol has, and will have, both direct and indirect effects on human health, potentially changing the balance of the risks and benefits of spending time outdoors. Graphical abstract
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-2021
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/16/08/P08025
Abstract: Non-ionizing energy loss causes bulk damage to the silicon sensors of the ATLAS pixel and strip detectors. This damage has important implications for data-taking operations, charged-particle track reconstruction, detector simulations, and physics analysis. This paper presents simulations and measurements of the leakage current in the ATLAS pixel detector and semiconductor tracker as a function of location in the detector and time, using data collected in Run 1 (2010–2012) and Run 2 (2015–2018) of the Large Hadron Collider. The extracted fluence shows a much stronger | z |-dependence in the innermost layers than is seen in simulation. Furthermore, the overall fluence on the second innermost layer is significantly higher than in simulation, with better agreement in layers at higher radii. These measurements are important for validating the simulation models and can be used in part to justify safety factors for future detector designs and interventions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2022
Abstract: A search for the exotic decay of the Higgs boson ( H ) into a b $$ \\overline{b} $$ b ¯ resonance plus missing transverse momentum is described. The search is performed with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using 139 fb − 1 of pp collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV. The search targets events from ZH production in an NMSSM scenario where H → $$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$ χ ~ 2 0 χ ~ 1 0 , with $$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0 $$ χ ~ 2 0 → $$ a{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$ a χ ~ 1 0 , where a is a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson and $$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_{1,2}^0 $$ χ ~ 1 , 2 0 are the two lightest neutralinos. The decay of the a boson into a pair of b -quarks results in a peak in the dijet invariant mass distribution. The final-state signature consists of two leptons, two or more jets, at least one of which is identified as originating from a b -quark, and missing transverse momentum. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations and upper limits are set on the product of cross section times branching ratio for a three-dimensional scan of the masses of the $$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0 $$ χ ~ 2 0 , $$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$ χ ~ 1 0 and a boson.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2021
Abstract: Fiducial and differential cross-section measurements of W + W − production in association with at least one hadronic jet are presented. These measurements are sensitive to the properties of electroweak-boson self-interactions and provide a test of perturbative quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak theory. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data collected at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 . Events are selected with exactly one oppositely charged electron-muon pair and at least one hadronic jet with a transverse momentum of p T 30 GeV and a pseudorapidity of | η | 4 . 5. After subtracting the background contributions and correcting for detector effects, the jet-inclusive W + W − + ≥ 1 jet fiducial cross-section and W + W − + jets differential cross-sections with respect to several kinematic variables are measured. These measurements include leptonic quantities, such as the lepton transverse momenta and the transverse mass of the W + W − system, as well as jet-related observables such as the leading jet transverse momentum and the jet multiplicity. Limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings are obtained in a phase space where interference between the Standard Model litude and the anomalous litude is enhanced.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2022
Abstract: A search for decays of pair-produced neutral long-lived particles (LLPs) is presented using 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015–2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Dedicated techniques were developed for the reconstruction of displaced jets produced by LLPs decaying hadronically in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter. Two search regions are defined for different LLP kinematic regimes. The observed numbers of events are consistent with the expected background, and limits for several benchmark signals are determined. For a SM Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV, branching ratios above 10% are excluded at 95% confidence level for values of c times LLP mean proper lifetime in the range between 20 mm and 10 m depending on the model. Upper limits are also set on the cross-section times branching ratio for scalars with a mass of 60 GeV and for masses between 200 GeV and 1 TeV.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-08-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10588-3
Abstract: A search for the Higgs boson decaying into a pair of charm quarks is presented. The analysis uses proton–proton collisions to target the production of a Higgs boson in association with a leptonically decaying W or Z boson. The dataset delivered by the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of "Equation missing" and recorded by the ATLAS detector corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 $$\text{ fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 . Flavour-tagging algorithms are used to identify jets originating from the hadronisation of charm quarks. The analysis method is validated with the simultaneous measurement of WW , WZ and ZZ production, with observed (expected) significances of 2.6 (2.2) standard deviations above the background-only prediction for the $$(W/Z)Z(\rightarrow c{\bar{c}})$$ ( W / Z ) Z ( → c c ¯ ) process and 3.8 (4.6) standard deviations for the $$(W/Z)W(\rightarrow cq)$$ ( W / Z ) W ( → c q ) process. The $$(W/Z)H(\rightarrow c {\bar{c}})$$ ( W / Z ) H ( → c c ¯ ) search yields an observed (expected) upper limit of 26 (31) times the predicted Standard Model cross-section times branching fraction for a Higgs boson with a mass of "Equation missing" , corresponding to an observed (expected) constraint on the charm Yukawa coupling modifier $$|\kappa _c| 8.5~(12.4)$$ | κ c | 8.5 ( 12.4 ) , at the 95% confidence level. A combination with the ATLAS $$(W/Z)H, H\rightarrow b{\bar{b}}$$ ( W / Z ) H , H → b b ¯ analysis is performed, allowing the ratio $$\kappa _c / \kappa _b$$ κ c / κ b to be constrained to less than 4.5 at the 95% confidence level, smaller than the ratio of the b- and c-quark masses, and therefore determines the Higgs-charm coupling to be weaker than the Higgs-bottom coupling at the 95% confidence level.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2021
Abstract: A measurement of four-top-quark production using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 is presented. Events are selected if they contain a single lepton (electron or muon) or an opposite-sign lepton pair, in association with multiple jets. The events are categorised according to the number of jets and how likely these are to contain b -hadrons. A multivariate technique is then used to discriminate between signal and background events. The measured four-top-quark production cross section is found to be $$ {26}_{-15}^{+17} $$ 26 − 15 + 17 fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) significance of 1.9 (1.0) standard deviations over the background-only hypothesis. The result is combined with the previous measurement performed by the ATLAS Collaboration in the multilepton final state. The combined four-top-quark production cross section is measured to be $$ {24}_{-6}^{+7} $$ 24 − 6 + 7 fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) signal significance of 4.7 (2.6) standard deviations over the background-only predictions. It is consistent within 2.0 standard deviations with the Standard Model expectation of 12 . 0 ± 2 . 4 fb.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-021-09843-W
Abstract: A technique is presented to measure the efficiency with which c -jets are mistagged as b -jets (mistagging efficiency) using $$t\\bar{t}$$ t t ¯ events, where one of the W bosons decays into an electron or muon and a neutrino and the other decays into a quark–antiquark pair. The measurement utilises the relatively large and known $$W\\rightarrow cs$$ W → c s branching ratio, which allows a measurement to be made in an inclusive c -jet s le. The data s le used was collected by the ATLAS detector at $$\\sqrt{s} = 13$$ s = 13 $$\\text {TeV}$$ TeV and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb $$^{-1}$$ - 1 . Events are reconstructed using a kinematic likelihood technique which selects the mapping between jets and $$t\\bar{t}$$ t t ¯ decay products that yields the highest likelihood value. The distribution of the b -tagging discriminant for jets from the hadronic W decays in data is compared with that in simulation to extract the mistagging efficiency as a function of jet transverse momentum. The total uncertainties are in the range 3–17%. The measurements generally agree with those in simulation but there are some differences in the region corresponding to the most stringent b -jet tagging requirement.
