D. Abbaneo

The four LEP collaborations, ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL, have searched for the neutral Higgs bosons which are predicted by the Minimal Supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The data of the four collaborations are statistically combined and examined for their consistency with the background hypothesis and with a possible Higgs boson signal. The combined LEP data show no significant excess of events which would indicate the production of Higgs bosons. The search results are used to set upper bounds on the cross-sections of various Higgs-like event topologies. The results are interpreted within the MSSM in a number of “benchmark” models, including CP-conserving and CP-violating scenarios. These interpretations lead in all cases to large exclusions in the MSSM parameter space. Absolute limits are set on the parameter cosβ and, in some scenarios, on the masses of neutral Higgs bosons.

The full LEP-1 data set collected with the ALEPH detector at the Z pole during 1991–1995 is analysed in order to measure the τ decay branching fractions. The analysis follows the global method used in the published study based on 1991–1993 data, but several improvements are introduced, especially concerning the treatment of photons and π0's. Extensive systematic studies are performed, in order to match the large statistics of the data sample corresponding to over 300 000 measured and identified τ decays. Branching fractions are obtained for the two leptonic channels and 11 hadronic channels defined by their respective numbers of charged particles and π0's. Using previously published ALEPH results on final states with charged and neutral kaons, corrections are applied to the hadronic channels to derive branching ratios for exclusive final states without kaons. Thus the analyses of the full LEP-1 ALEPH data are combined to yield a complete description of τ decays, encompassing 22 non-strange and 11 strange hadronic modes. Some physics implications of the results are given, in particular related to universality in the leptonic charged weak current, isospin invariance in a1 decays, and the separation of vector and axial-vector components of the total hadronic rate. Finally, spectral functions are determined for the dominant hadronic modes and updates are given for several analyses. These include: tests of isospin invariance between the weak charged and electromagnetic hadronic currents, fits of the ρ resonance lineshape, and a QCD analysis of the non-strange hadronic decays using spectral moments, yielding the value αs(mτ2)=0.340±0.005exp±0.014th. The evolution to the Z mass scale yields αs(MZ2)=0.1209±0.0018. This value agrees well with the direct determination from the Z width and provides the most accurate test to date of asymptotic freedom in the QCD gauge theory.

The flavour changing neutral current decay b→sγ has been detected in hadronic Z decays collected by ALEPH at LEP. The signal is isolated in lifetime-tagged bb̄ events by the presence of a hard photon associated with a system of high momentum and high rapidity hadrons. The background processes are normalised from the data themselves. The inclusive branching ratio is measured to be(3.11±0.80stat±0.72syst)×10−4,consistent with the Standard Model expectation via penguin processes.

Previously published and as yet unpublished QCD results obtained with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 are presented. The unprecedented statistics allows detailed studies of both perturbative and non-perturbative aspects of strong interactions to be carried out using hadronic Z and tau decays. The studies presented include precise determinations of the strong coupling constant, tests of its flavour independence, tests of the SU(3) gauge structure of QCD, study of coherence effects, and measurements of single-particle inclusive distributions and two-particle correlations for many identified baryons and mesons.

A search has been performed for the Standard Model Higgs boson in the data sample collected with the ALEPH detector at LEP, at centre-of-mass energies up to 209GeV. An excess of 3sigma beyond the background expectation is found, consistent with the production of the Higgs boson with a mass near 114GeV/c2. Much of this excess is seen in the four-jet analyses, where three high purity events are selected.

The fragmentation of b quarks into B mesons is studied with four million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH experiment during the years 1991–1995. A semi-exclusive reconstruction of B→ℓνD(★) decays is performed, by combining lepton candidates with fully reconstructed D(★) mesons while the neutrino energy is estimated from the missing energy of the event. The mean value of xBwd, the energy of the weakly-decaying B meson normalised to the beam energy, is found to be 〈xBwd〉=0.716±0.006(stat)±0.006(syst), using a model-independent method; the corresponding value for the energy of the leading B meson is 〈xBL〉=0.736±0.006(stat)±0.006(syst). The reconstructed spectra are compared with different fragmentation models.

A search for charginos nearly mass degenerate with the lightest neutralino is performed with the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP, at centre-of-mass energies between 189 and 209 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 628 pb−1. The analysis is based on the detection of isolated and energetic initial state radiation photons, produced in association with chargino pairs whose decay products have little visible energy. The number of candidate events observed is in agreement with that expected from Standard Model background sources. These results are combined with those of other direct searches for charginos, and a lower limit of 88 GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level is derived for the chargino mass in the case of heavy sfermions, irrespective of the chargino-neutralino mass difference.

The final results of the ALEPH search for the Standard Model Higgs boson at LEP, with data collected in the year 2000 at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV, are presented. The changes with respect to the preceding publication are described and a complete study of systematic effects is reported. The findings of this final analysis confirm the preliminary results published in November 2000 shortly after the closing down of the LEP collider: a significant excess of events is observed, consistent with the production of a $115 \Gcs$ Standard Model Higgs boson. The final results of the searches for the neutral Higgs bosons of the MSSM are also reported, in terms of limits on $\mh$, $\mA$ and $\tanb$. Limits are also set on $\mh$ in the case of invisible decays.

A search for selectron, smuon and stau pair production is performed with the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. The numbers of candidate events are consistent with the background predicted by the Standard Model. Final mass limits from ALEPH are reported.

This report contains the results of the Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle, held at CERN on 13-16 February 2002 to study the determination of the CKM matrix from the available data of K, D, and B physics. This is a coherent document with chapters covering the determination of CKM elements from tree level decays and K and B meson mixing and the global fits of the unitarity triangle parameters. The impact of future measurements is also discussed.

A search for the production and non-standard decay of a Higgs boson, h, into four taus through intermediate pseudoscalars, a, is conducted on 683 pb−1 of data collected by the ALEPH experiment at centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. No excess of events above background is observed, and exclusion limits are placed on the combined production cross section times branching ratio, $ {\xi^2} = \frac{{\sigma \left( {{\text{e}^{+} }{\text{e}^{-} } \to {\text{Zh}}} \right)}}{{{\sigma_{\text{SM}}}\left( {{\text{e}^{+} }{\text{e}^{-} } \to {\text{Zh}}} \right)}} \times B\left( {h \to {\text{aa}}} \right) \times B{\left( {{\text{a}} \to {\tau^{+} }{\tau^{-} }} \right)^2} $ . For m h < 107 GeV/c 2 and 4 < m a < 10 GeV/c 2, ξ 2 > 1 is excluded at the 95% confidence level.

Two samples of exclusive semileptonic decays, 579 B0 →D∗+ℓ−νℓ events and 261 B0 → D+ℓ−νℓ events, are selected from approximately 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. From the reconstructed differential decay rate of each sample, the product of the hadronic form factor F(ω) at zero recoil of the D(∗)+ meson and the CKM matrix element |Vcb| are measured to be FD∗+(1)|Vcb| = (31.9 ± 1.8stat ± 1.9syst) × 10−3, FD+(1)|Vcb| = (27.8 ± 6.8stat ± 6.5syst) × 10−3. The ratio of the form factors FD+(1) and FD∗+(1) is measured to be FD+(1)FD∗+(1) = 0.87 ± 0.22stat ± 0.21syst. A value of |Vcb| is extracted from the two samples, using theoretical constraints on the slope and curvature of the hadronic form factors and their normalization at zero recoil, with the result |Vcb| = (34.4 ± 1.6stat ± 2.3syst ± 1.4th) × 10−3. The branching fractions are measured from the two integrated spectra to be Br(B0 → D∗+ℓ−νℓ) = (5.53 ± 0.26stat ±0.52syst)%, Br(B0 → D∗+ℓ−νℓ) = (2.35 ± 0.20stat ± 0.44syst)%.

