On the rise of proton-proton cross-sections at high energies
The rise of total, elastic and inelastic hadronic cross sections at high energies is investigated by means of an analytical parametrization, with the exponent of the leading logarithm contribution as a free fit parameter. Using derivative dispersion relations with one subtraction, two different fits to proton–proton and antiproton–proton total cross section and ρ parameter data are developed, reproducing well the experimental information in the energy region 5 GeV–7 TeV. The parametrization for the total cross sections is then extended to fit the elastic (integrated) cross section data in the same energy region, with satisfactory results. From these empirical results we extract the energy dependence of several physical quantities: inelastic cross section, ratios elastic/total, inelastic/total cross sections, ratio total-cross-section/elastic-slope, elastic slope and optical point. All data, fitted and predicted, are quite well described. We find a statistically consistent solution indicating: (1) an increase of the hadronic cross sections with the energy faster than the log-squared bound by Froissart and Martin; (2) asymptotic limits 1/3 and 2/3 for the ratios elastic/total and inelastic/total cross sections, respectively; a result in agreement with unitarity. These indications corroborate recent theoretical arguments by Azimov on the rise of the total cross section.

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: 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: Preliminary results on the empirical applicability of the Tsallis distribution in elastic hadron scattering
abstract: 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: Measurement of pion and proton response and longitudinal shower profiles up to 20 nuclear interaction lengths with the ATLAS Tile calorimeter
abstract: The response of pions and protons in the energy range of 20–180 GeV, produced at CERN's SPS H8 test-beam line in the ATLAS iron–scintillator Tile hadron calorimeter, has been measured. The test-beam configuration allowed the measurement of the longitudinal shower development for pions and protons up to 20 nuclear interaction lengths. It was found that pions penetrate deeper in the calorimeter than protons. However, protons induce showers that are wider laterally to the direction of the impinging particle. Including the measured total energy response, the pion-to-proton energy ratio and the resolution, all observations are consistent with a higher electromagnetic energy fraction in pion-induced showers. The data are compared with GEANT4 simulations using several hadronic physics lists. The measured longitudinal shower profiles are described by an analytical shower parametrization within an accuracy of 5–10%. The amount of energy leaking out behind the calorimeter is determined and parametrized as a function of the beam energy and the calorimeter depth. This allows for a leakage correction of test-beam results in the standard projective geometry.

title: Search for heavy long-lived charged particles in $pp$ collisions at $s=7$ TeV
abstract: The result of a search for heavy long-lived charged particles produced in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC is described. The data sample has been collected using the CMS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns. The inner tracking detectors are used to define a sample of events containing tracks with high momentum and high ionization energy loss. A second sample of events with high-momentum and high-ionization tracks satisfying muon identification and long time-of-flight criteria is analyzed independently. In both cases, the results are consistent with the expected background estimated from data. The results are used to establish cross section limits as a function of mass within the context of models with long-lived gluinos, scalar top quarks and scalar taus. Cross section limits on hyper-meson particles, containing new elementary long-lived hyper-quarks predicted by a vector-like confinement model, are also presented. Lower limits at 95% confidence level on the mass of gluinos (scalar top quarks) are found to be 1098 (737) GeV. A limit of 928 (626) GeV is set for a gluino (scalar top quark) that hadronizes into a neutral bound state before reaching the muon detectors. The lower mass limit for a pair produced scalar tau is found to be 223 GeV. Mass limits for a hyper-kaon are placed at 484, 602, and 747 GeV for hyper-rho masses of 800, 1200, and 1600 GeV, respectively.

title: Search for First Generation Scalar Leptoquarks in pp Collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV with the ATLAS Detector
abstract: We report a search for first generation scalar leptoquarks using 1.03 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions data produced by the Large Hadron Collider at and recorded by the ATLAS experiment. Leptoquarks are sought via their decay into an electron or neutrino and a quark, producing events with two oppositely charged electrons and at least two jets, or events with an electron, missing transverse momentum and at least two jets. Control data samples are used to validate background predictions from Monte Carlo simulation. In the signal region, the observed event yields are consistent with the background expectations. We exclude at 95% confidence level the production of first generation scalar leptoquark with masses when assuming the branching fraction of a leptoquark to a charged lepton is equal to 1.0 (0.5).

title: Gribov copies, lattice QCD and the gluon propagator
abstract: We address the problem of Gribov copies in lattice QCD. The gluon propagator is computed, in the Landau gauge, using 302 (� = 5.8) 12 4 configurations gauge fixed to different copies. The results of the simulation shows that: i) the effect of Gribov copies is small (less than 10%); ii) Gribov copies change essentially the lowest momenta components (q < 2.6 GeV); iii) within the statistical accuracy of our simulation, the effect of Gribov copies is resolved if statistical errors are multiplied by a factor of two or three. Moreover, when modelling the gluon propagator, different sets of Gribov copies produce different sets of parameters not, necessarily, compatible within one standard deviation. Finally, our data supports a gluon propagator which, for large momenta, behaves like a massive gluon propagator with a mass of 1.1 GeV.

title: Online neural trigger for optimizing data acquisition during particle beam calibration tests with calorimeters
abstract: For LHC, the hadronic calorimetry of the ATLAS detector is performed by Tilecal, a scintillating tile calorimeter. For calibration purposes, a fraction of the Tilecal modules is placed in particle beam lines. Despite beam high quality, experimental beam contamination is observed and this masks the actual performance of the calorimeter. For optimizing the calibration task, an online neural particle classifier was developed for Tilecal. Envisaging a neural trigger for incoming particles, a neural process runs integrated to the data acquisition task and performs online training for particle identification. The neural classification performance is evaluated by correlating the neural response to classical methodology, confirming an ability for outsider identification at levels as high as 99.3%.