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 11-2021
Abstract: Systemic suppression of adaptive immune responses is a major way in which UV radiation contributes to skin cancer development. Immune suppression is also likely to explain how UV protects from some autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. However, the mechanisms underlying UV-mediated systemic immune suppression are not well understood. Exposure of C57BL/6 mice to doses of UV known to suppress systemic autoimmunity led to the accumulation of cells within the skin-draining lymph nodes and away from non–skin-draining lymph nodes. Transfer of CD45.1+ cells from nonirradiated donors into CD45.2+ UV-irradiated recipients resulted in preferential accumulation of donor naive T cells and a decrease in activated T cells within skin-draining lymph nodes. A single dose of immune-suppressive UV was all that was required to cause a redistribution of naive and central memory T cells from peripheral blood to the skin-draining lymph nodes. Specifically, CD69-independent increases in sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1–negative naive and central memory T cells occurred in these lymph nodes. Mass spectrometry analysis showed UV-mediated activation of sphingosine kinase 1 activity, resulting in an increase in S1P levels within the lymph nodes. Topical application of a sphingosine kinase inhibitor on the skin prior to UV irradiation eliminated the UV-induced increase in lymph node S1P and T cell numbers. Thus, exposure to immunosuppressive UV disrupts T cell recirculation by manipulating the S1P pathway.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2022
Abstract: Searches are conducted for new spin-0 or spin-1 bosons using events where a Higgs boson with mass 125 GeV decays into four leptons ( ℓ = e , μ ). This decay is presumed to occur via an intermediate state which contains two on-shell, promptly decaying bosons: H → XX/ZX → 4 ℓ , where the new boson X has a mass between 1 and 60 GeV. The search uses pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 at a centre-of-mass energy $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with Standard Model expectations. Limits are set on fiducial cross sections and on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson to decay into XX/ZX , improving those from previous publications by a factor between two and four. Limits are also set on mixing parameters relevant in extensions of the Standard Model containing a dark sector where X is interpreted to be a dark boson.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2021
Abstract: A search for dark-matter particles in events with large missing transverse momentum and a Higgs boson candidate decaying into two photons is reported. The search uses 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton collision data collected at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model predictions is observed. The results are interpreted by extracting limits on three simplified models that include either vector or pseudoscalar mediators and predict a final state with a pair of dark-matter candidates and a Higgs boson decaying into two photons.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 06-09-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/IMCB.12552
Abstract: B cells play a major role in multiple sclerosis (MS), with many successful therapeutics capable of removing them from circulation. One such therapy, alemtuzumab, is thought to reset the immune system without the need for ongoing therapy in a proportion of patients. The exact cells contributing to disease pathogenesis and quiescence remain to be identified. We utilized mass cytometry to analyze B cells from the blood of patients with relapse‐remitting MS (RRMS) before and after alemtuzumab treatment, and during relapse. A complementary RRMS cohort was analyzed by single‐cell RNA sequencing. The R package “Spectre” was used to analyze these data, incorporating FlowSOM clustering, sparse partial least squares‐discriminant analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A + and IgG 1 + B‐cell numbers were altered, including higher IgG 1 + B cells during relapse. B‐cell linker protein (BLNK), CD40 and CD210 expression by B cells was lower in patients with RRMS compared with non‐MS controls, with similar results at the transcriptomic level. Finally, alemtuzumab restored BLNK, CD40 and CD210 expression by IgA + and IgG 1 + B cells, which was altered again during relapse. These data suggest that impairment of IgA + and IgG 1 + B cells may contribute to MS pathogenesis, which can be restored by alemtuzumab.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 11-05-2022
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 19-02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAUT.2016.05.016
Abstract: The ultraviolet (UV) radiation contained in sunlight is a powerful immune suppressant. While exposure to UV is associated with protection from the development of autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis, the precise mechanism by which UV achieves this protection is not currently well understood. Regulatory B cells play an important role in preventing autoimmunity and activation of B cells is a major way in which UV suppresses adaptive immune responses. Whether UV-protection from autoimmunity is mediated by the activation of regulatory B cells has never been considered before. When C57BL/6 mice were exposed to low, physiologically relevant doses of UV, a unique population of B cells was activated in the skin draining lymph nodes. As determined by flow cytometry, CD1d(low)CD5(-)MHC-II(hi)B220(hi) UV-activated B cells expressed significantly higher levels of CD19, CD21/35, CD25, CD210 and CD268 as well as the co-stimulatory molecules CD80, CD86, CD274 and CD275. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice immunized with MOG/CFA was reduced by exposure to UV. UV significantly inhibited demyelination and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the spinal cord. Consequently, UV-exposed groups showed elevated IL-10 levels in secondary lymphoid organs, delayed EAE onset, reduced peak EAE score and significantly suppressed overall disease incidence and burden. Importantly, protection from EAE could be adoptively transferred using B cells isolated from UV-exposed, but not unirradiated hosts. Indeed, UV-protection from EAE was dependent on UV activation of lymph node B cells because UV could not protect mice from EAE who were pharmacologically depleted of B cells using antibodies. Thus, UV maintenance of a pool of unique regulatory B cells in peripheral lymph nodes appears to be essential to prevent an autoimmune attack on the central nervous system.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1002/CTI2.1133
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-07-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10489-5
Abstract: A search for long-lived charginos produced either directly or in the cascade decay of heavy prompt gluino states is presented. The search is based on proton–proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of $$\\sqrt{s}$$ s = 13 T $$\\text {eV}$$ eV between 2015 and 2018 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 136 fb $$^{-1}$$ - 1 . Long-lived charginos are characterised by a distinct signature of a short and then disappearing track, and are reconstructed using at least four measurements in the ATLAS pixel detector, with no subsequent measurements in the silicon-microstrip tracking volume nor any associated energy deposits in the calorimeter. The final state is complemented by a large missing transverse-momentum requirement for triggering purposes and at least one high-transverse-momentum jet. No excess above the expected backgrounds is observed. Exclusion limits are set at 95% confidence level on the masses of the chargino and gluino for different chargino lifetimes. Chargino masses up to 660 (210) G $$\\text {eV}$$ eV are excluded in scenarios where the chargino is a pure wino (higgsino). For charginos produced during the cascade decay of a heavy gluino, gluinos with masses below 2.1 T $$\\text {eV}$$ eV are excluded for a chargino mass of 300 G $$\\text {eV}$$ eV and a lifetime of 0.2 ns.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 11-05-2022
