A search for heavy long-lived charged R-hadronsis reported using a data sample corresponding to 3.2fb(-1)of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The search is based on observables related to large ionisation losses and slow propagation velocities, which are signatures of heavy charged particles travelling significantly slower than the speed of light. No significant deviations from the expected background are observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are provided on the production cross section of long-lived R-hadronsin the mass range from 600 GeV to 2000 GeV and gluino, bottom and top squark masses are excluded up to 1580 GeV, 805 GeV and 890 GeV, respectively.
A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb (1) of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at root s = 13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Exclusion limits are set for models of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions.
The inclusive production rates of isolated, prompt photons in p Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 8.16 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 165 nb(-1) recorded in 2016. The cross-section and nuclear modification factor R-p pb are measured as a function of photon transverse energy from 20 GeV to 550 GeV and in three nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass pseudorapidity regions, (-2.83, -2.02), (-1.84, 0.91), and (1.09, 1.90). The cross-section and R-p pb values are compared with the results of a next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculation, with and without nuclear parton distribution function modifications, and with expectations based on a model of the energy loss of partons prior to the hard scattering. The data disfavour a large amount of energy loss and provide new constraints on the parton densities in nuclei.
A measurement of the Higgs boson production cross sections via associated WH and ZH production using H -> WW* -> l nu l nu decays, where l stands for either an electron or a muon, is presented. Results for combined WH and ZH production are also presented. The analysis uses events produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The products of the H -> WW* branching fraction times the WH and ZH cross sections are measured to be 0.67(-0.27)(+0.31)(stat.)(-0.14)(+0.18)(syst.) pb and 0.54(-0.24)(+0.31)(stat.)(-0.07)(+0.15)(syst.) pb respectively, in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.
Higgs boson production cross-sections in proton-proton collisions are measured in the H -> WW*-> e nu mu nu decay channel. The proton-proton collision data were produced at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). The product of the H -> WW* branching fraction times the gluon-gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion cross-sections are measured to be 11.4(-1.1)(+1.2)(stat.)(-1.7)(+1.8)(syst.) pb and 0.50(-0.22)(+0.24)(stat.) +/- 0.17(syst.) pb, respectively, in agreement with Standard Model predictions. Elsevier B.V.
A search for a right-handed gauge boson W-R, decaying into a boosted right-handed heavy neutrino N-R, in the framework of Left-Right Symmetric Models is presented. It is based on data from proton-proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 80 fb(-1). The search is performed separately for electrons and muons in the final state. A distinguishing feature of the search is the use of large-radius jets containing electrons. Selections based on the signal topology result in smaller background compared to the expected signal. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and lower limits are set in the W-R and N-R mass plane. Mass values of the W-R smaller than 3.8-5 TeV are excluded for N-R in the mass range 0.1-1.8 TeV.
The dynamics of isolated-photon production in association with a jet in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with theATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). Photons are required to have transverse energies above 125 GeV. Jets are identified using the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter R = 0.4 and required to have transverse momenta above 100 GeV. Measurements of isolated-photon plus jet cross sections are presented as functions of the leading-photon transverse energy, the leading-jet transverse momentum, the azimuthal angular separation between the photon and the jet, the photon-jet invariant mass and the scattering angle in the photon-jet centre-of-mass system. Tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from SHERPA and PYTHIA as well as next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from JETPHOX and SHERPA are compared to the measurements.
The associated production of a Higgs boson with a W or Z boson decaying into leptons and where the Higgs boson decays to a b (b) over bar pair is measured in the high vector-boson transverse momentum regime, above 250 GeV, with the ATLAS detector. The analysed data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1), were collected in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV. The measured signal strength, defined as the ratio of the measured signal yield to that predicted by the Standard Model, is 0.72(-0.36)(+0.39) corresponding to an observed (expected) significance of 2.1 (2.7) standard deviations. Cross-sections of associated production of a Higgs boson decaying into b quark pairs with a W or Z gauge boson, decaying into leptons, are measured in two exclusive vector boson transverse momentum regions, 250-400 GeV and above 400 GeV, and interpreted as constraints on anomalous couplings in the framework of a Standard Model effective field theory.
