Preliminary results on the empirical applicability of the Tsallis distribution in elastic hadron scattering
We show that the proton-proton elastic differential cross section data at dip position and beyond can be quite well described by a parametrization based on the Tsallis distribution, with only five free fit parameters. Extrapolation of the results obtained at 7 TeV to large momentum transfer, suggests that hadrons may not behave as a black-disk at the asymptotic energy region.

title: Reply to 'Commentary on 'Total Hadronic Cross Section Data and the Froissart-Martin Bound', by Fagundes, Menon and Silva'
abstract: A reply to the above mentioned commentary by M.M. Block and F. Halzen on our quoted work is presented. We answer to each point raised by these authors and argument that our data reductions, strategies and methodology are adequate to the nonlinear-fit-problem in focus. In order to exemplify some arguments, additional information from our subsequent analysis is referred to. A brief commentary on the recent results by Block and Halzen is also presented. We understand that this reply gives support to the results and conclusions presented in our quoted work.

title: Total Hadronic Cross-Section Data and the Froissart–Martin Bound
abstract: The energy dependence of the total hadronic cross section at high energies is investigated with focus on the recent experimental result by the Total Elastic and Diffractive Cross-section Measurement Collaboration at 7 TeV and the Froissart–Martin bound. On the basis of a class of analytical parametrization with the exponent γ in the leading logarithm contribution as a free parameter, different variants of fits to pp and $\bar{\textrm{p}}$p total cross-section data above 5 GeV are developed. Two ensembles are considered, the first comprising data up to 1.8 TeV and the second also including the data collected at 7 TeV. We show that in all fit variants applied to the first ensemble, the exponent is statistically consistent with γ = 2. Applied to the second ensemble, however, the same variants yield γ values above 2, a result already obtained in two other analysis, by Amaldi et al. and by the UA4/2 Collaboration. As recently discussed by Azimov, this faster-than-squared-logarithm rise does not necessarily violate unitarity. Our results suggest that the energy dependence of the hadronic total cross section at high energies still constitutes an open problem.

title: CMS Data Processing Workflows during an Extended Cosmic Ray Run
abstract: The CMS Collaboration conducted a month-long data taking exercise, the Cosmic Run At Four Tesla, during October-November 2008, with the goal of commissioning the experiment for extended operation. With all installed detector systems participating, CMS recorded 270 million cosmic ray events with the solenoid at a magnetic field strength of 3.8 T. This paper describes the data flow from the detector through the various online and offline computing systems, as well as the workflows used for recording the data, for aligning and calibrating the detector, and for analysis of the data.

title: Search for strong gravity signatures in same-sign dimuon final states using the ATLAS detector at the LHC
abstract: A search for microscopic black holes has been performed in a same-sign dimuon final state using 1.3 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The data are found to be consistent with the expectation from the Standard Model and the results are used to derive exclusion contours in the context of a low scale gravity model.

title: Testbeam studies of production modules of the ATLAS tile calorimeter
abstract: We report test beam studies of 11% of the production ATLAS Tile Calorimeter modules. The modules were equipped with production front-end electronics and all the calibration systems planned for the final detector. The studies used muon, electron and hadron beams ranging in energy from 3 to 350 GeV. Two independent studies showed that the light yield of the calorimeter was ∼ 70 pe / GeV , exceeding the design goal by 40%. Electron beams provided a calibration of the modules at the electromagnetic energy scale. Over 200 calorimeter cells the variation of the response was 2.4%. The linearity with energy was also measured. Muon beams provided an intercalibration of the response of all calorimeter cells. The response to muons entering in the ATLAS projective geometry showed an RMS variation of 2.5% for 91 measurements over a range of rapidities and modules. The mean response to hadrons of fixed energy had an RMS variation of 1.4% for the modules and projective angles studied. The response to hadrons normalized to incident beam energy showed an 8% increase between 10 and 350 GeV, fully consistent with expectations for a noncompensating calorimeter. The measured energy resolution for hadrons of σ / E = 52.9 % / E ⊕ 5.7 % was also consistent with expectations. Other auxiliary studies were made of saturation recovery of the readout system, the time resolution of the calorimeter and the performance of the trigger signals from the calorimeter.

title: Scalar Bilepton Dark Matter
abstract: In this work we show that 3-3-1 model with right-handed neutrinos has a natural weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidate. It is a complex scalar with mass of order of some hundreds of GeV which carries two units of lepton number, a scalar bilepton. This makes it a very peculiar WIMP, very distinct from supersymmetric or extra-dimension candidates. Besides, although we have to make some reasonable assumptions concerning the several parameters in the model, no fine tuning is required in order to get the correct dark matter abundance. We also analyze the prospects for WIMP direct detection by considering recent and projected sensitivities for WIMP–nucleon elastic cross section from CDMS and XENON collaborations.

title: Search for supersymmetry in events with b-quark jets and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at 7 TeV
abstract: Results are presented from a search for physics beyond the standard model based on events with large missing transverse energy, at least three jets, and at least one, two, or three b-quark jets. The study is performed using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2011, with the missing transverse energy distribution as the principal search variable. The integrated luminosity of the sample is 4.98 inverse femtobarns. The observed number of events is found to be consistent with the standard model expectation, which is evaluated using control samples in the data. The results are used to constrain cross sections for the production of supersymmetric particles decaying to b-quark-enriched final states in the context of simplified model spectra.