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1039/C6MH00556J
Abstract: For the first time two phase MnO 2 nanostructures are constructed into core-branch arrays which deliver high pseudocapacitance.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 27-07-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2020
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-020-8102-8
Abstract: A search for direct pair production of scalar partners of the top quark (top squarks or scalar third-generation up-type leptoquarks) in the all-hadronic $$t{\\bar{t}}$$ t t ¯ plus missing transverse momentum final state is presented. The analysis of 139 $$\\hbox {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 of $${\\sqrt{s}=13}$$ s = 13 TeV proton–proton collision data collected using the ATLAS detector at the LHC yields no significant excess over the Standard Model background expectation. To interpret the results, a supersymmetric model is used where the top squark decays via $${\\tilde{t}} \\rightarrow t^{(*)} {\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1$$ t ~ → t ( ∗ ) χ ~ 1 0 , with $$t^{(*)}$$ t ( ∗ ) denoting an on-shell (off-shell) top quark and $${\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1$$ χ ~ 1 0 the lightest neutralino. Three specific event selections are optimised for the following scenarios. In the scenario where $$m_{{\\tilde{t}}} m_t+m_{{\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1}$$ m t ~ m t + m χ ~ 1 0 , top squark masses are excluded in the range 400–1250 GeV for $${\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1$$ χ ~ 1 0 masses below 200 GeV at 95% confidence level. In the situation where $$m_{{\\tilde{t}}}\\sim m_t+m_{{\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1}$$ m t ~ ∼ m t + m χ ~ 1 0 , top squark masses in the range 300–630 GeV are excluded, while in the case where $$m_{{\\tilde{t}}} m_W+m_b+m_{{\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1}$$ m t ~ m W + m b + m χ ~ 1 0 (with $$m_{{\\tilde{t}}}-m_{{\\tilde{\\chi }}^0_1}\\ge 5$$ m t ~ - m χ ~ 1 0 ≥ 5 GeV), considered for the first time in an ATLAS all-hadronic search, top squark masses in the range 300–660 GeV are excluded. Limits are also set for scalar third-generation up-type leptoquarks, excluding leptoquarks with masses below 1240 GeV when considering only leptoquark decays into a top quark and a neutrino.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2001
DOI: 10.1046/J.0022-202X.2001.01454.X
Abstract: Langerhans cells are bone marrow-derived epidermal dendritic cells. They migrate out of the epidermis into the lymphatics and travel to the draining lymph nodes where they are responsible for the activation of T cells in the primary immune response. Tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1beta, have previously been shown to be responsible for Langerhans cell migration in response to contact sensitizers in BALB/C mice however, which cytokines are responsible for mediating Langerhans cell migration in response to a replicating cutaneously acquired virus such as the West Nile Virus, are not known. We have devised a method for identifying Langerhans cells in the draining lymph nodes using E-cadherin labeling and flow cytometry. We infected tumor necrosis factor-deficient gene knockout mice (tumor necrosis factor-/-) intradermally with West Nile Virus and found that levels of Langerhans cell emigration and accumulation in the draining lymph nodes were similar to wild-type C57BL/6 mice. This was borne out by the finding that high levels of systemic neutralizing anti-tumor necrosis factor antibody failed to inhibit the migration of Langerhans cells from the epidermis and their accumulation in the draining lymph nodes in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. In West Nile Virus-infected, tumor necrosis factor-/- mice treated with systemic neutralizing anti-interleukin-1beta antibodies, however, migration of Langerhans cells from the epidermis and their accumulation in the draining lymph nodes were significantly inhibited compared with control antibody-treated, infected animals. The results indicate that Langerhans cell migration, accumulation in the draining lymph nodes and the initiation of lymph node shut-down in response to a cutaneous West Nile Virus infection is dependent on interleukin-1beta and can occur in the absence of tumor necrosis factor.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 07-06-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-11-2022
Abstract: 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 s le are $$ {P}_{x^{\\prime }} $$ P x ′ = 0 . 01 ± 0 . 18, $$ {P}_{y^{\\prime }} $$ P y ′ = − 0 . 029 ± 0 . 027, $$ {P}_{z^{\\prime }} $$ P z ′ = 0 . 91 ± 0 . 10 and for the top-antiquark event s le they are $$ {P}_{x^{\\prime }} $$ P x ′ = − 0 . 02 ± 0 . 20, $$ {P}_{y^{\\prime }} $$ P y ′ = − 0 . 007 ± 0 . 051, $$ {P}_{z^{\\prime }} $$ 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 $$ \\mathcal{O} $$ O tW operator in the framework of an effective field theory. The obtained bounds are C tW ∈ [ − 0 . 9 , 1 . 4] and C itW ∈ [ − 0 . 8 , 0 . 2], both at 95% confidence level.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-08-2022
Abstract: 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 $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ 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.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-08-2022
Abstract: A direct search for Higgs bosons produced via vector-boson fusion and subsequently decaying into invisible particles is reported. The analysis uses 139 fb − 1 of pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observed numbers of events are found to be in agreement with the background expectation from Standard Model processes. For a scalar Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV and a Standard Model production cross section, an observed upper limit of 0 . 145 is placed on the branching fraction of its decay into invisible particles at 95% confidence level, with an expected limit of 0 . 103. These results are interpreted in the context of models where the Higgs boson acts as a portal to dark matter, and limits are set on the scattering cross section of weakly interacting massive particles and nucleons. Invisible decays of additional scalar bosons with masses from 50 GeV to 2 TeV are also studied, and the derived upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction decrease with increasing mass from 1 . 0 pb for a scalar boson mass of 50 GeV to 0 . 1 pb at a mass of 2 TeV.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 07-2021
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/16/07/P07029
Abstract: The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) employs a trigger system consisting of a first-level hardware trigger (L1) and a software-based high-level trigger. The L1 muon trigger system selects muon candidates, assigns them to the correct LHC bunch crossing and classifies them into one of six transverse-momentum threshold classes. The L1 muon trigger system uses resistive-plate chambers (RPCs) to generate the muon-induced trigger signals in the central (barrel) region of the ATLAS detector. The ATLAS RPCs are arranged in six concentric layers and operate in a toroidal magnetic field with a bending power of 1.5 to 5.5 Tm. The RPC detector consists of about 3700 gas volumes with a total surface area of more than 4000 m 2 . This paper reports on the performance of the RPC detector and L1 muon barrel trigger using 60.8 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment in 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Detector and trigger performance are studied using Z boson decays into a muon pair. Measurements of the RPC detector response, efficiency, and time resolution are reported. Measurements of the L1 muon barrel trigger efficiencies and rates are presented, along with measurements of the properties of the selected s le of muon candidates. Measurements of the RPC currents, counting rates and mean avalanche charge are performed using zero-bias collisions. Finally, RPC detector response and efficiency are studied at different high voltage and front-end discriminator threshold settings in order to extrapolate detector response to the higher luminosity expected for the High Luminosity LHC.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-03-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S43630-023-00373-W
