Results of a search for H → τ τ decays are presented, based on the full set of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during 2011 and 2012. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 4.5 fb −1 and 20.3 fb −1 at centre-of-mass energies of √ s = 7 TeV and √ s = 8 TeV respectively. All combinations of leptonic (τ → νν with = e, µ) and hadronic (τ → hadrons ν) tau decays are considered. An excess of events over the expected background from other Standard Model processes is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.5 (3.4) standard deviations. This excess provides evidence for the direct coupling of the recently discovered Higgs boson to fermions. The measured signal strength, normalised to the Standard Model expectation, of µ = 1.43 +0.43−0.37 is consistent with the predicted Yukawa coupling strength in the Standard Model. The ATLAS collaboration 58 Keywords: Hadron-Hadron ScatteringThe investigation of the origin of electroweak symmetry breaking and, related to this, the experimental confirmation of the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism [1-6] is one of the prime goals of the physics programme at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) [7]. With the discovery of a Higgs boson with a mass of approximately 125 GeV by the ATLAS [8] and CMS [9] collaborations, an important milestone has been reached. More precise measurements of the properties of the discovered particle [10,11] as well as tests of the spin-parity quantum numbers [12][13][14] continue to be consistent with the predictions for the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson.These measurements rely predominantly on studies of the bosonic decay modes, H → γγ, H → ZZ * and H → W W * . To establish the mass generation mechanism for fermions as implemented in the SM, it is of prime importance to demonstrate the direct coupling of the Higgs boson to fermions and the proportionality of its strength to mass [15]. The most promising candidate decay modes are the decays into tau leptons, H → τ τ , and bottom quarks (b-quarks), H → bb. Due to the high background, the search for decays to bb is restricted to Higgs bosons produced in modes which have a more distinct signature but a lower cross-section, such as H production with an associated vector boson. The smaller rate of these processes in the presence of still large background makes their detection challenging. More favourable signal-to-background conditions are expected for H → τ τ decays. Recently, the CMS Collaboration published evidence for H → τ τ decays at a significance in terms of standard deviations of 3.2σ [16], and an excess corresponding to a significance of 2.1σ in the search for H → bb decays [17]. The combination of channels provides evidence for fermionic couplings with a significance of 3.8σ [18]. The yield of events in the search for H → bb decays observed by the ATLAS Collaboration has a signal significance of 1.4σ [19]. The Tevatron experiments have observed an excess corresponding to 2.8σ in the H → bb search [20].In this paper, the results of a search for...

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Single- and multi-photon events with missing energy are selected in 619 pb−1 of data collected by the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 189 GeV and 209 GeV. The cross sections of the process e+e− → vv-bar gamma (gamma) are found to be in agreement with the Standard Model expectations, and the number of light neutrino species is determined, including lower energy data, to be N = 2.98 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.04.\ud Selection results are given in the form of tables which can be used to test future models involving single- and multi-photon signatures at LEP. These final states are also predicted by models with large extra dimensions and by several supersymmetric\ud models. No evidence for such models is found. Among others, lower limits between 1.5 TeV and 0.65 TeV are set, at 95% confidence level, on the new scale of gravity for the number of extra dimensions between 2 and 8

The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV in 2012 is presented. The evaluation of the luminosity scale is performed using several luminometers, and comparisons between these luminosity detectors are made to assess the accuracy, consistency and long-term stability of the results. A luminosity uncertainty of δL/L = ±1.9% is obtained for the 22.7 fb −1 of pp collision data delivered to ATLAS at √ s = 8 TeV in 2012.