Searches for scalar top, scalar bottom and mass-degenerate scalar quarks are performed in the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP, at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 675 pb−1. No evidence for the production of such particles is found in the decay channels t̃→c/uχ, t̃→bℓν̃, b̃→bχ, q̃→qχ or in the stop four-body decay channel t̃→bχff̄′ studied for the first time at LEP. The results of these searches yield improved mass lower limits. In particular, an absolute lower limit of 63 GeV/c2 is obtained for the stop mass, at 95% confidence level, irrespective of the stop lifetime and decay branching ratios.

A search for charged Higgs bosons produced in pairs is performed with data collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 189 to 209 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to a total luminosity of 629 invpb. The three final states taunutaunu, taunucs and cscs are considered. No evidence for a signal is found and lower limits are set on the mass M_H+ as a function of the branching fraction B(H to taunu). In the framework of a two-Higgs-doublet model, and assuming B(H+ to taunu + B(H+ to cs) = 1 charged Higgs bosons with masses below 79.3 Gev/c2 are excluded at 95% confidence level independently of the branching ratios.

Deuteron and anti-deuteron production in Z decays has been observed in the ALEPH experiment at LEP. The production rate of anti-deuterons is measured to be 5.9+-1.8+-0.5 10^-6 per hadronic Z decay in the anti-deuteron momentum range 0.62 to 1.03 GeV/c. The coalescence parameter B_2, which characterizes the likelihood of anti-deuteron production, is measured to be 0.0033+-0.0013 GeV^2 in Z dedays. These measurements indicate that the production of anti-deuterons is suppressed in e+e- collisions compared to pp and photoproduction collisions.

Triple gauge-boson couplings γWW and ZWW involving single-photon, single-W and W-pair production are determined using data samples collected at LEP with the ALEPH detector at centre-of-mass energies between 183 and 209 GeV. The integrated luminosity used is 700 pb−1 for the single-photon measurement and 683 pb−1 for the W channels. Restricting the measurement to C- and P-conserving terms and applying local SU(2)L×U(1)Y gauge invariance, the measured values of the parameters g1Z, κγ and λγ are: g1Z=1.001±0.027(stat)±0.013(syst),κγ=0.971±0.055(stat)±0.030(syst),λγ=−0.012±0.027(stat)±0.011(syst) for single-parameter fits, where the two other parameters are fixed to their Standard Model values. Results are also presented for the cases where two or all three couplings are allowed to vary. An additional analysis using W-pair events is performed to measure the unconstrained real and imaginary parts of all 14 triple gauge-boson couplings and to perform an indirect search for a techni-ρ resonance. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are observed and the lower limit on the techni-ρ mass is set to 600 GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level.

Cross sections, angular distributions and forward-backward asymmetries are presented, of two-fermion events produced in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies from 189 to 209 GeV at LEP, measured with the ALEPH detector. Results for e+e-, μ+μ-, τ+τ-, qq̄, bb̄ and cc̄ production are in agreement with the standard model predictions. Constraints are set on scenarios of new physics such as four-fermion contact interactions, leptoquarks, Z′ bosons, TeV-scale quantum gravity and R-parity violating squarks and sneutrinos.

In view of an upgrade of the CMS experiment, the GEM for CMS collaboration is performing feasibility studies on employing Triple-GEM detectors for the high-η region (1.6–2.4) of the CMS endcaps. A detailed review of the development and characterization of the CMS full-size prototype baseline detector will be presented. GEMs have excellent spatial and time resolution, high rate capability and radiation hardness, they are an appealing option for simultaneously enhancing muon tracking and triggering capabilities in the high-η region. The GEM for CMS collaboration has studied the performance of small and full-size prototype detectors during several test beam campaigns in order to validate new technologies and techniques in view of a mass production for CMS experiment. Results from measurements with x-rays and from test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS will be shown from both small and large prototypes.

Searches for pair production of squarks, sleptons, charginos, and neutralinos are performed with the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 188.6 to 201.6 GeV. No evidence for any such signals is observed in a total integrated luminosity of about 410pb-1. The negative results of the searches are translated into exclusion domains in the space of the relevant MSSM parameters, which improve significantly on the constraints set previously. Under the assumptions of gaugino and sfermion mass unification, these results allow a 95% C.L. lower limit of 37GeV/c2 to be set on the mass of the lightest neutralino for any tan beta and sfermion mass. Additional constraints in the MSSM parameter space are derived from the negative results of ALEPH searches for Higgs bosons. The results are also interpreted in the framework of minimal supergravity.

The ratios of cross sections, Rb = σ(e+e− → bb)σ(e+e− → hadrons) and Rc = σ(e+e− → cc)σ(e+e− → hadrons), and the forward-backward asymmetries AFBbb and AFBcc, have been measured by the four LEP experiments at centre-of-mass energies close to the Z boson mass, using a variety of heavy flavour identification techniques and analysis methods. The procedure adopted to combine these measurements is described here. It takes into account the statistical and systematic correlations among the measurements and their interdependences in a χ2 minimization. The procedure is illustrated using published measurements.

Exotic hadrons made of five quarks (pentaquarks) are searched for in hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. No significant signal is observed. At 95% C.L., upper limits are set on the production rates N of such particles and their charge-conjugate state per Z decay: NΘ(1535)+⋅BR(Θ(1535)+→pKS0)<6.2×10−4,NΞ(1862)−−⋅BR(Ξ(1862)−−→Ξ−π−)<4.5×10−4,NΞ(1862)0⋅BR(Ξ(1862)0→Ξ−π+)<8.9×10−4,NΘc(3100)0⋅BR(Θc(3100)0→D*−p)<6.3×10−4,NΘc(3100)0⋅BR(Θc(3100)0→D−p)<31×10−4.

The mass of the W boson is determined from the direct reconstruction of its decays into purely hadronic and semi-leptonic events in e+e- collisions at LEP. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 683 inverse picobarns collected with the ALEPH detector at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. To minimise any effect from colour reconnection a new procedure is adopted in which low energy particles are not considered in the mass determination from the purely hadronic channel. The combined result from all channels is Mw = 80.440+-0.043(stat.)+-0.024(syst.)+-0.009(FSI)+-0.009(LEP) GeV/c**2 where FSI represents the possible effects of final state interactions in the purely hadronic channel. From two-parameter fits to the W mass and width, the W width is found to be Gw = 2.14+-0.09(stat.)+-0.04(syst.)+-0.05(FSI)+-0.01(LEP) GeV

The results of searches for selectrons, charginos and neutralinos performed with the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV are interpreted in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with R-parity conservation. Under the assumptions of gaugino and sfermion mass unification and no sfermion mixing, an absolute lower limit of 73 GeV/c2 is set on the mass of the lighter selectron ẽR at the 95% confidence level. Similarly, limits on the masses of the heavier selectron ẽL and of the sneutrino ν̃e are set at 107 and 84 GeV/c2, respectively. Additional constraints are derived from the results of the searches for Higgs bosons. The results are also interpreted in the framework of minimal supergravity.