Abstract: There are several connections between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), solar UV radiation, and the Montreal Protocol. Exposure to ambient solar UV radiation inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. An action spectrum describing the wavelength dependence of the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by UV and visible radiation has recently been published. In contrast to action spectra that have been assumed in the past for estimating the effect of UV radiation on SARS-CoV-2, the new action spectrum has a large sensitivity in the UV-A (315–400 nm) range. If this “UV-A tail” is correct, solar UV radiation could be much more efficient in inactivating the virus responsible for COVID-19 than previously thought. Furthermore, the sensitivity of inactivation rates to the total column ozone would be reduced because ozone absorbs only a small amount of UV-A radiation. Using solar simulators, the times for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 have been determined by several groups however, many measurements are affected by poorly defined experimental setups. The most reliable data suggest that 90% of viral particles embedded in saliva are inactivated within ~ 7 min by solar radiation for a solar zenith angle (SZA) of 16.5° and within ~ 13 min for a SZA of 63.4°. Slightly longer inactivation times were found for aerosolised virus particles. These times can become considerably longer during cloudy conditions or if virus particles are shielded from solar radiation. Many publications have provided evidence of an inverse relationship between ambient solar UV radiation and the incidence or severity of COVID-19, but the reasons for these negative correlations have not been unambiguously identified and could also be explained by confounders, such as ambient temperature, humidity, visible radiation, daylength, temporal changes in risk and disease management, and the proximity of people to other people. Meta-analyses of observational studies indicate inverse associations between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity or severity of COVID-19, although the quality of these studies is largely low. Mendelian randomisation studies have not found statistically significant evidence of a causal effect of 25(OH)D concentration on COVID-19 susceptibility or severity, but a potential link between vitamin D status and disease severity cannot be excluded as some randomised trials suggest that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for people admitted to a hospital. Several studies indicate significant positive associations between air pollution and COVID-19 incidence and fatality rates. Conversely, well-established cohort studies indicate no association between long-term exposure to air pollution and infection with SARS-CoV-2. By limiting increases in UV radiation, the Montreal Protocol has also suppressed the inactivation rates of pathogens exposed to UV radiation. However, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that the expected larger inactivation rates without the Montreal Protocol would have had tangible consequences on the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Graphical abstract
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-10-2021
Abstract: A search for pair production of third-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying into a top quark and a τ -lepton is presented. The search is based on a dataset of pp collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 . Events are selected if they have one light lepton (electron or muon) and at least one hadronically decaying τ -lepton, or at least two light leptons. In addition, two or more jets, at least one of which must be identified as containing b -hadrons, are required. Six final states, defined by the multiplicity and flavour of lepton candidates, are considered in the analysis. Each of them is split into multiple event categories to simultaneously search for the signal and constrain several leading backgrounds. The signal-rich event categories require at least one hadronically decaying τ -lepton candidate and exploit the presence of energetic final-state objects, which is characteristic of signal events. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed in any of the considered event categories, and 95% CL upper limits are set on the production cross section as a function of the leptoquark mass, for different assumptions about the branching fractions into tτ and bν . Scalar leptoquarks decaying exclusively into tτ are excluded up to masses of 1 . 43 TeV while, for a branching fraction of 50% into tτ , the lower mass limit is 1 . 22 TeV.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2021
Abstract: The fragmentation properties of jets containing b -hadrons are studied using charged B mesons in 139 fb − 1 of pp collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the period from 2015 to 2018. The B mesons are reconstructed using the decay of B ± into J/ψK ± , with the J/ψ decaying into a pair of muons. Jets are reconstructed using the anti- k t algorithm with radius parameter R = 0 . 4. The measurement determines the longitudinal and transverse momentum profiles of the reconstructed B hadrons with respect to the axes of the jets to which they are geometrically associated. These distributions are measured in intervals of the jet transverse momentum, ranging from 50 GeV to above 100 GeV. The results are corrected for detector effects and compared with several Monte Carlo predictions using different parton shower and hadronisation models. The results for the longitudinal and transverse profiles provide useful inputs to improve the description of heavy-flavour fragmentation in jets.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2021
Abstract: A measurement of prompt photon-pair production in proton-proton collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV is presented. The data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 . Events with two photons in the well-instrumented region of the detector are selected. The photons are required to be isolated and have a transverse momentum of $$ {p}_{\\mathrm{T}{,}_{\\gamma 1(2)}} $$ p T , γ 1 2 40 (30) GeV for the leading (sub-leading) photon. The differential cross sections as functions of several observables for the diphoton system are measured and compared with theoretical predictions from state-of-the-art Monte Carlo and fixed-order calculations. The QCD predictions from next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations and multi-leg merged calculations are able to describe the measured integrated and differential cross sections within uncertainties, whereas lower-order calculations show significant deviations, demonstrating that higher-order perturbative QCD corrections are crucial for this process. The resummed predictions with parton showers additionally provide an excellent description of the low transverse-momentum regime of the diphoton system.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-03-2005
DOI: 10.1007/S00262-004-0652-3