The production yield of Z bosons is measured in the electron and muon decay channels in Pb+Pb collisions at /S-NN = 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Data from the 2015 LHC run corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.49 nb(-1) are used for the analysis. The Z boson yield, normalised by the total number of minimum-bias events and the mean nuclear thickness function, is measured as a function of dilepton rapidity and event centrality. The measurements in Pb+Pb collisions are compared with similar measurements made in proton-proton collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factor is found to be consistent with unity for all centrality intervals. The results are compared with theoretical predictions obtained at next-to-leading order using nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions. The normalised Z boson yields in Pb+Pb collisions lie 1-3a above the predictions. The nuclear modification factor measured as a function of rapidity agrees with unity and is consistent with a next-to-leading-order QCD calculation including the isospin effect.
Measurements of the yield and nuclear modification factor, R-AA, for inclusive jet production are performed using 0.49 nb(-1) of Pb+Pb data at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV and 25 pb(-1) of Pb+Pb data at root s = 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter R = 0.4 and are measured over the transverse momentum range of 40-1000 GeV in six rapidity intervals covering vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.8. The magnitude of R-AA increases with increasing jet transverse momentum, reaching a value of approximately 0.6 at 1 TeV in the most central collisions. The magnitude of R-AA also increases towards peripheral collisions. The value of R-AA is independent of rapidity at low jet transverse momenta, but it is observed to decrease with increasing rapidity at high transverse momenta.
A search for a heavy resonance decaying into WZ in the fully leptonic channel (electrons and muons) is performed. It is based on proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). No significant excess is observed over the Standard Model predictions and limits are set on the production cross section times branching ratio of a heavy vector particle produced either in quark-antiquark fusion or through vector-boson fusion. Constraints are also obtained on the mass and couplings of a singly charged Higgs boson, in the Georgi-Machacek model, produced through vector-boson fusion.
A search for W'-boson production in the W' -> t (b) over bar -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar decay channel is presented using 36.1 fb(-1) of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The search is interpreted in terms of both a left-handed and a right-handed chiral W' boson within the mass range 1-5 TeV. Identification of the hadronically decaying top quark is performed using jet substructure tagging techniques based on a shower deconstruction algorithm. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed and the results are expressed as upper limits on the W' -> t (b) over bar production cross-section times branching ratio as a function of the W'-boson mass. These limits exclude W' bosons with right-handed couplings with masses below 3.0 TeV and W' bosons with left-handed couplings with masses below 2.9 TeV, at the 95% confidence level.
A search for long-lived particles decaying into an oppositely charged lepton pair, mu mu, ee, or e mu, is presented using 32.8 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected at root s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Candidate leptons are required to form a vertex, within the inner tracking volume of ATLAS, displaced from the primary pp interaction region. No lepton pairs with an invariant mass greater than 12 GeV are observed, consistent with the background expectations derived from data. The detection efficiencies for generic resonances with lifetimes (c tau) of 100-1000 mm decaying into a dilepton pair with masses between 0.1-1.0 TeV are presented as a function of p(T) and decay radius of the resonances to allow the extraction of upper limits on the cross sections for theoretical models. The result is also interpreted in a supersymmetric model in which the lightest neutralino, produced via squark-antisquark production, decays into l(+) l'(-) nu(l, l' = e, mu) with a finite lifetime due to the presence of R-parity violating couplings. Cross-section limits are presented for specific squark and neutralino masses. For a 700 GeV squark, neutralinos with masses of 50-500 GeV and mean proper lifetimes corresponding to c tau values between 1 mm to 6 m are excluded. For a 1.6 TeV squark, c tau values between 3 mm to 1 m are excluded for 1.3 TeV neutralinos.
A search for non-resonant Higgs boson pair production, as predicted by the Standard Model, is presented, where one of the Higgs bosons decays via the H -> bb channel and the other via one of the H -> WW*/ZZ*/tau tau channels. The analysis selection requires events to have at least two b-tagged jets and exactly two leptons (electrons or muons) with opposite electric charge in the final state. Candidate events consistent with Higgs boson pair production are selected using a multi-class neural network discriminant. The analysis uses 139 fb(-1) of pp collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. An observed (expected) upper limit of 1.2 (0.9(-0.3)(+0.4)) pb is set on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair production cross-section at 95% confidence level, which is equivalent to 40 (29(-9)(+14)) times the value predicted in the Standard Model.