The decay B0 -> J/psi K0_S is reconstructed with J/psi -> e+ e- or mu+ mu- and K0_S -> pi+ pi-. From the full ALEPH dataset at LEP1 of about 4 million hadronic Z decays, 23 candidates are selected with an estimated purity of 71%. They are used to measure the CP asymmetry of this decay, given by sin 2beta in the Standard Model, with the result sin 2beta = 0.84 +0.82-1.04 +-0.16. This is combined with existing measurements from other experiments, and increases the confidence level that CP violation has been observed in this channel to 98%.

Single top production via the flavour changing neutral current reactions e+e- -> \bar{t}c, \bar{t}u is searched for within the 214 pb-1 of data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies between 204 and 209 GeV. No deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed and upper limits on the single top production cross sections are derived. The combination with data collected at lower centre-of-mass energies yields an upper limit on the branching ratio BR(t -> Zc)+BR(t -> Zu) 14%, for BR(t -> \gamma c)+BR(t -> \gamma u)= 0 and mt=174 GeV/c2.

This paper is a review of recent progress of RD53 Collaboration. Results obtained on the study of the radiation effects on 65 nm CMOS have matured enough to define first strategies to adopt in the design of analog and digital circuits. Critical building blocks and analog very front end chains have been designed, tested before and after 5–800 Mrad. Small prototypes of 64×64 pixels with complex digital architectures have been produced, and point to address the main issues of dealing with extremely high pixel rates, while operating at very small in-time thresholds in the analog front end. The collaboration is now proceeding at full speed towards the design of a large scale prototype, called RD53A, in 65 nm CMOS technology.

Starting from a sample of four million hadronic Z decays collected with the ALEPH detector at LEP, 404 charged and neutral B mesons are fully reconstructed and used to look for resonant structure in the Bπ system. An excess of events is observed above the expected background in the Bπ mass spectrum at a mass ≈5.7 GeV/c2, consistent with the production and decay to B(∗)π of the B∗∗ states predicted by Heavy Quark Symmetry (HQS). In the framework of HQS, it is found that the mass of the B2∗ state is (5739+8−11(stat)+6−4(syst))MeV/c2 and the relative production rate of the B∗∗ system is BR(b→B∗∗→B(∗)π)/BR(b→Bu,d)=(31±9(stat)+6−5(syst))%. In the same sample of B mesons, significant Bπ± charge-flavour correlations are observed, which may prove important for tagging the initial B state in future CP violation studies.

Data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 have been used to search for gamma gamma production of the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) via their decay to pi+pi-. No signal is observed and upper limits to the product of gamma gamma width and pi+pi- branching ratio of the f0(1500) and the fJ(1710) have been measured to be Gamma_(gamma gamma -&gt; f0(1500)). BR(f0(1500)-&gt;pi+pi-) &lt; 0.31 keV and Gamma_(gamma gamma -&gt; fJ(1710)). BR(fJ(1710)-&gt;pi+pi-) &lt; 0.55 keV at 95% confidence level.

A search for the pseudoscalar meson ηb is performed in two-photon interactions at LEP 2 with an integrated luminosity of 699 pb−1 collected at e+e− centre-of-mass energies from 181 GeV to 209 GeV. One candidate event is found in the six-charged-particle final state and none in the four-charged-particle final state, in agreement with the total expected background of about one event. Upper limits of Γγγ(ηb)×BR(ηb→4charged particles)<48 eV, Γγγ(ηb)×BR(ηb→6charged particles)<132 eV are obtained at 95% confidence level, which correspond to upper limits of 9.0% and 25% on these branching ratios.

The planned upgrades of the LHC and its injector chain are expected to allow operation at luminosities around or above 5 × 1034cm−2s−1 sometimes after 2020, to eventually reach an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb−1 at the end of that decade. In order to fully exploit such operating conditions and the delivered luminosity, CMS needs to upgrade its tracking detectors and substantially improve its trigger capabilities. To achieve such goals, R&D activities are ongoing to explore options and develop solutions that would allow including tracking information at Level-1. Some of the options considered are reviewed, discussing their potential advantages and disadvantages.

The CMS collaboration considers upgrading the muon forward region which is particularly affected by the high-luminosity conditions at the LHC. The proposal involves Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) chambers, which are able to handle the extreme particle rates expected in this region along with a high spatial resolution. This allows to combine tracking and triggering capabilities, which will improve the CMS muon High Level Trigger, the muon identification and the track reconstruction. Intense R&D has been going on since 2009 and it has lead to the development of several GEM prototypes and associated detector electronics. These GEM prototypes have been subjected to extensive tests in the laboratory and in test beams at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This contribution will review the status of the CMS upgrade project with GEMs and its impact on the CMS performance.

Triple-GEM detector technology was recently selected by CMS for a part of the upgrade of its forward muon detector system as GEM detectors provide a stable operation in the high radiation environment expected during the future High-Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In a first step, GEM chambers (detectors) will be installed in the innermost muon endcap station in the $1.6<\left|\eta\right|<2.2$ pseudo-rapidity region, mainly to control level-1 muon trigger rates after the second LHC Long Shutdown. These new chambers will add redundancy to the muon system in the $\eta$-region where the background rates are high, and the bending of the muon trajectories due to the CMS magnetic field is small. A novel construction technique for such chambers has been developed in such a way where foils are mounted onto a single stack and then uniformly stretched mechanically, avoiding the use of spacers and glue inside the active gas volume. We describe the layout, the stretching mechanism and the overall assembly technique of such GEM chambers.

The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN is projected to provide an integrated luminosity of up to $4000\, \mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ over its operational span, extending beyond 2040.The CMS Phase-2 Inner Tracker, scheduled for installation at the end of Long Shutdown 3, has been designed to meet the demands of the high-luminosity operation. However, despite a careful optimisation for radiation tolerance, the projected lifespan of silicon sensors and electronic components indicates that the modules in the inner regions and some of the auxiliary electronics will not be able to function correctly for the entire duration of the HL-LHC program. Consequently, those components will need to be replaced at least once during the operation. Currently, more advanced technologies are under development for readout ASICs and data links, for applications in future High-Energy Physics (HEP) detectors. These technologies may offer opportunities to further enhance the performance of the CMS Inner Tracker for the latter half of the HL-LHC program. Two lines of research are being explored: (i) the improvement of the inner regions, to achieve reduced material budget and enhanced tracking performance, and (ii) the implementation of precision timing in the very forward region to extend the coverage of timing information in CMS up to $\eta = 4$. Some of the ideas under consideration are presented in this manuscript.

The production of final states involving one or more energetic photons from e+e− collisions is studied in a sample of 58.5pb−1 of data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The e+e−→νν̄γ(γ) and e+e−→γγ(γ) cross sections are measured. The data are in good agreement with predictions based on the Standard Model and are used to set upper limits on the cross sections for anomalous photon production in the context of two supersymmetric models and for various extensions to QED. In particular, in the context of a super-light gravitino model a cross section upper limit of 0.38 pb is placed on the process e+e−→G̃G̃γ, allowing a lower limit to be set on the mass of the gravitino. Limits are also set on the mass of the lightest neutralino in Gauge Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking models. In the case of equal ee∗γ and eeγ couplings a 95% C.L. lower limit on Me∗ of 250GeV/c2 is obtained.

ALEPH's published measurement of Rb = Γ(Z → bb)Γ(Z → hadrons) using a lifetime tag is updated using the full LEP 1 data sample. Considerable effort has been devoted to understanding systematic effects. Charm background is better controlled by combining the lifetime tag with a tag based on the bc hadron mass difference. Furthermore, the algorithm used to reconstruct the event primary vertex is designed so as to reduce correlations between the two hemispheres of an event. The value of Rb is measured to be 0.2167 ± 0.0011(stat) ± 0.0013(syst).