Abstract: Human skin tumours often regress spontaneously due to immune rejection. Murine skin tumours model this behaviour some regress and others progress in syngeneic immunocompetent hosts. Previous studies have shown that progressor but not regressor skin tumours inhibit dendritic cell (DC) migration from the tumour to draining lymph nodes, and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) has been identified as a responsible factor. To determine whether increased production of TGF-beta1 in the absence of other differences inhibits DC migration from the tumour and enables it to evade immune destruction, a murine regressor squamous cell carcinoma clone was transfected with the gene for TGF-beta1. This enhanced growth in vitro and in vivo, causing it to become a progressor. TGF-beta1 transfection reduced the number of infiltrating DCs by about 25%. Quantitation of CD11c+ E-cadherin+ (epidermally derived) DCs in lymph nodes determined that TGF-beta1 reduced the number of DCs that migrated from the tumour to undetectable levels. This was supported by showing that TGF-beta1 reduced DC migration from cultured tumour explants by greater than tenfold. TGF-beta1 transfection also reduced the number of infiltrating CD4 and CD8 T cells. Thus, TGF-beta1 production by skin tumours is sufficient to immobilise DCs within the tumour, preventing their migration to lymph nodes. This reduces the number of T cells that infiltrate the tumour, preventing regression. Thus, TGF-beta1 is a key regulator of whether skin tumours regress or progress.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: This article presents a new set of proton parton distribution functions, ATLASepWZVjet20, produced in an analysis at next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD. The new data sets considered are the measurements of W + and W − boson and Z boson production in association with jets in pp collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 8 TeV performed by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC with integrated luminosities of 20 . 2 fb − 1 and 19 . 9 fb − 1 , respectively. The analysis also considers the ATLAS measurements of differential W ± and Z boson production at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 7 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 4 . 6 fb − 1 and deep-inelastic-scattering data from e ± p collisions at the HERA accelerator. An improved determination of the sea-quark densities at high Bjorken x is shown, while confirming a strange-quark density similar in size to the up- and down-sea-quark densities in the range x ≲ 0 . 02 found by previous ATLAS analyses.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 09-08-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10101-W
Abstract: A measurement of the energy asymmetry in jet-associated top-quark pair production is presented using $$139\\,{\\mathrm {fb}}^{-1}$$ 139 fb - 1 of data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during pp collisions at $$\\sqrt{s}=13\\,\\text {TeV}$$ s = 13 TeV . The observable measures the different probability of top and antitop quarks to have the higher energy as a function of the jet scattering angle with respect to the beam axis. The energy asymmetry is measured in the semileptonic $$t{\\bar{t}}$$ t t ¯ decay channel, and the hadronically decaying top quark must have transverse momentum above $$350\\,\\text {GeV}$$ 350 GeV . The results are corrected for detector effects to particle level in three bins of the scattering angle of the associated jet. The measurement agrees with the SM prediction at next-to-leading-order accuracy in quantum chromodynamics in all three bins. In the bin with the largest expected asymmetry, where the jet is emitted perpendicular to the beam, the energy asymmetry is measured to be $$-0.043\\pm 0.020$$ - 0.043 ± 0.020 , in agreement with the SM prediction of $$-0.037\\pm 0.003$$ - 0.037 ± 0.003 . Interpreting this result in the framework of the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT), it is shown that the energy asymmetry is sensitive to the top-quark chirality in four-quark operators and is therefore a valuable new observable in global SMEFT fits.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 04-08-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2021
Abstract: The production of dark matter in association with Higgs bosons is predicted in several extensions of the Standard Model. An exploration of such scenarios is presented, considering final states with missing transverse momentum and b -tagged jets consistent with a Higgs boson. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during Run 2, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 . The analysis, when compared with previous searches, benefits from a larger dataset, but also has further improvements providing sensitivity to a wider spectrum of signal scenarios. These improvements include both an optimised event selection and advances in the object identification, such as the use of the likelihood-based significance of the missing transverse momentum and variable-radius track-jets. No significant deviation from Standard Model expectations is observed. Limits are set, at 95% confidence level, in two benchmark models with two Higgs doublets extended by either a heavy vector boson Z ′ or a pseudoscalar singlet a and which both provide a dark matter candidate χ . In the case of the two-Higgs-doublet model with an additional vector boson Z ′, the observed limits extend up to a Z ′ mass of 3 TeV for a mass of 100 GeV for the dark matter candidate. The two-Higgs-doublet model with a dark matter particle mass of 10 GeV and an additional pseudoscalar a is excluded for masses of the a up to 520 GeV and 240 GeV for tan β = 1 and tan β = 10 respectively. Limits on the visible cross-sections are set and range from to 0.05 fb to 3.26 fb, depending on the missing transverse momentum and b -quark jet multiplicity requirements.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-07-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10366-1
Abstract: This article presents the results of two studies of Higgs boson properties using the $$WW^*(\\rightarrow e\\nu \\mu \\nu )jj$$ W W ∗ ( → e ν μ ν ) j j final state, based on a dataset corresponding to $${36.1}{{\\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}}$$ 36.1 fb - 1 of $$\\sqrt{s}=13$$ s = 13 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The first study targets Higgs boson production via gluon–gluon fusion and constrains the CP properties of the effective Higgs–gluon interaction. Using angular distributions and the overall rate, a value of $$\\tan (\\alpha ) = 0.0 \\pm 0.4 (\\mathrm {stat.}) \\pm 0.3 (\\mathrm {syst.})$$ tan ( α ) = 0.0 ± 0.4 ( stat . ) ± 0.3 ( syst . ) is obtained for the tangent of the mixing angle for CP-even and CP-odd contributions. The second study exploits the vector-boson fusion production mechanism to probe the Higgs boson couplings to longitudinally and transversely polarised W and Z bosons in both the production and the decay of the Higgs boson these couplings have not been directly constrained previously. The polarisation-dependent coupling-strength scale factors are defined as the ratios of the measured polarisation-dependent coupling strengths to those predicted by the Standard Model, and are determined using rate and kinematic information to be $$a_\\mathrm {L}=0.91^{+0.10}_{-0.18}$$ a L = 0 . 91 - 0.18 + 0.10 (stat.) $$^{+0.09}_{-0.17}$$ - 0.17 + 0.09 (syst.) and $$a_{\\mathrm {T}}=1.2 \\pm 0.4 $$ a T = 1.2 ± 0.4 (stat.) $$ ^{+0.2}_{-0.3} $$ - 0.3 + 0.2 (syst.). These coupling strengths are translated into pseudo-observables, resulting in $$\\kappa _{VV}= 0.91^{+0.10}_{-0.18}$$ κ VV = 0 . 91 - 0.18 + 0.10 (stat.) $$^{+0.09}_{-0.17}$$ - 0.17 + 0.09 (syst.) and $$\\epsilon _{VV} =0.13^{+0.28}_{-0.20}$$ ϵ VV = 0 . 13 - 0.20 + 0.28 (stat.) $$^{+0.08}_{-0.10}$$ - 0.10 + 0.08 (syst.). All results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 09-08-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-05-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-019-44488-6
Abstract: Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is the earliest clinical episode in multiple sclerosis (MS). Low environmental exposure to UV radiation is implicated in risk of developing MS, and therefore, narrowband UVB phototherapy might delay progression to MS in people with CIS. Twenty in iduals with CIS were recruited, and half were randomised to receive 24 sessions of narrowband UVB phototherapy over a period of 8 weeks. Here, the effects of narrowband UVB phototherapy on the frequencies of circulating immune cells and immunoglobulin levels after phototherapy are reported. Peripheral blood s les for all participants were collected at baseline, and 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months after enrolment. An extensive panel of leukocyte populations, including subsets of T cells, B cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells were examined in phototherapy-treated and control participants, and immunoglobulin levels measured in serum. There were significant short-term increases in the frequency of naïve B cells, intermediate monocytes, and fraction III FoxP3+ T regulatory cells, and decreases in switched memory B cells and classical monocytes in phototherapy-treated in iduals. Since B cells are increasingly targeted by MS therapies, the effects of narrowband UVB phototherapy in people with MS should be investigated further.