Searches for the Higgs boson decays H -> ee and H -> e mu are performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV at the LHC. No significant signals are observed, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation. For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, the observed (expected) upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the branching fraction B(H -> ee) is 3.6 x 10(-4) (3.5 x 10(-4)) and on B(H -> e mu) is 6.2 x 10(-5) (5.9 x 10(-5)). These results represent improvements by factors of about five and six on the previous best limits on B(H -> ee) and B(H -> e mu) respectively.
A search for the dimuon decay of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson is performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in Run 2 pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed (expected) significance over the background-only hypothesis for a Higgs boson with a mass of 125.09 GeV is 2.0 sigma (1.7 sigma). The observed upper limit on the cross section times branching ratio for pp -> H -> mu mu is 2.2 times the SM prediction at 95% confidence level, while the expected limit on a H -> mu mu signal assuming the absence (presence) of a SM signal is 1.1(2.0). The best-fit value of the signal strength parameter, defined as the ratio of the observed signal yield to the one expected in the SM, is mu = 1.2 +/- 0.6.
A combined measurement of differential and inclusive total cross sections of Higgs boson production is performed using 36.1 fb−1 of 13 TeV proton–proton collision data produced by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Cross sections are obtained from measured H→γγ and H→ZZ⁎→4ℓ event yields, which are combined taking into account detector efficiencies, resolution, acceptances and branching fractions. The total Higgs boson production cross section is measured to be 57.0−5.9 +6.0 (stat.) −3.3 +4.0 (syst.) pb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Differential cross-section measurements are presented for the Higgs boson transverse momentum distribution, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets produced together with the Higgs boson, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The results from the two decay channels are found to be compatible, and their combination agrees with the Standard Model predictions.
This letter reports the observation of photon-induced production of W-boson pairs, gamma gamma -> WW. The analysis uses 139 fb(-1) of LHC proton-proton collision data taken at root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment during the years 2015-2018. The measurement is performed selecting one electron and one muon, corresponding to the decay of the diboson system as WW -> e(+/-)nu mu(-/+)nu final state. The background-only hypothesis is rejected with a significance of well above 5 standard deviations consistent with the expectation from Monte Carlo simulation. A cross section for the gamma gamma -> WW process of 3.13 +/- 0.31(stat.) +/- 0.28(syst.) fb is measured in a fiducial volume close to the acceptance of the detector, by requiring an electron and a muon of opposite signs with large dilepton transverse momentum and exactly zero additional charged particles. This is found to be in agreement with the Standard Model prediction.
We report a search for Higgs bosons that are produced via vector boson fusion and subsequently decay into invisible particles. The experimental signature is an energetic jet pair with invariant mass of O(1) TeVand O(100) GeVmissing transverse momentum. The analysis uses 36.1 fb(-1) of pp collision data at root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. In the signal region the 2252 observed events are consistent with the background estimation. Assuming a 125 GeV scalar particle with Standard Model cross sections, the upper limit on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay into invisible particles is 0.37 at 95% confidence level where 0.28 was expected. This limit is interpreted in Higgs portal models to set bounds on the wimp-nucleon scattering cross section. We also consider invisible decays of additional scalar bosons with masses up to 3 TeV for which the upper limits on the cross section times branching fraction are in the range of 0.3-1.7 pb.
A search for new charged massive gauge bosons, W', is performed with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Data were collected in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). This analysis searches for W' bosons in the W'-> t ( b) over bar decay channel in final states with an electron or muon plus jets. The search covers resonance masses between 0.5 and 5.0 TeV and considers right-handed W' bosons. No significant deviation from the Standard Model (SM) expectation is observed and upper limits are set on theW'-> t ( b) over bar cross section times branching ratio and the W' boson effective couplings as a function of the W' boson mass. For right-handed W' bosons with coupling to the SM particles equal to the SM weak coupling constant, masses below 3.15 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level. This search is also combined with a previously published ATLAS result for W'-> t ( b) over bar in the fully hadronic final state. Using the combined searches, right-handed W' bosons with masses below 3.25 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level.