In June 1996, the LEP centre-of-mass energy was raised to 161 GeV. Pair production of W bosons in e+e− collisions was observed for the first time by the LEP experiments. An integrated luminosity of 11 pb−1 was recorded in the ALEPH detector, in which WW candidate events were observed. In 6 events both Ws decay leptonically. In 16 events, one W decays leptonically, the other into hadrons. In the channel where both Ws decay into hadrons, a signal was separated from the large background by means of several multi-variate analyses. The W pair cross-section is measured to be σWW = 4.23 ± 0.73 (stat.) ± 0.19 (syst.) pb. From this cross-section, the W mass is derived within the framework of the Standard Model: mW = 80.14 ± 0.34 (stat.) ± 0.09 (syst.) ± 0.03 (LEP energy) GeV/c2

A search for events with a photon pair arising from the decay of a Higgs boson produced in association with a fermion pair, is performed in 893 pb−1 of data recorded by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. No excess of such events is found over the expected background. An upper limit is derived on the product of the e+e−→HZ cross section and the H→γγ branching fraction as a function of the Higgs boson mass. A fermiophobic Higgs boson produced with the Standard Model cross section is excluded at 95% confidence level for all masses below 105.4 GeV/c2.

The muon detection system of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is based on different technologies for muon tracking and triggering. In particular, the muon system in the endcap disks of the detector consists of Resistive Plate Chambers for triggering and Cathode Strip Chambers for tracking. At present, the endcap muon system is only partially instrumented with the very forward detector region remaining uncovered. In view of a possible future extension of the muon endcap system, we report on a feasibility study on the use of Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors, in particular Gas Electron Multipliers, for both muon triggering and tracking. Results on the construction and characterization of small triple-Gas Electron Multiplier prototype detectors are presented.

The CBC2 is the latest version of the CMS Binary Chip ASIC for readout of the upgraded CMS Tracker at the High Luminosity LHC. It is designed in 130 nm CMOS with 254 input channels and will be bump-bonded to a substrate to which sensors will be wire-bonded. The CBC2 is designed to instrument double layer modules, consisting of two overlaid silicon microstrip sensors with aligned microstrips, in the outer tracker. It incorporates logic to identify L1 trigger primitives in the form of “stubs”: high transverse-momentum track candidates which are identified within the low momentum background by selecting correlated hits between two closely separated microstrip sensors. The first prototype modules have been assembled. The performance of the chip in recent laboratory tests is briefly reported and the status of module construction described.

The triple gauge-boson couplings, αWΦ, αW and αBΦ, have been measured using 34 semileptonically and 54 hadronically decaying W+W− candidate events. The events were selected in the data recorded during 1996 with the ALEPH detector at 172 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.65 pb−1. The triple gauge-boson couplings have been measured using optimal observables constructed from kinematic information of W+W− events. The results are in agreement with the Standard Model expectation.

The total cross section and the forward-backward asymmetry for the process e+e− → μ+μ−(nγ) are measured in the energy range 20–136 GeV by reconstructing the effective centre-of-mass energy after initial state radiation. The analysis is based on the data recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP between 1990 and 1995, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 143.5 pb−1. Two different approaches are used: in the first one an exclusive selection of events with hard initial state radiation in the energy range 20–88 GeV is directly compared with the Standard Model predictions showing good agreement. In the second one, all events are used to obtain a precise measurement of the energy dependence of σ0 and AFB0 from a model independent fit, enabling constraints to be placed on models with extra Z bosons.

A measurement of Rb using five mutually exclusive hemisphere tags has been performed by ALEPH using the full LEP1 statistics. Three tags are designed to select the decay of the Z0 to b quarks, while the remaining two select Z0 decays to c and light quarks, and are used to measure the tagging efficiencies. The result, Rb = 0.2159 ± 0.0009(stat) ±0.0011(syst), is in agreement with the electroweak theory prediction of 0.2158 ± 0.0003.

The data collected at centre-of-mass energies of 188.6 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176.2 pb−1, are analysed in a search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons H±. Three analyses are employed to select the τ+νττ−ν̄τ, cs̄τ−ν̄τ and cs̄sc̄ final states. No evidence for a signal is found. Upper limits are set on the production cross section as a function of the branching fraction B(H+→τ+ντ) and of the mass mH±, assuming that the sum of the branching ratios is equal to one. In the framework of a two-Higgs-doublet model, charged Higgs bosons with masses below 65.4 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% confidence level independently of the decay mode.

Bose–Einstein correlations in W-pair decays are studied using data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at e+e− centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. The analysis is based on the comparison of WW→qq¯qq¯ events to “mixed” events constructed with the hadronic part of WW→qq¯ℓν events. The data are in agreement with the hypothesis that Bose–Einstein correlations are present only for pions from the same W decay. The JETSET model with Bose–Einstein correlations between pions from different W bosons is disfavoured.

In this work the design of a constant fraction discriminator (CFD) to be used in the VFAT3 chip for the read-out of the triple-GEM detectors of the CMS experiment, is described. A prototype chip containing 8 CFDs was implemented using 130 nm CMOS technology and test results are shown.

Inclusive γ∗γ interactions to hadronic final states where one scattered electron or positron is detected in the electromagnetic calorimeters have been studied in the LEP 1 data taken by ALEPH from 1991 to 1995. The event sample has been used to measure the hadronic structure function of the photon F2γ in three bins with 〈Q2〉 of 9.9, 20.7 and 284 GeV2.

The process e+e− → hA is used to search for the Higgs bosons of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in the bbbb and τ+τ−bb final states. The search is performed in the data collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP, at centre-of-mass energies between 130 and 172 GeV and with a total luminosity of 27.2 pb−1. No candidate events are found in either of the final states, in agreement with the expected background of 0.91 events from all Standard Model processes. Combined with searches for e+e− → hZ, this results in a 95% C.L. lower limit on the masses of both h and A of 62.5 GeV/c2, for tan β > 1.

The e+e−→ZZ cross section at s=182.7 and 188.6GeV has been measured using the ALEPH detector. A cut-based analysis yields cross section measurements ofσZZ(182.7GeV)=0.11±0.160.11(stat.)±0.04(syst.)pbandσZZ(188.6GeV)=0.69±0.130.12(stat.)±0.03(syst.)pb.A neural network-based analysis yieldsσZZ(188.6GeV)=0.64±0.120.11(stat.)±0.04(syst.)pb.These measurements are consistent with the Standard Model expectations.

A search for pair-production of long-lived, heavy, singly-charged particles has been performed with data collected by the ALEPH detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 172 GeV. Data at \sqrt{s} = 161, 136, and 130 GeV are also included to improve the sensitivity to lower masses. No candidate is found in the data. A model-independent 95% confidence level upper limit on the production cross section at 172 GeV of 0.2-0.4pb is derived for masses between 45 and 86 GeV/c^2. This cross section limit implies, assuming the MSSM, a lower limit of 67 (69) GeV/c^2 on the mass of right- (left-) handed long-lived scalar taus or scalar muons and of 86 GeV/c^2 on the mass of long-lived charginos.