Publisher: Whitehouse Publishing
Date: 04-2020
DOI: 10.47795/FZHZ8873
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-06-2022
Abstract: The associated production of a Higgs boson and a top-quark pair is measured in events characterised by the presence of one or two electrons or muons. The Higgs boson decay into a b -quark pair is used. The analysed 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 $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV. The measured signal strength, defined as the ratio of the measured signal yield to that predicted by the Standard Model, is $$ {0.35}_{-0.34}^{+0.36} $$ 0.35 − 0.34 + 0.36 . 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.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2021
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-021-09192-8
Abstract: The paper presents a measurement of the Standard Model Higgs Boson decaying to b -quark pairs in the vector boson fusion (VBF) production mode. A s le corresponding to 126 $$\\hbox {fb}^{-1}$$ fb - 1 of $$\\sqrt{s} = 13\\,\\text {TeV}$$ s = 13 TeV proton–proton collision data, collected with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, is analyzed utilizing an adversarial neural network for event classification. The signal strength, defined as the ratio of the measured signal yield to that predicted by the Standard Model for VBF Higgs production, is measured to be $$0.95^{+0.38}_{-0.36}$$ 0 . 95 - 0.36 + 0.38 , corresponding to an observed (expected) significance of 2.6 (2.8) standard deviations from the background only hypothesis. The results are additionally combined with an analysis of Higgs bosons decaying to b -quarks, produced via VBF in association with a photon.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2021
Abstract: The results of a search for new phenomena in final states with b -jets and missing transverse momentum using 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton data collected at a centre-of-mass energy $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The analysis targets final states produced by the decay of a pair-produced supersymmetric bottom squark into a bottom quark and a stable neutralino. The analysis also seeks evidence for models of pair production of dark matter particles produced through the decay of a generic scalar or pseudoscalar mediator state in association with a pair of bottom quarks, and models of pair production of scalar third-generation down-type leptoquarks. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model background expectation is observed in any of the signal regions considered by the analysis. Bottom squark masses below 1270 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level if the neutralino is massless. In the case of nearly mass-degenerate bottom squarks and neutralinos, the use of dedicated secondary-vertex identification techniques permits the exclusion of bottom squarks with masses up to 660 GeV for mass splittings between the squark and the neutralino of 10 GeV. These limits extend substantially beyond the regions of parameter space excluded by similar ATLAS searches performed previously.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2008
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 10-06-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10182-7
Abstract: A search is presented for the production of a single top quark via left-handed flavour-changing neutral-current (FCNC) interactions of a top quark, a gluon and an up or charm quark. Two production processes are considered: $$u+g\rightarrow t$$ u + g → t and $$c+g\rightarrow t$$ c + g → t . The analysis is based on proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb $$^{-1}$$ - 1 . Events with exactly one electron or muon, exactly one b -tagged jet and missing transverse momentum are selected, resembling the decay products of a singly produced top quark. Neural networks based on kinematic variables differentiate between events from the two signal processes and events from background processes. The measured data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are set on the production cross-sections of the signal processes: $$\sigma (u+g\rightarrow t)\times \mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Wb)\times \mathcal {B}(W\rightarrow \ell \nu ) .0\,$$ σ ( u + g → t ) × B ( t → W b ) × B ( W → ℓ ν ) 3.0 pb and $$\sigma (c+g\rightarrow t)\times \mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Wb)\times \mathcal {B}(W\rightarrow \ell \nu ) .7\,$$ σ ( c + g → t ) × B ( t → W b ) × B ( W → ℓ ν ) 4.7 pb at the 95% confidence level, with $$\mathcal {B}(W\rightarrow \ell \nu )=0.325$$ B ( W → ℓ ν ) = 0.325 being the sum of branching ratios of all three leptonic decay modes of the W boson. Based on the framework of an effective field theory, the cross-section limits are translated into limits on the strengths of the tug and tcg couplings occurring in the theory: $$|C^{\,ut}_{uG}|/\Lambda ^2 0.057\,$$ | C uG u t | / Λ 2 0.057 TeV $$^{-2}$$ - 2 and $$|C^{\,ct}_{uG}|/\Lambda ^2 0.14\,$$ | C uG c t | / Λ 2 0.14 TeV $$^{-2}$$ - 2 . These bounds correspond to limits on the branching ratios of FCNC-induced top-quark decays: $$\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow u+g) 0.61\times 10^{-4}$$ B ( t → u + g ) 0.61 × 10 - 4 and $$\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow c+g) 3.7\times 10^{-4}$$ B ( t → c + g ) 3.7 × 10 - 4 .
