The ratio of branching ratios of the $W$ boson to muons and electrons, $R^{\mu/e}_W=B(W\rightarrow \mu\nu)/B(W\rightarrow e\nu)$, has been measured using 140 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, probing the universality of lepton couplings. The ratio is obtained from measurements of the $t\bar{t}$ production cross-section in the $ee$, $e\mu$ and $\mu\mu$ dilepton final states. To reduce systematic uncertainties, it is normalised by the square root of the corresponding ratio $R^{\mu\mu/ee}_Z$ for the $Z$ boson measured in inclusive $Z\rightarrow ee$ and $Z\rightarrow\mu\mu$ events. By using the precise value of $R^{\mu\mu/ee}_Z$ determined from $e^+e^-$ colliders, the ratio $R^{\mu/e}_W$ is determined to be $R^{\mu/e}_W = 0.9995 \pm 0.0022 \pm 0.0036 \pm 0.0014$. The three uncertainties correspond to data statistics, experimental systematics and the external measurement of $R^{\mu\mu/ee}_Z$, giving a total uncertainty of 0.0045, and confirming the Standard Model assumption of lepton flavour universality in $W$-boson decays at the 0.5% level.
The measurement of the ratio of the rate of decay of W bosons to muons and electrons, $R(\mu/e)=B(W\rightarrow\mu\nu)/B(W\rightarrow e\nu)$.
The Standard Model of particle physics encapsulates our current best understanding of physics at the smallest scales. A fundamental axiom of this theory is the universality of the couplings of the different generations of leptons to the electroweak gauge bosons. The measurement of the ratio of the rate of decay of $W$ bosons to $\tau$-leptons and muons, $R(\tau/\mu) = B(W \to \tau \nu_\tau)/B(W \to \mu \nu_\mu)$, constitutes an important test of this axiom. A measurement of this quantity with a novel technique using di-leptonic $t\bar{t}$ events is presented based on 139 fb${}^{-1}$ of data recorded with the ATLAS detector in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. Muons originating from $W$ bosons and those originating from an intermediate $\tau$-lepton are distinguished using the lifetime of the $\tau$-lepton, through the muon transverse impact parameter, and differences in the muon transverse momentum spectra. The value of $R(\tau/\mu)$ is found to be $0.992 \pm 0.013 [\pm 0.007 (stat) \pm 0.011 (syst)]$ and is in agreement with the hypothesis of universal lepton couplings as postulated in the Standard Model. This is the most precise measurement of this ratio, and the only such measurement from the Large Hadron Collider, to date.
The number of data and fitted simulated events in each bin of the $|d_{0}^{\mu}|$ distribution in the $5<p_{\textrm{T}}^{\mu}<10$ GeV selection in the $e-\mu$ channel.
The number of data and fitted simulated events in each bin of the $|d_{0}^{\mu}|$ distribution in the $5<p_{\textrm{T}}^{\mu}<10$ GeV selection in the $\mu-\mu$ channel.
The number of data and fitted simulated events in each bin of the $|d_{0}^{\mu}|$ distribution in the $10<p_{\textrm{T}}^{\mu}<20$ GeV selection in the $e-\mu$ channel.
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