The purely leptonic decays Ds→τν and Ds→μν are studied in a sample of four million hadronic Z decays collected with the ALEPH detector at the LEP e+e− collider from 1991 to 1995. The branching fractions are extracted from a combination of two analyses, one optimized to select Ds→τν decays with τ→eνν̄ or μνν̄, and the other optimized for Ds→μν decays. The results are used to evaluate the Ds decay constant, within the Standard Model: fDs=[285±19(stat)±40(syst)] MeV.

The data collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP at centre–of–mass energies around 183 GeV are analysed to search for sleptons, the partners of leptons in supersymmetric theories. The previously published search for acoplanar leptons and missing energy has been updated. New searches have been developed to cover a wider range of slepton signals. These include single electrons, acoplanar leptons accompanied by two photons plus missing energy as well as particles with lifetime. No evidence for the production of any such particles is found. Slepton mass limits are reported within gravity mediated and gauge mediated SUSY breaking scenarios.

The data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 173.6 pb−1, are analysed in a search for the scalar partners of quarks and leptons predicted in supersymmetric models. No evidence for any such particles was found in the decay channels ℓ̃→ℓχ, t̃→cχ, t̃→bℓν̃, b̃→bχ, and q̃→qχ. Improved mass lower limits have been obtained in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.

A new measurement of the mean lifetime of the τ lepton is presented. Three different analysis methods are applied to a sample of 90 000 τ pairs, collected in 1993 and 1994 with the ALEPH detector at LEP. The average of this measurement and those previously published by ALEPH is ττ = 290.1 ± 1.5 ± 1.1 fs.

In a data sample of about four million hadronic Z decays recorded with the ALEPH detector from 1991 to 1995, the B0s→D(∗)+sD(∗)−s decay is observed, based on tagging the final state with two φ mesons in the same hemisphere. The Ds(∗)+Ds(∗)− final state is mostly CP even and corresponds to the short-lived B0s mass eigenstate. The branching ratio of this decay is measured to be BR(B0s(short)→D(∗)+sD(∗)−s) =(23±10−9+19)%. A measurement of the lifetime of the B0s(short) gives 1.27±0.33±0.08 ps. The lifetime and branching ratio measurements provide two essentially independent methods of estimating the relative decay width difference ΔΓ/Γ in the B0s–B̄0s system, corresponding to an average value ΔΓ/Γ=(25+21−14)%.

Searches for neutral Higgs bosons are performed with the 237 pb-1 of data collected in 1999 by the ALEPH detector at LEP, for centre-of-mass energies between 191.6 and 201.6 GeV. These searches apply to Higgs bosons within the context of the Standard Model and its minimal supersymmetric extension (MSSM) as well as to invisibly decaying Higgs bosons. No evidence of a signal is seen. A lower limit on the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson of 107.7 GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level is set. In the MSSM, lower limits of 91.2 and 91.6 GeV/c2 are derived for the masses of the neutral Higgs bosons h and A, respectively. For a Higgs boson decaying invisibly and produced with the Standard Model cross section, masses below 106.4 GeV/c2 are excluded.

Searches for scalar top, scalar bottom and degenerate scalar quarks have been performed with data collected with the ALEPH detector at LEP. The data sample consists of 57 pb−1 taken at s = 181–184 GeV. No evidence for scalar top, scalar bottom or degenerate scalar quarks was found in the channels t̃→cχ, t̃→bℓν̃, b̃→bχ, and q̃→qχ. From the channel t̃→cχ a limit of 74 GeV/c2has been set on the scalar top quark mass, independent of the mixing angle. This limit assumes a mass difference between the t̃ and the χ in the range 10–40 GeV/c2. From the channel t̃→bℓν̃ the mixing-angle-independent scalar top limit is 82 GeV/c2, assuming mt̃−mν̃ > 10 GeV/c2. From the channel b̃→bχ, a limit of 79 GeV/c2has been set on the mass of the supersymmetric partner of the left-handed state of the bottom quark. This limit is valid for mb̃−mχ > 10 GeV/c2. From the channel q̃→qχ, a limit of 87 GeV/c2has been set on the mass of supersymmetric partners of light quarks assuming five degenerate flavours and the production of both “left-handed” and “right-handed” squarks. This limit is valid for mq̃−mχ > 5 GeV/c2.

A measurement of the fraction of hadronic Z decays in which a gluon splits into a bb̄ pair, gbb̄, is presented using data collected by ALEPH from 1992 to 1995 at the Z resonance. The selection is based on four-jet events. Events are selected by means of topological cuts and a lifetime tag. The result is gbb̄=(2.77±0.42(stat)±0.57(syst))×10−3.

A search for the Bc meson decaying into the channels Jψπ+ and Jψℓ+νℓ (ℓ = e or μ) is performed in a sample of 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector. This search results in the observation of 0 and 2 candidates in each of these channels, respectively, while 0.44 and 0.81 background events are expected. The following 90% confidence level upper limits are derived: Br(Z→BcXBr(Z→qq̄Br(Bc+→Jψπ+)<3.6×10−5,Br(Z→BcXBr(Z→qq̄Br(Bc+→Jψl+vl)<5.2×10−5 Another Bc+→Jψ(e+e−)μ+νμ candidate with very low background probability, found in an independent analysis, is also described in detail.

The mass of the W boson is obtained from reconstructed invariant mass distributions in W-pair events. The sample of W pairs is selected from 10.65 pb−1 collected with the ALEPH detector at a mean centre-of-mass energy of 172.09 GeV. The invariant mass distribution of simulated events are fitted to the experimental distributions and the following W masses are obtained:WW→qq̄qq̄,mW=81.30±0.47(stat.)±0.11(syst.)GeV/c2,WW→ℓνqq̄(ℓ=e,μ),mW=80.54±0.47(stat.)±0.11(syst.)GeV/c2,WW→τνqq̄,mW=79.56±1.08(stat.)±0.23(syst.)GeV/c2.The statistical errors are the expected errors for Monte Carlo samples of the same integrated luminosity as the data. The combination of these three measurements gives:mW=80.80±0.32(stat.)±0.11(syst.)±0.03(LEPenergy)GeV/c2.

The CMS GEM collaboration is performing a feasibility study to install triple-GEM detectors in the forward region of the muon system (1.6 < |η| < 2.4) of the CMS detector at the LHC. Such micro-pattern gas detectors are able to cope with the extreme particle rates that are expected in that region during the High Luminosity phase of the LHC. With their spatial resolution of order 100 micron GEMs would not only provide additional benefits in the CMS muon High Level Trigger, but also in the muon identification and track reconstruction, effectively combining tracking and triggering capabilities in one single device. The present status of the full project will be reviewed, highlighting all importants steps and achievements since the start of the R&amp;D in 2009. Several small and full-size prototypes were constructed with different geometries and techniques. The baseline design of the triple-GEM detector for CMS will be described, along with the results from extensive test measurements of all prototypes both in the lab and in test beams at the CERN SPS. The proposed on- and off-detector electronics for the final system will be presented.

At present, part of the forward RPC muon system of the CMS detector at the CERN LHC remains uninstrumented in the high-\eta region. An international collaboration is investigating the possibility of covering the 1.6 < |\eta| < 2.4 region of the muon endcaps with large-area triple-GEM detectors. Given their good spatial resolution, high rate capability, and radiation hardness, these micro-pattern gas detectors are an appealing option for simultaneously enhancing muon tracking and triggering capabilities in a future upgrade of the CMS detector. A general overview of this feasibility study will be presented. The design and construction of small (10\times10 cm2) and full-size trapezoidal (1\times0.5 m2) triple-GEM prototypes will be described. During detector assembly, different techniques for stretching the GEM foils were tested. Results from measurements with x-rays and from test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS will be shown for the small and large prototypes. Preliminary simulation studies on the expected muon reconstruction and trigger performances of this proposed upgraded muon system will be reported.

