Measurements of top-quark pair to Z-boson cross-section ratios at $\sqrt{s}=13$ , 8, 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

Ratios of top-quark pair to Z-boson cross sections measured from proton-proton collisions at the LHC centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, 8 TeV, and 7 TeV are presented by the ATLAS Collaboration. Single ratios, at a given $\sqrt{s}$ for the two processes and at different $\sqrt{s}$ for each process, as well as double ratios of the two processes at different $\sqrt{s}$, are evaluated. The ratios are constructed using previously published ATLAS measurements of the $t\overline{t}$ and Z-boson production cross sections, corrected to a common phase space where required, and a new analysis of Z → ℓ⁺ℓ⁻ where ℓ = e, μ at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV performed with data collected in 2015 with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb⁻¹. Correlations of systematic uncertainties are taken into account when evaluating the uncertainties in the ratios. The correlation model is also used to evaluate the combined cross section of the Z → e ⁺ e ⁻ and the Z → μ ⁺ μ ⁻ channels for each $\sqrt{s}$ value. The results are compared to calculations performed at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy using recent sets of parton distribution functions. The data demonstrate significant power to constrain the gluon distribution function for the Bjorken-x values near 0.1 and the light-quark sea for x < 0.02.