The ratio of the cross sections for inclusive isolated-photon production in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 13 and 8 TeV is measured using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The integrated luminosities of the 13 TeV and 8 TeV datasets are 3.2 fb$^{-1}$ and 20.2 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The ratio is measured as a function of the photon transverse energy in different regions of the photon pseudorapidity. The predictions from next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations are compared with the measured ratio. The experimental systematic uncertainties as well as the uncertainties affecting the predictions are evaluated taking into account the correlations between the two centre-of-mass energies, resulting in a reduction of up to a factor of $2.5$ ($5$) in the experimental (theoretical) systematic uncertainties. The predictions based on several parameterisations of the proton parton distribution functions agree with the data within the reduced experimental and theoretical uncertainties. In addition, this ratio to that of the fiducial cross sections for $Z$ boson production at 13 and 8 TeV using the decay channels $Z \rightarrow e^+e^-$ and $Z \rightarrow \mu^+\mu^-$ is made and compared with the theoretical predictions. In this double ratio, a further reduction of the experimental uncertainty is obtained because the uncertainties arising from the luminosity measurement cancel out. The predictions describe the measurements of the double ratio within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties.
The differential cross section for isolated-photon production in $pp$ collisions is measured at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$. The differential cross section is presented as a function of the photon transverse energy in different regions of photon pseudorapidity. The differential cross section as a function of the absolute value of the photon pseudorapidity is also presented in different regions of photon transverse energy. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations from JETPHOX and SHERPA as well as next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD calculations from NNLOJET are compared with the measurement, using several parameterisations of the proton parton distribution functions. The predictions provide a good description of the data within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties.
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.
Event-shape variables, which are sensitive to perturbative and nonperturbative aspects of quantum chromodynamic (QCD) interactions, are studied in multijet events recorded in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. Events are selected with at least one jet with transverse momentum pt > 110 GeV and pseudorapidity abs(eta) < 2.4, in a data sample corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 5 inverse femtobarns. The distributions of five event-shape variables in various leading jet pt ranges are compared to predictions from different QCD Monte Carlo event generators.
Results of a search for the pair production of photon-jets$-$collimated groupings of photons$-$in the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. Highly collimated photon-jets can arise from the decay of new, highly boosted particles that can decay to multiple photons collimated enough to be identified in the electromagnetic calorimeter as a single, photonlike energy cluster. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.7 fb$^{-1}$, were collected in 2015 and 2016. Candidate photon-jet pair production events are selected from those containing two reconstructed photons using a set of identification criteria much less stringent than that typically used for the selection of photons, with additional criteria applied to provide improved sensitivity to photon-jets. Narrow excesses in the reconstructed diphoton mass spectra are searched for. The observed mass spectra are consistent with the Standard Model background expectation. The results are interpreted in the context of a model containing a new, high-mass scalar particle with narrow width, $X$, that decays into pairs of photon-jets via new, light particles, $a$. Upper limits are placed on the cross section times the product of branching ratios $\sigma \times \mathcal{B}(X \rightarrow aa) \times \mathcal {B}(a \rightarrow \gamma \gamma)^{2}$ for 200 GeV $< m_{X} <$ 2 TeV and for ranges of $ m_a $ from a lower mass of 100 MeV up to between 2 and 10 GeV, depending upon $ m_X $. Upper limits are also placed on $\sigma \times \mathcal{B}(X \rightarrow aa) \times \mathcal {B}(a \rightarrow 3\pi^{0})^{2}$ for the same range of $ m_X $ and for ranges of $ m_a $ from a lower mass of 500 MeV up to between 2 and 10 GeV.
Measurements of joint-polarisation states of $W$ and $Z$ gauge bosons in $W^{\pm}Z$ production are presented. The data set used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $139$ fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The $W^{\pm}Z$ candidate events are reconstructed using leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons into electrons and muons. The simultaneous pair-production of longitudinally polarised vector bosons is measured for the first time with a significance of $7.1$ standard deviations. The measured joint helicity fractions integrated over the fiducial region are $f_{\mathrm{00}} = 0.067 \pm 0.010$, $f_{\mathrm{0T}} = 0.110 \pm 0.029$, $f_{\mathrm{T0}} = 0.179 \pm 0.023$ and $f_{\mathrm{TT}} = 0.644 \pm 0.032$, in agreement with the next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions. Individual helicity fractions of the $W$ and $Z$ bosons are also measured and found to be consistent with joint helicity fractions within the expected amount of correlations. Both the joint and individual helicity fractions are also measured separately in $W^+Z$ and $W^-Z$ events. Inclusive and differential cross sections for several kinematic observables sensitive to polarisation are presented.
This paper presents measurements of $W^{\pm}Z$ production cross sections in $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data were collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$. The $W^{\pm}Z$ candidate events are reconstructed using leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons into electrons and muons. The measured inclusive cross section in the detector fiducial region for a single leptonic decay mode is $\sigma_{W^\pm Z \rightarrow \ell^{'} \nu \ell \ell}^{\textrm{fid.}} = 63.7 \pm 1.0$ (stat.) $\pm 2.3$ (syst.) $\pm 1.4$ (lumi.) fb, reproduced by the next-to-next-to-leading-order Standard Model prediction of $61.5^{+1.4}_{-1.3}$ fb. Cross sections for $W^+Z$ and $W^-Z$ production and their ratio are presented as well as differential cross sections for several kinematic observables. An analysis of angular distributions of leptons from decays of $W$ and $Z$ bosons is performed for the first time in pair-produced events in hadronic collisions, and integrated helicity fractions in the detector fiducial region are measured for the $W$ and $Z$ bosons separately. Of particular interest, the longitudinal helicity fraction of pair-produced vector bosons is also measured.
An observation of electroweak $W^{\pm}Z$ 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 $\sqrt{s} =$ 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 $W^{\pm}Z$ 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 is measured to be $\sigma_{WZjj\mathrm{-EW}} = 0.57 \; ^{+ 0.14} _{- 0.13} \,(\mathrm{stat.}) \; ^{+ 0.07} _{- 0.06} \,(\mathrm{syst.}) \; \mathrm{fb}$. Total and differential fiducial cross-sections of the sum of $W^\pm Z jj$ electroweak and strong productions for several kinematic observables are also measured.
A search for high-mass resonances decaying to $\tau\nu$ using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV produced by the Large Hadron Collider is presented. Only $\tau$-lepton decays with hadrons in the final state are considered. The data were recorded with the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$. No statistically significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed; model-independent upper limits are set on the visible $\tau\nu$ production cross section. Heavy $W^{\prime}$ bosons with masses less than 3.7 TeV in the Sequential Standard Model and masses less than 2.2-3.8 TeV depending on the coupling in the non-universal G(221) model are excluded at the 95% credibility level.
A search for high-mass resonances decaying into $\tau^{+}\tau^{-}$ final states using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 8$ TeV produced by the Large Hadron Collider is presented. The data were recorded with the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5-20.3 fb$^{-1}$. No statistically significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed; 95% credibility upper limits are set on the cross section times branching fraction of $Z^{\prime}$ resonances decaying into $\tau^+\tau^-$ pairs as a function of the resonance mass. As a result, $Z^{\prime}$ bosons of the Sequential Standard Model with masses less than 2.02 TeV are excluded at 95% credibility. The impact of the fermionic couplings on the $Z^{\prime}$ acceptance is investigated and limits are also placed on a $Z^{\prime}$ model that exhibits enhanced couplings to third-generation fermions.
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