This contribution introduces a new type of Micropattern Gaseous Detector, the Fast Timing Micropattern (FTM) detector, utilizing fully Resistive WELL structures. The structure of the prototype will be described in detail and the results of the characterization study performed with an X-ray gun will be presented, together with the first results on time resolution based on data collected with muon/pion test beams.

Searches for supersymmetric particles in channels with one or more photons and missing energy have been performed with data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The data consist of 11.1 pb-1 at $\sqrt{s} = 161 GeV$, 1.1 pb-1 at 170 GeV and 9.5 pb-1 at 172 GeV. The e+e- -> nunu+photon cross section is measured. The data are in good agreement with predictions based on the Standard Model, and are used to set upper limits on the cross sections for anomalous photon production. These limits are compared to two different SUSY models and used to set limits on the neutralino mass. A limit of 71 GeV/c^2 at 95% C.L. is set on the mass of the lightest neutralino ($\tau_{\chi_{1}^{0}} \leq $ 3 ns) for the gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking and LNZ models.

Searches for scalar top and bottom quarks have been performed with data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The data sample consists of 21.7 pb^-1 taken at sqrt{s} = 161, 170, and 172~GeV and 5.7 pb^-1 taken at sqrt{s} = 130 and 136~GeV. No evidence for scalar top quarks or scalar bottom quarks was found in the channels stop --> c chi, stop --> b l snu, and sbottom --> b chi. For the channel stop --> c chi a limit of 67 GeV/c^2 has been set on the scalar top quark mass, independent of the mixing angle between the supersymmetric partners of the left and right-handed states of the top quark. This limit assumes a mass difference between the stop and the chi of at least 10 GeV/c^2. For the channel stop --> b l snu the mixing-angle independent scalar top limit is 70 GeV/c^2, assuming a mass difference between the stop and the snu of at least 10 GeV/c^2. For the channel sbottom --> b chi, a limit of 73 GeV/c^2 has been set on the mass of the supersymmetric partner of the left-handed state of the bottom quark. This limit is valid if the mass difference between the sbottom and the chi is at least 10 GeV/c^2.

Using a sample of four million hadronic Z events collected in ALEPH from 1991 to 1995, the decays D∗+→D0πs+, with D0 decaying to K−π+ or to K+π−, are studied. The relative branching ratio B(D0→K+π−)/B(D0→K−π+) is measured to be 1.84±0.59(stat.) ±0.34(syst.)%. The two possible contributions to the D0→K+π− decay, doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decays and D0–D̄0 mixing, are disentangled by measuring the proper-time distribution of the reconstructed D0's. Assuming no interference between the two processes, the upper limit obtained on the mixing rate is 0.92% at95%CL. The possible effect of interference between the two amplitudes is also assessed.

The production of W+W− pairs is analysed in a data sample collected by ALEPH at a mean centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 174.2 pb−1. Cross sections are given for different topologies of W decays into leptons or hadrons. Combining all final states and assuming Standard Model branching fractions, the total W-pair cross section is measured to be 15.71±0.34(stat.)±0.18(syst.)pb. Using also the W-pair data samples collected by ALEPH at lower centre-of-mass energies, the decay branching fraction of the W boson into hadrons is measured to be B(W→hadrons)=66.97±0.65(stat.)±0.32(syst.)%, allowing a determination of the CKM matrix element |Vcs|=0.951±0.030(stat.)±0.015(syst.).

The production rates of the orbitally excited Ds∗∗ mesons, Ds1± and Ds2∗±, are measured with the 4.1 million hadronic Z decays recorded by the ALEPH detector during 1991–1995. The Ds∗∗ mesons are reconstructed in the decay modes Ds1+→D∗+K0, Ds1+→D∗0K+ and Ds2∗+→D0K+. The production rate of the Ds1± is measured to be f(Z→Ds1±)=(0.52±0.09±0.06)%, under the assumption that the two considered decay modes of the Ds1± saturate the branching ratio. The production rate of the Ds2∗± is determined to be fZ→Ds2∗±=0.83±0.29+0.07−0.13%, assuming that the branching fraction of the decay Ds2∗+→D0K+ is 45%. The production rates in Z→cc̄ and Z→bb̄ decays are measured separately.

Exclusive production of π and K meson pairs in two photon collisions is measured with ALEPH data collected between 1992 and 2000. Cross-sections are presented as a function of cosθ∗ and invariant mass, for |cosθ∗|<0.6 and invariant masses between 2.0 and 6.0 GeV/c2 (2.25 and 4.0 GeV/c2) for pions (kaons). The shape of the distributions are found to be well described by QCD predictions but the data have a significantly higher normalization.

In view of a possible extension of the forward CMS muon detector system and future LHC luminosity upgrades, Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) are an appealing technology. They can simultaneously provide precision tracking and fast trigger information, as well as sufficiently fine segmentation to cope with high particle rates in the high-eta region at LHC and its future upgrades. We report on the design and construction of a full-size prototype for the CMS endcap system, the largest Triple-GEM detector built to-date. We present details on the 3D modeling of the detector geometry, the implementation of the readout strips and electronics, and the detector assembly procedure.

The CMS GEM collaboration is considering Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) for upgrading the CMS forward muon system in the 1.5 <; |η| <; 2.4 endcap region. GEM detectors can provide precision tracking and fast trigger information. They would improve the CMS muon trigger and muon momentum resolution and provide missing redundancy in the high-η region. Employing a new faster construction and assembly technique, we built four full-scale Triple-GEM muon detectors for the inner ring of the first muon endcap station. We plan to install these or further improved versions in CMS during the first long LHC shutdown in 2013/14 for continued testing. These detectors are designed for the stringent rate and resolution requirements in the increasingly hostile environments expected at CMS after the second long LHC shutdown in 2018/19. The new prototypes were studied in muon/pion beams at the CERN SPS. We discuss our experience with constructing the new full-scale production prototypes and present preliminary performance results from the beam test. We also tested smaller Triple-GEM prototypes with zigzag readout strips with 2 mm pitch in these beams and measured a spatial resolution of 73 μm. This readout offers a potential reduction of channel count and consequently electronics cost for this system while maintaining high spatial resolution.

Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) are a proven position sensitive gas detector technology which nowadays is becoming more widely used in High Energy Physics. GEMs offer an excellent spatial resolution and a high particle rate capability, with a close to 100% detection efficiency. In view of the high luminosity phase of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, these aforementioned features make GEMs suitable candidates for the future upgrades of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector. In particular, the CMS GEM Collaboration proposes to cover the high-eta region of the muon system with large-area triple-GEM detectors, which have the ability to provide robust and redundant tracking and triggering functions. In this contribution, after a general introduction and overview of the project, the construction of full-size trapezoidal triple-GEM prototypes will be described in more detail. The procedures for the quality control of the GEM foils, including gain uniformity measurements with an x-ray source will be presented. In the past few years, several CMS triple-GEM prototype detectors were operated with test beams at the CERN SPS. The results of these test beam campaigns will be summarised.