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-08-2022
Abstract: 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 $$ \sqrt{s} $$ 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 ± $$ 0.21{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-0.32}^{+0.37} $$ 0.21 stat − 0.32 + 0.37 (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 ± $$ 0.41{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-0.67}^{+0.91} $$ 0.41 stat − 0.67 + 0.91 (syst) pb for gluon-gluon fusion, 0 . 197 ± $$ 0.028{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-0.026}^{+0.032} $$ 0.028 stat − 0.026 + 0.032 (syst) pb for vector-boson fusion, 0 . 115 ± $$ 0.058{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-0.040}^{+0.042} $$ 0.058 stat − 0.040 + 0.042 (syst) pb for vector-boson associated production, and 0 . 033 ± $$ 0.031{\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)}_{-0.017}^{+0.022} $$ 0.031 stat − 0.017 + 0.022 (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.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2021
Abstract: A search for charged Higgs bosons decaying into a top quark and a bottom quark is presented. The data analysed correspond to 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The production of a heavy charged Higgs boson in association with a top quark and a bottom quark, pp → tbH + → tbtb , is explored in the H + mass range from 200 to 2000 GeV using final states with jets and one electron or muon. Events are categorised according to the multiplicity of jets and b -tagged jets, and multivariate analysis techniques are used to discriminate between signal and background events. No significant excess above the background-only hypothesis is observed and exclusion limits are derived for the production cross-section times branching ratio of a charged Higgs boson as a function of its mass they range from 3.6 pb at 200 GeV to 0.036 pb at 2000 GeV at 95% confidence level. The results are interpreted in the hMSSM and $$ {M}_h^{125} $$ M h 125 scenarios.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 27-12-2021
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 11-01-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-06-2022
Abstract: Cross-section measurements of top-quark pair production where the hadronically decaying top quark has transverse momentum greater than 355 GeV and the other top quark decays into ℓνb are presented using 139 fb − 1 of data collected by the ATLAS experiment during proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The fiducial cross-section at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV is measured to be σ = 1 . 267 ± 0 . 005 ± 0 . 053 pb, where the uncertainties reflect the limited number of data events and the systematic uncertainties, giving a total uncertainty of 4 . 2%. The cross-section is measured differentially as a function of variables characterising the $$ t\\overline{t} $$ t t ¯ system and additional radiation in the events. The results are compared with various Monte Carlo generators, including comparisons where the generators are reweighted to match a parton-level calculation at next-to-next-to-leading order. The reweighting improves the agreement between data and theory. The measured distribution of the top-quark transverse momentum is used to search for new physics in the context of the effective field theory framework. No significant deviation from the Standard Model is observed and limits are set on the Wilson coefficients of the dimension-six operators O tG and $$ {O}_{tq}^{(8)} $$ O tq 8 , where the limits on the latter are the most stringent to date.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 07-01-2022
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 12-07-2021
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 31-08-2021
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 23-12-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.1038/JID.2013.424
Abstract: One way sunlight causes skin cancer is by suppressing anti-tumor immunity. A major mechanism involves altering mast cell migration via the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4-C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCR4-CXCL12) chemokine pathway. We have discovered that pharmacologically blocking this pathway with the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 prevents both UV radiation-induced immune suppression and skin cancer. The majority of control mice receiving UV-only developed histopathologically confirmed squamous cell carcinomas. In contrast, skin tumor incidence and burden was significantly lower in AMD3100-treated mice. Perhaps most striking was that AMD3100 completely prevented the outgrowth of latent tumors that occurred once UV irradiation ceased. AMD3100 protection from UV immunosuppression and skin cancer was associated with reduced mast cell infiltration into the skin, draining lymph nodes, and the tumor itself. Thus a major target of CXCR4 antagonism was the mast cell. Our results indicate that interfering with UV-induced CXCL12 by antagonizing CXCR4 significantly inhibits skin tumor development by blocking UV-induced effects on mast cells. Hence, the CXCR4-CXCL12 chemokine pathway is a novel therapeutic target in the prevention of UV-induced skin cancer.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: A search for long-lived particles, which have come to rest within the ATLAS detector, is presented. The subsequent decays of these particles can produce high-momentum jets, resulting in large out-of-time energy deposits in the ATLAS calorimeters. These de- cays are detected using data collected during periods in the LHC bunch structure when collisions are absent. The analysed dataset is composed of events from proton-proton collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS experiment during 2017 and 2018. The dataset used for this search corresponds to a total live time of 579 hours. The results of this search are used to derive lower limits on the mass of gluino R -hadrons, assuming a branching fraction $$ \\mathcal{B}\\left(\\overset{\\sim }{g}\\to q\\overline{q}{\\chi}_1^0\\right) $$ B g ~ → q q ¯ χ 1 0 = 100%, with masses of up to 1 . 4 TeV excluded for gluino lifetimes of 10 − 5 to 10 3 s.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2022
Abstract: A study of $$ {B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{+} $$ B c + → J / ψ D s + and $$ {B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{\\ast +} $$ B c + → J / ψ D s ∗ + decays using 139 fb − 1 of integrated luminosity collected with the ATLAS detector from $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ 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 $$ {B}_c^{+} $$ B c + → J/ψπ + decay are measured: $$ \\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{+}\\right)/\\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/{\\psi \\pi}^{+}\\right) $$ B B c + → J / ψ D s + / B B c + → J / ψπ + = 2 . 76 ± 0 . 47 and $$ \\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{\\ast +}\\right)/\\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/{\\psi \\pi}^{+}\\right) $$ B B c + → J / ψ D s ∗ + / B B c + → J / ψπ + = 5 . 33 ± 0 . 96. The ratio of the branching fractions of the two decays is found to be $$ \\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{\\ast +}\\right)/\\mathcal{B}\\left({B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{\\ast +}\\right) $$ B B c + → J / ψ D s ∗ + / B B c + → J / ψ D s ∗ + = 1 . 93 ± 0 . 26. For the $$ {B}_c^{+}\\to J/\\psi {D}_s^{\\ast +} $$ B c + → J / ψ D s ∗ + 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 $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 7 and 8 TeV pp collision data. A comparison with available theoretical predictions for the measured quantities is presented.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-02-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S43630-022-00176-5
Abstract: The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol under the United Nations Environment Programme evaluates effects on the environment and human health that arise from changes in the stratospheric ozone layer and concomitant variations in ultraviolet (UV) radiation at the Earth’s surface. The current update is based on scientific advances that have accumulated since our last assessment (Photochem and Photobiol Sci 20(1):1–67, 2021). We also discuss how climate change affects stratospheric ozone depletion and ultraviolet radiation, and how stratospheric ozone depletion affects climate change. The resulting interlinking effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change are assessed in terms of air quality, carbon sinks, ecosystems, human health, and natural and synthetic materials. We further highlight potential impacts on the biosphere from extreme climate events that are occurring with increasing frequency as a consequence of climate change. These and other interactive effects are examined with respect to the benefits that the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments are providing to life on Earth by controlling the production of various substances that contribute to both stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 07-2021
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/16/07/P07006
Abstract: The ATLAS Fast TracKer (FTK) was designed to provide full tracking for the ATLAS high-level trigger by using pattern recognition based on Associative Memory (AM) chips and fitting in high-speed field programmable gate arrays. The tracks found by the FTK are based on inputs from all modules of the pixel and silicon microstrip trackers. The as-built FTK system and components are described, as is the online software used to control them while running in the ATLAS data acquisition system. Also described is the simulation of the FTK hardware and the optimization of the AM pattern banks. An optimization for long-lived particles with large impact parameter values is included. A test of the FTK system with the data playback facility that allowed the FTK to be commissioned during the shutdown between Run 2 and Run 3 of the LHC is reported. The resulting tracks from part of the FTK system covering a limited η–ϕ region of the detector are compared with the output from the FTK simulation. It is shown that FTK performance is in good agreement with the simulation.