A search for heavy resonances decaying into a Higgs boson (H) and a new particle (X) is reported, utilizing 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV collected during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The particle Xis assumed to decay to a pair of light quarks, and the fully hadronic final state XH -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar is analysed. The search considers the regime of high XH resonance masses, where the X and H bosons are both highly Lorentz-boosted and are each reconstructed using a single jet with large radius parameter. A two-dimensional phase space of XH mass versus X mass is scanned for evidence of a signal, over a range of XH resonance mass values between 1 TeV and 4 TeV, and for X particles with masses from 50 GeV to 1000 GeV. All search results are consistent with the expectations for the background due to Standard Model processes, and 95% CL upper limits are set, as a function of XH and X masses, on the production cross-section of the XH -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar resonance.
Correlations of two flow harmonics v(n) and v(m) via three- and four-particle cumulants are measured in 13 TeV pp, 5.02 TeV p+Pb, and 2.76 TeV peripheral Pb+Pb collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The goal is to understand the multi-particle nature of the long-range collective phenomenon in these collision systems. The large non-flow background from dijet production present in the standard cumulant method is suppressed using a method of subevent cumulants involving two, three and four subevents separated in pseudorapidity. The results show a negative correlation between v(2) and v(3) and a positive correlation between v(2) and v(4) for all collision systems and over the full multiplicity range. However, the magnitudes of the correlations are found to depend on the event multiplicity, the choice of transverse momentum range and collision system. The relative correlation strength, obtained by normalisation of the cumulants with the < v(n)(2)> from a two-particle correlation analysis, is similar in the three collision systems and depends weakly on the event multiplicity and transverse momentum. These results based on the subevent methods provide strong evidence of a similar long-range multi-particle collectivity in pp, p+Pb and peripheral Pb+Pb collisions. Elsevier B.V.
Jets created in association with a photon can be used as a calibrated probe to study energy loss in the medium created in nuclear collisions. Measurements of the transverse momentum balance between isolated photons and inclusive jets are presented using integrated luminosities of 0.49 nb(-1) of Pb + Pb collision data at root(NN)-N-s = 5.02 TeV and 25 pb(-1) of pp collision data at. root s= 5.02 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Photons with transverse momentum 63.1 < p(T)(gamma) < 200 GeV and vertical bar eta(gamma vertical bar) < 2.37 are paired with all jets in the event that have p(T)(jet) > 31.6 GeV and pseudorapidity vertical bar eta(Jet)vertical bar < 2.8. The transverse momentum balance given by the jet-to-photon p(T) ratio, x(j gamma), is measured for pairs with azimuthal opening angle Delta phi > 7 pi/8. Distributions of the per-photon jet yield as a function of x(j gamma), (1/N-gamma)(dN/dx(j gamma)), are corrected for detector effects via a two-dimensional unfolding procedure and reported at the particle level. In pp collisions, the distributions are well described by Monte Carlo event generators. In Pb + Pb collisions, the x(j gamma) distribution is modified from that observed in pp collisions with increasing centrality, consistent with the picture of parton energy loss in the hot nuclear medium. The data are compared with a suite of energy-loss models and calculations.
The production of exclusive gamma gamma -> mu(+)mu(-) events in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). The measurement is performed for a dimuon invariant mass of 12 GeV < m(mu+mu-) < 70 GeV. The integrated cross-section is determined within a fiducial acceptance region of the ATLAS detector and differential cross-sections are measured as a function of the dimuon invariant mass. The results are compared to theoretical predictions both with and without corrections for absorptive effects.
The mass of the Higgs boson is measured in the H→ZZ⁎→4ℓ and in the H→γγ decay channels with 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data from the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The measured value in the H→ZZ⁎→4ℓ channel is mH ZZ⁎=124.79±0.37GeV, while the measured value in the H→γγ channel is mH γγ=124.93±0.40GeV. Combining these results with the ATLAS measurement based on 7 and 8 TeV proton–proton collision data yields a Higgs boson mass of mH=124.97±0.24GeV.