The dedicated CMS R&D program was intended to study the feasibility of using micropattern detectors for the instrumentation of the vacant |η|>1.6 region in the present Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) endcap system. The proposed detector for CMS is a Triple-Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) trapezoidal chamber, equipped with 1D readout. While during 2010–2011 the Collaboration worked on the prototyping of the detector, during the first part of 2012 a newly developed assembly technique to be used for the mass production was adopted. GEMs can provide precision tracking and fast trigger information, contributing on one hand to the improvement of the CMS muon Trigger and on the other hand to provide the missing redundancy in the high η region. In the view of the next LHC long shutdown (LS1) the CMS GEM Collaboration designed and built four full-size Triple GEM-based muon detectors.

The reaction e+e− → HZ is used to search for the Standard Model Higgs boson. The data sample consists of integrated luminosities of 10.9 pb−1, 1.1 pb−1, and 9.5 pb−1 collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP during 1996, at centre-of-mass energies of 161, 170 and 172 GeV, respectively. No candidate events were found, in agreement with the expected background of 0.84 events from all Standard Model processes. This search results in a 95% C.L. lower limit on the Higgs boson mass of 69.4 GeV/c2. When combined with earlier ALEPH searches performed at energies at and around the Z peak, this limit increases to 70.7 GeV/c2.

Bose-Einstein correlations are studied in semileptonic (WW→qq̄ℓν) and fully hadronic (WW→qq̄qq̄) W-pair decays with the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies of 172, 183 and 189 GeV. They are compared with those made at the Z peak after correction for the different flavour compositions. A Monte Carlo model of Bose-Einstein correlations based on the JETSET hadronization scheme was tuned to the Z data and reproduces the correlations in the WW→qq̄ℓν events. The same Monte Carlo reproduces the correlations in the WW→qq̄qq̄ channel assuming independent fragmentation of the two W's. A variant of this model with Bose-Einstein correlations between decay products of different W's is disfavoured.

Two-particle correlations of ΛΛ and Λ̄Λ̄ pairs have been studied in multihadronic Z decays recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP in the years from 1992 to 1995. The correlations were measured as a function of the four-momentum difference Q of the pair. A depletion of events is observed in the region Q<2 GeV which could arise from the effects of Fermi–Dirac statistics. In addition the spin content of the Λ pair system has been determined. For Q>2 GeV the fraction of pairs with spin one is consistent with the value of 0.75 expected for a statistical spin mixture, whilst for Q<2 GeV this fraction is found to be lower. For ΛΛ̄ pairs, where no Fermi–Dirac correlations are expected, the spin one fraction is measured to be consistent with 0.75 over the entire analysed Q range.

Data collected at centre-of-mass energies from 189 GeV to 202 GeV by the ALEPH detector at LEP corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 411 pb−1, are analysed in a search for the scalar top in the decay channels t̃→c/uχ for small mass differences between the stop and the lightest neutralino. No evidence for deviations from the Standard Model expectation is found and a lower limit of 59 GeV/c2 is set for the stop mass, independent of the stop to neutralino mass difference and of the stop lifetime.

A search for the Higgsstrahlung process e+e−→HZ is carried out, covering decays of the Higgs boson into any quark pair, a gluon pair or a tau pair. The analysis is based on the 630 pb−1 of data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 189 to 209 GeV. A 95% C.L. lower mass limit of 109.1 GeV/c2 is obtained for a Higgs boson cross section equal to that expected from the Standard Model if the Higgs boson decays exclusively into hadrons and/or taus, irrespective of the relative branching fractions.

Two-particle correlations in pp, p¯p¯ and KS0KS0 pairs have been studied in hadronic Z decays recorded at LEP with the ALEPH detector. The correlations were measured as a function of the four-momentum difference Q of the pair. For pp, p¯p¯ pairs a depletion of events is observed in the region Q<3 GeV, and for KS0KS0 pairs an enhancement of events is observed in the region Q<0.5 GeV. These features are consistent with expectations from Fermi–Dirac and Bose–Einstein statistics, respectively.

The data collected by ALEPH at LEP at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 181 to 184 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 57 pb−1, are analysed to search for pair-produced neutral Higgs bosons h and A, in the bb̄bb̄ and τ+τ−bb̄ final states. Two events are found in the data with 2.5 expected from standard model processes. When combined with the lower energy data collected by ALEPH and with earlier reported searches for associated hZ production, these analyses are interpreted in the context of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM). For standard choices of MSSM parameter sets, this combination results in 95% C.L. exclusion lower limits of 72.2 and 76.1 GeV/c2 for mh and mA, irrespective of tanβ. A scan of the MSSM parameter space is performed in which the model parameters are varied over wide ranges. For low values of tanβ, i.e., for 1<tanβ≲2, the limit on mh of ∼88 GeV/c2 is shown to be robust, being satisfied in essentially all of the physically allowed domain.

Single W production is studied in the data recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 161 and 183 GeV. The cross section is measured to be σW=0.41±0.17(stat.)±0.04(syst.) pb at 183 GeV, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. Limits on non-standard WWγ couplings are deduced as −1.6<κγ<1.5(λγ=0) and −1.6<λγ<1.6(κγ=1) at 95% C.L. A search for effectively invisible decays of the W boson in W pair production is performed, leading to an upper limit on the branching ratio of 1.3% (Γinv=27MeV) at 95% C.L.

The inclusive production of the omega(782) vector meson in hadronic Z decays is measured and compared to model predictions. The analysis is based on 4 million hadronic Z decays recorded by the ALEPH detector between 1991 and 1995. The production rate for x_p = p_meson/p_beam > 0.05 is measured in the omega -> pi^+ pi^- pi^0 decay mode and found to be 0.585 +- 0.019_stat +- 0.033_sys per event. Inclusive eta meson production is also measured in the same decay channel for x_p > 0.10, obtaining 0.355 +- 0.011_stat +- 0.024_sys per event. The branching ratio for omega -> mu^+ mu^- is investigated. A total of 18.1 +- 5.9 events are observed, from which the muonic branching ratio is measured for the first time to be BR(omega -> mu^+ mu^-) = (9.0 +- 2.9_stat +- 1.1_sys)*10^-5.

The rate of gluon splitting into cc̄ pairs in hadronic Z decays is measured using the data sample collected by ALEPH from 1991 to 1995. The selection is based on the identification of leptons (electrons and muons) originating from semileptonic charm decays, and on the topological properties of signal events. The result derived from the selected sample is gcc̄=(3.26±0.23(stat)±0.42(syst))%.

The layout of the CMS Silicon Strip Tracker is described and discussed. Some figures illustrating the expected performance are presented, discussing the effects of the material in the tracking volume.

The branching fraction for D0 → K−π+ is measured with the statistics collected by ALEPH from 1991 to 1994. The method is based on the comparison between the rate for the reconstructed D∗+→ D0π+, D0 → K−π+ decay chain and the rate for inclusive soft pion production at low transverse momentum with respect to the nearest jet. The result is B(D0 → K−π+0 = (3.90 ± 0.09 ± 0.12)%

Hadronic Z decays into three jets are used to test QCD models of colour reconnection (CR). A sensitive quantity is the rate of gluon jets with a gap in the particle rapidity distribution and zero jet charge. Gluon jets are identified by either energy-ordering or by tagging two b-jets. The rates predicted by two string-based tunable CR models, one implemented in JETSET (the GAL model), the other in ARIADNE, are too high and disfavoured by the data, whereas the rates from the corresponding non-CR standard versions of these generators are too low. The data can be described by the GAL model assuming a small value for the R0 parameter in the range 0.01-0.02.