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 28-12-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2022
Abstract: This paper presents updated Monte Carlo configurations used to model the production of single electroweak vector bosons ( W , Z/γ ∗ ) in association with jets in proton-proton collisions for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Improvements pertaining to the electroweak input scheme, parton-shower splitting kernels and scale-setting scheme are shown for multi-jet merged configurations accurate to next-to-leading order in the strong and electroweak couplings. The computational resources required for these set-ups are assessed, and approximations are introduced resulting in a factor three reduction of the per-event CPU time without affecting the physics modelling performance. Continuous statistical enhancement techniques are introduced by ATLAS in order to populate low cross-section regions of phase space and are shown to match or exceed the generated effective luminosity. This, together with the lower per-event CPU time, results in a 50% reduction in the required computing resources compared to a legacy set-up previously used by the ATLAS collaboration. The set-ups described in this paper will be used for future ATLAS analyses and lay the foundation for the next generation of Monte Carlo predictions for single vector-boson plus jets production.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: A search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons (electrons, muons and τ -leptons) is presented. The analysis uses a data s le corresponding to 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Four-lepton signal regions with up to two hadronically decaying τ -leptons are designed to target several supersymmetric models, while a general five-lepton signal region targets any new physics phenomena leading to a final state with five charged leptons. Data yields are consistent with Standard Model expectations and results are used to set upper limits on contributions from processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level in simplified models of general gauge-mediated supersymmetry, excluding higgsino masses up to 540 GeV. In R -parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to charged leptons, lower limits of 1 . 6 TeV, 1 . 2 TeV, and 2 . 5 TeV are placed on wino, slepton and gluino masses, respectively.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-11-2022
DOI: 10.1140/EPJC/S10052-022-10785-0
Abstract: A search for the pair production of heavy leptons as predicted by the type-III seesaw mechanism is presented. The search uses proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to $$139\\,\\text {fb}^{-1}$$ 139 fb - 1 of integrated luminosity recorded by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis focuses on final states with three or four electrons or muons from the possible decays of new heavy leptons via intermediate electroweak bosons. No significant deviations above the Standard Model expectation are observed upper and lower limits on the heavy lepton production cross-section and masses are derived respectively. These results are then combined for the first time with the ones already published by ATLAS using the channel with two leptons in the final state. The observed lower limit on the mass of the type-III seesaw heavy leptons combining two, three and four lepton channels together is 910 GeV at the 95% confidence level.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2021
Abstract: A novel search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into pairs of long-lived neutral particles, each decaying into a bottom quark pair, is performed using 139 fb − 1 of $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events consistent with the production of a Higgs boson in association with a leptonically decaying Z boson are analysed. Long-lived particle (LLP) decays are reconstructed from inner-detector tracks as displaced vertices with high mass and track multiplicity relative to Standard Model processes. The analysis selection requires the presence of at least two displaced vertices, effectively suppressing Standard Model backgrounds. The residual background contribution is estimated using a data-driven technique. No excess over Standard Model predictions is observed, and upper limits are set on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson to LLPs. Branching ratios above 10% are excluded at 95% confidence level for LLP mean proper lifetimes cτ as small as 4 mm and as large as 100 mm. For LLP masses below 40 GeV, these results represent the most stringent constraint in this lifetime regime.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/17/01/P01013
Abstract: The semiconductor tracker (SCT) is one of the tracking systems for charged particles in the ATLAS detector. It consists of 4088 silicon strip sensor modules. During Run 2 (2015–2018) the Large Hadron Collider delivered an integrated luminosity of 156 fb -1 to the ATLAS experiment at a centre-of-mass proton-proton collision energy of 13 TeV. The instantaneous luminosity and pile-up conditions were far in excess of those assumed in the original design of the SCT detector. Due to improvements to the data acquisition system, the SCT operated stably throughout Run 2. It was available for 99.9% of the integrated luminosity and achieved a data-quality efficiency of 99.85%. Detailed studies have been made of the leakage current in SCT modules and the evolution of the full depletion voltage, which are used to study the impact of radiation damage to the modules.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: Measurements of four-lepton differential and integrated fiducial cross-sections in events with two same-flavour, opposite-charge electron or muon pairs are presented. The data correspond to 139 fb − 1 of $$ \\sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions, collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (2015–2018). The final state has contributions from a number of interesting Standard Model processes that dominate in different four-lepton invariant mass regions, including single Z boson production, Higgs boson production and on-shell ZZ production, with a complex mix of interference terms, and possible contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. The differential cross-sections include the four-lepton invariant mass inclusively, in slices of other kinematic variables, and in different lepton flavour categories. Also measured are dilepton invariant masses, transverse momenta, and angular correlation variables, in four regions of four-lepton invariant mass, each dominated by different processes. The measurements are corrected for detector effects and are compared with state-of-the-art Standard Model calculations, which are found to be consistent with the data. The Z → 4 ℓ branching fraction is extracted, giving a value of (4 . 41 ± 0 . 30) × 10 − 6 . Constraints on effective field theory parameters and a model based on a spontaneously broken B − L gauge symmetry are also evaluated. Further reinterpretations can be performed with the provided information.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1002/CTI2.1426
Abstract: The role of innate lymphoid cells (ILC), particularly helper ILC, in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well understood. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of peripheral ILC subsets in MS patients prior and after alemtuzumab administration using mass cytometry. Circulating ILC were analysed by mass cytometry in MS patients before and after alemtuzumab. These were compared with non‐MS controls. MS‐related shifts among ILC immunophenotypes were further elucidated by fast interpolation‐based t‐SNE (Flt‐SNE) dimensionality reduction. Neither natural killer (NK) cells nor helper ILC (ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3) levels were altered following alemtuzumab treatment. However, CD56 bright NK cell expansions were observed in relapsing patients. MS patients prior to alemtuzumab further displayed proportional shifts from ILC1 to ILC2, with MS‐associated decreases in CCR6 + helper ILC proportions. CD56 bright NK cells during relapse indicate an immediate response to disease reactivation, while CCR6‐related shifts among helper ILC suggest altered ILC migration to the CNS during MS.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
Date: 21-12-2021
Location: Romania
Location: Romania
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Radu Hobincu.