The integrated fiducial cross-section and unfolded differential jet mass spectrum of high transverse momentum Z -> b (b) over bar decays are measured in Z gamma events in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data analysed were collected between 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Photons are required to have a transverse momentum p(T) > 175 GeV. The Z -> b (b) over bar decay is reconstructed using a jet with p(T) > 200 GeV, found with the anti-k(t) R = 1.0 jet algorithm, and groomed to remove soft and wide-angle radiation and to mitigate contributions from the underlying event and additional proton-proton collisions. Two different but related measurements are performed using two jet grooming definitions for reconstructing the Z -> b (b) over bar decay: trimming and soft drop. These algorithms differ in their experimental and phenomenological implications regarding jet mass reconstruction and theoretical precision. To identify Zbosons, b-tagged R = 0.2 track-jets matched to the groomed large-R calorimeter jet are used as a proxy for the b-quarks. The signal yield is determined from fits of the data-driven background templates to the different jet mass distributions for the two grooming methods. Integrated fiducial cross-sections and unfolded jet mass spectra for each grooming method are compared with leading-order theoretical predictions. The results are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model expectations within the current statistical and systematic uncertainties.
A measurement of the production of three isolated photons in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy root s = 8 TeV is reported. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The differential cross sections are measured as functions of the transverse energy of each photon, the difference in azimuthal angle and in pseudorapidity between pairs of photons, the invariant mass of pairs of photons, and the invariant mass of the triphoton system. A measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section is also reported. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions are compared to the cross-section measurements. The predictions underestimate the measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section and the differential measurements at low photon transverse energies and invariant masses. They provide adequate descriptions of the measurements at high values of the photon transverse energies, invariant mass of pairs of photons, and invariant mass of the triphoton system.
The production of a top quark in association with a Z boson is investigated. The proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1. Events containing three identified leptons (electrons and/or muons) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds are diboson, tt¯ and Z+jets production. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance is 4.2σ in the data and the expected significance is 5.4σ. The measured cross-section for tZq production is 600±170(stat.)±140(syst.)fb.
The observation of Higgs boson production in association with a top quark pair (t (t) over barH), based on the analysis of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, is presented. Using data corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 79.8 fb(-1), and considering Higgs boson decays into b (b) over bar, WW*, tau(+)tau(-), gamma gamma, and ZZ*, the observed significance is 5.8 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 4.9 standard deviations. Combined with the t (t) over barH searches using a dataset corresponding to integrated luminosities of 4.5 fb(-1) at 7 TeV and 20.3 fb(-1) at 8 TeV, the observed (expected) significance is 6.3 (5.1) standard deviations. Assuming Standard Model branching fractions, the total t (t) over barH production cross section at 13 TeV is measured to be 670 +/- 90(stat.)(-100)(+110)(syst.) fb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction.
A search for a heavy neutral Higgs boson, A, decaying into a Z boson and another heavy Higgs boson, H, is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) from proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search considers the Z boson decaying to electrons or muons and the H boson into a pair of b-quarks. No evidence for the production of an A boson is found. Considering each production process separately, the 95% confidence-level upper limits on the pp -> A -> ZH production cross-section times the branching ratio H -> bb are in the range of 14-830 fb for the gluon-gluon fusion process and 26-570 fb for the b-associated process for the mass ranges 130-700 GeV of the H boson and 230-800 GeV of the A boson. The results are interpreted in the context of two-Higgs-doublet models.
Narrow resonances decaying into WW, WZ or ZZ boson pairs are searched for in 36.7 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The diboson system is reconstructed using pairs of large-radius jets with high transverse momentum and tagged as compatible with the hadronic decay of high-momentum Wor Zbosons, using jet mass and substructure properties. The search is sensitive to diboson resonances with masses in the range 1.2-5.0 TeV. No significant excess is observed in any signal region. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section times branching ratio to dibosons for a range of theories beyond the Standard Model. Model-dependent lower limits on the mass of new gauge bosons are set, with the highest limit set at 3.5 TeV in the context of mass-degenerate resonances that couple predominantly to bosons.
A search for decays of the Higgs boson into a pair of new spin-zero particles, H -> aa, where the a-bosons decay into a b-quark pair and a muon pair, is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the branching ratio (sigma(H)/sigma(SM)) x B(H -> aa -> bb mu mu), ranging from 1.2 x 10(-4) to 8.4 x 10(-4) in the a-boson mass range of 20-60 GeV. Model-independent limits are set on the visible production cross-section times the branching ratio to the bb mu mu final state for new physics, sigma(vis)(X) x B(X -> bb mu mu), ranging from 0.1 fb to 0.73 fb for m(mu mu) between 18 and 62 GeV.