Major LHC upgrades planned around 2020 are expected to increase the delivered instantaneous luminosity above 1034 cm-2s-1 while keeping the bunch spacing at 25 ns, or even increasing it. In order to cope with the higher pileup, the CMS collaboration is planning to build a completely new tracking system, which will probably implement also trigger capabilities. In order to identify the best possible design, a tool was developed (tkLayout) to generate layouts, make an estimate of the material budget and even provide an a priori estimate of the tracking performance. tkLayout can be used to optimize a given layout concept, or to compare the performance of different approaches. tkLayout is not specific to CMS, thus it can be used to design upgrades for other experiments. The technology of tkLayout is presented and results for several layout designs discussed.

The CMS GEM collaboration is considering Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) for upgrading the CMS forward muon system in the 1.5<|eta|<2.4 endcap region. GEM detectors can provide precision tracking and fast trigger information. They would improve the CMS muon trigger and muon momentum resolution and provide missing redundancy in the high-eta region. Employing a new faster construction and assembly technique, we built four full-scale Triple-GEM muon detectors for the inner ring of the first muon endcap station. We plan to install these or further improved versions in CMS during the first long LHC shutdown in 2013/14 for continued testing. These detectors are designed for the stringent rate and resolution requirements in the increasingly hostile environments expected at CMS after the second long LHC shutdown in 2018/19. The new prototypes were studied in muon/pion beams at the CERN SPS. We discuss our experience with constructing the new full-scale production prototypes and present preliminary performance results from the beam test. We also tested smaller Triple-GEM prototypes with zigzag readout strips with 2 mm pitch in these beams and measured a spatial resolution of 73 microns. This readout offers a potential reduction of channel count and consequently electronics cost for this system while maintaining high spatial resolution.

During the next shutdown of the LHC at CERN, the CMS experiment plans to start installing GEM detectors in the endcap (high pseudorapidity) region. These muon detectors have excellent spatial and temporal resolution as well as a high chemical stability and radiation hardness. A report is given on preliminary results of materials studies that aimed to fully characterize the GEM detector components before and after the exposure to a high-radiation environment.

The LHC data-taking will resume in 2015 with energy of 13–14 TeV and luminosity of 2÷5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. At those energies, a considerable fraction of the particles produced propagate in the high pseudo-rapidity regions. The proposal for the upgrade of the CMS muon forward system involves Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) chambers to be installed during the second LHC Long Shutdown (LS2) covering the pseudorapidity range 1.5 < |η| < 2.2. This detector is able to handle the extreme particle rates expected in this region when the LHC will be running at higher luminosity. The GEM is an excellent choice, as its high spatial resolution (order of 100 μm) allows to combine tracking and triggering capabilities, which will improve the CMS muon High Level Trigger, the muon identification and the track reconstruction. Intense R&D has been going on since 2009 and it has lead to the development of several GEM prototypes and associated detector electronics. These GEM prototypes have been subjected to extensive tests in the laboratory and in test beams at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This contribution will review the status of the CMS upgrade project with GEMs, discussing also the trigger performance.

The data collected in 1998 by ALEPH at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176.2 pb−1, are analysed to search for invisible decays of a Higgs boson produced in the reaction e+e−→hZ. The number of events found in the data and their properties are in agreement with the Standard Model expectation. This search results in an improved 95% C.L. lower limit on the Higgs boson mass of 95.4 GeV/c2, assuming it decays totally invisibly and for a production cross section equal to that of the Standard Model.

The data collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 130 to 172 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.5 pb−1, are analysed in a search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons H±. Three analyses are employed to select the τ+νττ−ν̄τ, cs̄τ−ν̄τ and cs̄sc̄ final states. No evidence for a signal is found. Mass limits are set as a function of the branching fraction B(τν) for H±→τν. Charged Higgs bosons with masses below 52 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% C.L. independently of B(τν), thus significantly improving on existing limits.

An improved measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry in Z→bb̄ decays is presented, based on a sample of 4.1 million hadronic Z decays collected by ALEPH between 1991 and 1995. Data are analysed as a function of polar angle of the event axis and b purity. The event tagging efficiency and mean b-jet hemisphere charge are measured directly from data. From the measured forward-backward jet charge asymmetry, the b quark asymmetry at s=mZ is determined to be: AbFB=0.1017±0.0038(stat.)±0.0032(syst.). In the context of the Standard Model this corresponds to a value of the effective weak mixing angle of sin2θWeff=0.23109±0.00096.

The mass of the W boson is obtained from reconstructed invariant mass distributions in W-pair events. The sample of W pairs is selected from 57 pb−1 collected with the ALEPH detector in 1997 at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. The invariant mass distributions of reweighted Monte Carlo events are fitted separately to the experimental distributions in the qq̄qq̄ and all ℓνqq̄ channels to give the following W masses:mWhadronic=80.461±0.177(stat.)±0.045(syst.)±0.056(theory)GeV/c2,mWsemileptonic=80.326±0.184(stat.)±0.040(syst.)GeV/c2,where the theory error represents the possible effects of final state interactions. The combination of these two measurements, including the LEP energy calibration uncertainty, givesmW=80.393±0.128(stat.)±0.041(syst.)±0.028(theory)±0.021(LEP)GeV/c2.

The international CMS GEM collaboration is studying the feasibility of upgrading the CMS forward muon system by adding layers of triple GEM based detectors. After successful tests of small size tripe-GEM chambers in the period of 2010-2011, the collaboration has designed, built and tested full-size GEM chambers for the upgrade purpose. We report on results from test beam and simulation that were conducted to study the performance of the GEM chambers.

The capability of performing quick recognition of particles with high transverse momentum (more than a few GeV/c) in the inner tracker is deemed essential to keep the CMS trigger rate at an acceptable level at a higher luminosity LHC (L > 1034 cm−2 s−1). We present an architecture for a novel tracking module based on a combination of a pixelated sensor with a short strip sensor that would offer such capability. The critical aspects of the design such as the projected power consumption, the resulting material budget, and the data flow model are discussed and estimates are given. It is also shown that a manufacturable module of this type is well within the capabilities of currently available microelectronic and packaging-assembly technologies.

In order to cope with the harsh environment expected from the high luminosity LHC, the CMS forward muon system requires an upgrade. The two main challenges expected in this environment are an increase in the trigger rate and increased background radiation leading to a potential degradation of the particle ID performance. Additionally, upgrades to other subdetectors of CMS allow for extended coverage for particle tracking, and adding muon system coverage to this region will further enhance the performance of CMS. Following an extensive R&D program, CMS has identified triple-foil gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors as a solution for the first muon station in the region 1.6<|η|<2.2, while continuing R&D is ongoing for additional regions.

The RD53 collaboration is developing a large scale pixel front-end chip, which will be a tool to evaluate the performance of 65 nm CMOS technology in view of its application to the readout of the innermost detector layers of ATLAS and CMS at the HL-LHC. Experimental results of the characterization of small prototypes will be discussed in the frame of the design work that is currently leading to the development of the large scale demonstrator chip RD53A to be submitted in early 2017. The paper is focused on the analog processors developed in the framework of the RD53 collaboration, including three time over threshold front-ends, designed by INFN Torino and Pavia, University of Bergamo and LBNL and a zero dead time front-end based on flash ADC designed by a joint collaboration between the Fermilab and INFN. The paper will also discuss the radiation tolerance features of the front-end channels, which were exposed to up to 800 Mrad of total ionizing dose to reproduce the system operation in the actual experiment.