Measurement of the Cross-Section for W Boson Production in Association with b-Jets in Proton-Proton Collisions at \(\sqrt s = 7\) TeV at the LHC using the ATLAS detector

Abstract

This dissertation presents a measurement of the W+b-jets ((pp → W + b(\bar{b}) + X)) production cross-section in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of (4.6 fb^{−1}), collected with the ATLAS detector. The measurement probes the QCD sector of the Standard Model at high energy, in a region where b-quark mass and double parton scattering play an important role. In addition, the measurement is relevant for searches for physics beyond the Standard Model in final states with a W boson and b-jets. The measurement relies on the leptonic decay modes of the W, and on the iden- tification of b-jets. The backgrounds to the W+b-jets process are estimated using Monte Carlo simulation and data-driven techniques. Cross-sections, corrected for all known detector effects and quoted in a limited kinematic range, are presented as a function of jet multiplicity and of the transverse momentum of the leading b-jet for both the muon and electron decay modes of the W boson.