This Letter presents a search for new light resonances decaying to pairs of quarks and produced in association with a high-p(T) photon or jet. The dataset consists of proton-proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Resonance candidates are identified as massive large-radius jets with substructure consistent with a particle decaying into a quark pair. The mass spectrum of the candidates is examined for local excesses above background. No evidence of a new resonance is observed in the data, which are used to exclude the production of a lepto-phobic axial-vector Z' boson. The Author(s).
Results of a search for gluino pair production with subsequent R-parity-violating decays to quarks are presented. This search uses 36.1 fb−1 of data collected by the ATLAS detector in proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV at the LHC. The analysis is performed using requirements on the number of jets and the number of jets tagged as containing a b-hadron as well as a topological observable formed by the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets in the event. No significant excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed. Limits are set on the production of gluinos in models with the R-parity-violating decays of either the gluino itself (direct decay) or the neutralino produced in the R-parity-conserving gluino decay (cascade decay). In the gluino cascade decay model, gluino masses below 1850 GeV are excluded for 1000 GeV neutralino mass. For the gluino direct decay model, the 95% confidence level upper limit on the cross section times branching ratio varies between 0.80 fb at mg˜=900 GeV and 0.011 fb at mg˜=1800 GeV.
Searches for the exclusive decays of the Higgs and Z bosons into a J/ψ, ψ(2S), or ϒ(nS) (n=1,2,3) meson and a photon are performed with a pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1 collected at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected backgrounds, and 95% confidence-level upper limits on the branching fractions of the Higgs boson decays to J/ψγ, ψ(2S)γ, and ϒ(nS)γ of 3.5×10−4, 2.0×10−3, and (4.9,5.9,5.7)×10−4, respectively, are obtained assuming Standard Model production. The corresponding 95% confidence-level upper limits for the branching fractions of the Z boson decays are 2.3×10−6, 4.5×10−6 and (2.8,1.7,4.8)×10−6, respectively.
The cross-section for the production of two jets in association with a leptonically decaying Z boson (Zjj) is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). The electroweak Zjj cross-section is extracted in a fiducial region chosen to enhance the electroweak contribution relative to the dominant Drell-Yan Zjj process, which is constrained using a data-driven approach. The measured fiducial electroweak cross-section is sigma(Zjj)(EW) = 119 +/- 16 (stat.) +/- 20 (syst.) +/- 2 (lumi.) fb for dijet invariant mass greater than 250 GeV, and 34.2 +/- 5.8 (stat.) +/- 5.5 (syst.) +/- 0.7 (lumi.) fb for dijet invariant mass greater than 1 TeV. Standard Model predictions are in agreement with the measurements. The inclusive Zjj cross-section is also measured in six different fiducial regions with varying contributions from electroweak and Drell-Yan Zjj production.
A search for heavy resonances decaying to a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in the q(q)over-bar(('))b(b)over-bar final state is described. The search uses 36.1 fb(-1)of proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations, with the largest excess found at a resonance mass of 3.0 TeV with a local (global) significance of 3.3 (2.1) sigma. The results are presented in terms of constraints on a simplified model with a heavy vector triplet. Upper limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio for resonances decaying to a W (Z) boson and a Higgs boson, itself decaying to b(b)over-bar, in the mass range between 1.1 and 3.8 TeV at 95% confidence level; the limits range between 83 and 1.6 fb (77 and 1.1 fb) at 95% confidence level.
The production of opposite-charge W-boson pairs in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV is measured using data corresponding to 3.16 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015. Candidate W-boson pairs are selected by identifying their leptonic decays into an electron, a muon and neutrinos. Events with reconstructed jets are not included in the candidate event sample. The cross-section measurement is performed in a fiducial phase space close to the experimental acceptance and is compared to theoretical predictions. Agreement is found between the measurement and the most accurate calculations available.
