Search for long-lived, multi-charged particles in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for long-lived, multi-charged particles in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector, setting mass limits for particles with charges from 2e to 6e.

Contribution

First search for highly ionising, multi-charged particles at 7 TeV with ATLAS, establishing new mass exclusion limits for charges 2e to 6e.

Findings

No candidate signals observed.

Mass limits range from 50 GeV to 490 GeV depending on charge.

Set new constraints on multi-charged particle models.

Abstract

A search for highly ionising, penetrating particles with electric charges from |q| = 2e to 6e is performed using the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Proton-proton collision data taken at sqrt(s)=7 TeV during the 2011 running period, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, are analysed. No signal candidates are observed, and 95% confidence level cross-section upper limits are interpreted as mass-exclusion lower limits for a simplified Drell--Yan production model. In this model, masses are excluded from 50 GeV up to 430, 480, 490, 470 and 420 GeV for charges 2e, 3e, 4e, 5e and 6e, respectively.