Measurements of dijet Pt correlations in Pb+Pb and pp collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV are presented. The measurements are performed with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using Pb+Pb and pp data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of 0.14 nb(-1)and 4.0 pb(-1) respectively. Jets are reconstructed using the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter values R = 0.3 and R = 0.4. A background subtraction procedure is applied to correct the jets for the large underlying event present in Pb+Pb collisions. The leading and sub-leading jet transverse momenta are denoted p(T1) and p(T2). An unfolding procedure is applied to the two-dimensional (p(T1) , p(T2)) distributions to account for experimental effects in the measurement of both jets. Distributions of (1/N)dN/dx(J), where X-J = p(T2)/p(T1) , are presented as a function of p(T1) and collision centrality. The distributions are found to be similar in peripheral Pb+Pb collisions and pp collisions, but highly modified in central Pb+Pb collisions. Similar features are present in both the R = 0.3 and R = 0.4 results, indicating that the effects of the underlying event are properly accounted for in the measurement. The results are qualitatively consistent with expectations from partonic energy loss models.
The W boson angular distribution in events with high transverse momentum jets is measured using data collected by the ATLAS experiment from proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s=8 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. The focus is on the contributions to W+jets processes from real W emission, which is achieved by studying events where a muon is observed close to a high transverse momentum jet. At small angular separations, these contributions are expected to be large. Various theoretical models of this process are compared to the data in terms of the absolute cross-section and the angular distributions of the muon from the leptonic W decay.
The production of W boson pairs in association with one jet in pp collisions at s=8 TeV is studied using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector during 2012 at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The cross section is measured in a fiducial phase-space region defined by the presence of exactly one electron and one muon, missing transverse momentum and exactly one jet with a transverse momentum above 25 GeV and a pseudorapidity of |η|<4.5. The leptons are required to have opposite electric charge and to pass transverse momentum and pseudorapidity requirements. The fiducial cross section is found to be σWW fid,1-jet=136±6(stat)±14(syst)±3(lumi) fb. In combination with a previous measurement restricted to leptonic final states with no associated jets, the fiducial cross section of WW production with zero or one jet is measured to be σWW fid,≤1-jet=511±9(stat)±26(syst)±10(lumi) fb. The ratio of fiducial cross sections in final states with one and zero jets is determined to be 0.36±0.05. Finally, a total cross section extrapolated from the fiducial measurement of WW production with zero or one associated jet is reported. The measurements are compared to theoretical predictions and found in good agreement.
This Letter presents a search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of new (pseudo) scalar particles, H -> aa, where the a particle has a mass in the range 20-60 GeV, and where one of the a bosons decays into a pair of photons and the other to a pair of gluons. The search is performed in event samples enhanced in vector-boson fusion Higgs boson production by requiring two jets with large invariant mass in addition to the Higgs boson candidate decay products. The analysis is based on the full dataset of pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.7 fb(-1). The data are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions and an upper limit at the 95% confidence level is placed on the production cross section times the branching ratio for the decay H -> aa -> gamma gamma gg. This limit ranges from 3.1 pb to 9.0 pb depending on the mass of the a boson.
Inclusive isolated-photon production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a data set with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). The cross section is measured as a function of the photon transverse energy above 125 GeV in different regions of photon pseudorapidity. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD and Monte Carlo event-generator predictions are compared to the cross-section measurements and provide an adequate description of the data.
A search for the Z gamma decay of the Higgs boson, with Z boson decays into pairs of electrons or muons is presented. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed data are consistent with the expected background with a p-value of 1.3%. An upper limit at 95% confidence level on the production cross-section times the branching ratio for pp -> H -> Z gamma is set at 3.6 times the Standard Model prediction while 2.6 times is expected in the presence of the Standard Model Higgs boson. The best-fit value for the signal yield normalised to the Standard Model prediction is 2.0(-0.9)(+1.0) where the statistical component of the uncertainty is dominant.
Azimuthal anisotropies of muons from charm and bottom hadron decays are measured in Pb+Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV. The data were collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2018 with integrated luminosities of 0.5 nb(-1) and 1.4 nb(-1), respectively. The kinematic selection for heavy-flavor muons requires transverse momentum 4 < p(T) < 30 GeV and pseudorapidity vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.0. The dominant sources of muons in this p -r range are semi-leptonic decays of charm and bottom hadrons. These heavy-flavor muons are separated from light-hadron decay muons and punch-through hadrons using the momentum imbalance between the measurements in the tracking detector and in the muon spectrometers. Azimuthal anisotropies, quantified by flow coefficients, are measured via the eventplane method for inclusive heavy-flavor muons as a function of the muon p(T) and in intervals of Pb+Pb collision centrality. Heavy-flavor muons are separated into contributions from charm and bottom hadron decays using the muon transverse impact parameter with respect to the event primary vertex. Non-zero elliptic (v(2)) and triangular (v(3)) flow coefficients are extracted for charm and bottom muons, with the charm muon coefficients larger than those for bottom muons for all Pb+Pb collision centralities. The results indicate substantial modification to the charm and bottom quark angular distributions through interactions in the quark-gluon plasma produced in these Pb+Pb collisions, with smaller modifications for the bottom quarks as expected theoretically due to their larger mass.
An observation of electroweak W(+/-)Z production in association with two jets in proton-proton collisions is presented. The data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Events containing three identified leptons, either electrons or muons, and two jets are selected. The electroweak production of W(+/-)Z bosons in association with two jets is measured with an observed significance of 5.3 standard deviations. A fiducial cross-section for electroweak production including interference effects and for a single leptonic decay mode is measured to be sigma(WZjj-EW) = 0.57(-0.13)(+0.14) (stat.) (+0.07)(-0.06) (syst.) fb. Total and differential fiducial cross-sections of the sum of W(+/-)Zjj electroweak and strong productions for several kinematic observables are also measured.
This Letter presents a search for heavy charged long-lived particles produced in proton-proton collisions at root s= 13 TeV at the LHC using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2015 and 2016. These particles are expected to travel with a velocity significantly below the speed of light, and therefore have a specific ionisation higher than any high-momentum Standard Model particle of unit charge. The pixel subsystem of the ATLAS detector is used in this search to measure the ionisation energy loss of all reconstructed charged particles which traverse the pixel detector. Results are interpreted assuming the pair production of R-hadrons as composite colourless states of a long-lived gluino and Standard Model partons. No significant deviation from Standard Model background expectations is observed, and lifetime-dependent upper limits on R-hadron production cross-sections and gluino masses are set, assuming the gluino always decays to two quarks and a 100 GeV stable neutralino. R-hadrons with lifetimes above 1.0 ns are excluded at the 95% confidence level, with lower limits on the gluino mass ranging between 1290 GeV and 2060 GeV. In the case of stable R-hadrons, the lower limit on the gluino mass at the 95% confidence level is 1890 GeV. B.V.
A search is performed for localised excesses in dijet mass distributions of low-dijet-mass events produced in association with a high transverse energy photon. The search uses up to 79.8 fb(-1) of LHC proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV during 2015-2017. Two variants are presented: one which makes no jet flavour requirements and one which requires both jets to be tagged as b-jets. The observed mass distributions are consistent with multi-jet processes in the Standard Model. The data are used to set upper limits on the production cross-section for a benchmark Z' model and, separately, on generic Gaussian-shape contributions to the mass distributions, extending the current ATLAS constraints on dijet resonances to the mass range between 225 and 1100 GeV.
A measurement of off-shell Higgs boson production in the ZZ -> 4l and ZZ -> 2l2v decay channels, where stands for either an electron or a muon, is performed using data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV. The data were collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2015 and 2016 at the Large Hadron Collider, and they correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). An observed (expected) upper limit on the off-shell Higgs signal strength, defined as the event yield normalised to the Standard Model prediction, of 3.8 (3.4) is obtained at 95% confidence level (CL). Assuming the ratio of the Higgs boson couplings to the Standard Model predictions is independent of the momentum transfer of the Higgs production mechanism considered in the analysis, a combination with the on-shell signal-strength measurements yields an observed (expected) 95% CL upper limit on the Higgs boson total width of 14.4 (15.2) MeV.
A search for the decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson into a bb¯ pair when produced in association with a W or Z boson is performed with the ATLAS detector. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 79.8fb−1 were collected in proton–proton collisions during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV. For a Higgs boson mass of 125GeV, an excess of events over the expected background from other Standard Model processes is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.9 (4.3) standard deviations. A combination with the results from other searches in Run 1 and in Run 2 for the Higgs boson in the bb¯ decay mode is performed, which yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.4 (5.5) standard deviations, thus providing direct observation of the Higgs boson decay into b-quarks. The ratio of the measured event yield for a Higgs boson decaying into bb¯ to the Standard Model expectation is 1.01±0.12(stat.)−0.15+0.16(syst.). Additionally, a combination of Run 2 results searching for the Higgs boson produced in association with a vector boson yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.3 (4.8) standard deviations.