A search for pair production of bottom squarks in events with hadronically decaying $\tau$-leptons, $b$-tagged jets and large missing transverse momentum is presented. The analyzed dataset is based on proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The observed data are compatible with the expected Standard Model background. Results are interpreted in a simplified model where each bottom squark is assumed to decay into the second-lightest neutralino $\tilde \chi_2^0$ and a bottom quark, with $\tilde \chi_2^0$ decaying into a Higgs boson and the lightest neutralino $\tilde \chi_1^0$. The search focuses on final states where at least one Higgs boson decays into a pair of hadronically decaying $\tau$-leptons. This allows the acceptance and thus the sensitivity to be significantly improved relative to the previous results at low masses of the $\tilde \chi_2^0$, where bottom-squark masses up to 850 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, assuming a mass difference of 130 GeV between $\tilde \chi_2^0$ and $\tilde \chi_1^0$. Model-independent upper limits are also set on the cross section of processes beyond the Standard Model.
The production of dark matter in association with Higgs bosons is predicted in several extensions of the Standard Model. An exploration of such scenarios is presented, considering final states with missing transverse momentum and $b$-tagged jets consistent with a Higgs boson. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during Run 2, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis, when compared with previous searches, benefits from a larger dataset, but also has further improvements providing sensitivity to a wider spectrum of signal scenarios. These improvements include both an optimised event selection and advances in the object identification, such as the use of the likelihood-based significance of the missing transverse momentum and variable-radius track-jets. No significant deviation from Standard Model expectations is observed. Limits are set, at 95% confidence level, in two benchmark models with two Higgs doublets extended by either a heavy vector boson $Z'$ or a pseudoscalar singlet $a$ and which both provide a dark matter candidate $\chi$. In the case of the two-Higgs-doublet model with an additional vector boson $Z'$, the observed limits extend up to a $Z'$ mass of 3 TeV for a mass of 100 GeV for the dark matter candidate. The two-Higgs-doublet model with a dark matter particle mass of 10 GeV and an additional pseudoscalar $a$ is excluded for masses of the $a$ up to 520 GeV and 240 GeV for $\tan \beta = 1$ and $\tan \beta = 10$ respectively. Limits on the visible cross-sections are set and range from 0.05 fb to 3.26 fb, depending on the missing transverse momentum and $b$-quark jet multiplicity requirements.
Measurements of the variation of inclusive jet suppression as a function of relative azimuthal angle, Delta phi, with respect to the elliptic event plane provide insight into the path-length dependence of jet quenching. ATLAS has measured the Delta phi dependence of jet yields in 0.14 nb^-1 of sqrt(s(NN))= 2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC for jet transverse momenta p_T > 45 GeV in different collision centrality bins using an underlying event subtraction procedure that accounts for elliptic flow. The variation of the jet yield with Delta phi was characterized by the parameter, v_2^jet, and the ratio of out-of-plane (Delta phi ~ pi/2) to in-plane (Delta phi ~ 0) yields. Non-zero v_2^jet values were measured in all centrality bins for p_T < 160 GeV. The jet yields are observed to vary by as much as 20% between in-plane and out-of-plane directions.
A search for dark-matter particles in events with large missing transverse momentum and a Higgs boson candidate decaying into two photons is reported. The search uses $139$ fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model predictions is observed. The results are interpreted by extracting limits on three simplified models that include either vector or pseudoscalar mediators and predict a final state with a pair of dark-matter candidates and a Higgs boson decaying into two photons.
A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum and no high-pT electrons or muons is presented. The data represent the complete sample recorded in 2011 by the ATLAS experiment in 7 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb^-1. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed. Gluino masses below 860 GeV and squark masses below 1320 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level in simplified models containing only squarks of the first two generations, a gluino octet and a massless neutralino, for squark or gluino masses below 2 TeV, respectively. Squarks and gluinos with equal masses below 1410 GeV are excluded. In MSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan beta = 10, A_0 = 0 and mu > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1360 GeV. Constraints are also placed on the parameter space of SUSY models with compressed spectra. These limits considerably extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous measurements with the ATLAS detector.
The ATLAS experiment at the LHC has measured the centrality dependence of charged particle pseudorapidity distributions over |eta| < 2 in lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s_NN) = 2.76 TeV. In order to include particles with transverse momentum as low as 30 MeV, the data were recorded with the central solenoid magnet off. Charged particles were reconstructed with two algorithms (2-point 'tracklets' and full tracks) using information from the pixel detector only. The lead-lead collision centrality was characterized by the total transverse energy in the forward calorimeter in the range 3.2 < |eta| < 4.9. Measurements are presented of the per-event charged particle density distribution, dN_ch/deta, and the average charged particle multiplicity in the pseudorapidity interval |eta|<0.5 in several intervals of collision centrality. The results are compared to previous mid-rapidity measurements at the LHC and RHIC. The variation of the mid-rapidity charged particle yield per colliding nucleon pair with the number of participants is consistent with the lower sqrt(s_NN) results. The shape of the dN_ch/deta distribution is found to be independent of centrality within the systematic uncertainties of the measurement.
This Letter presents the first search for a heavy particle decaying into an e\mu final state in sqrt(s)=7 TeV pp collisions at the LHC. The data were recorded by the ATLAS detector during 2010 and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 35/pb. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed. Exclusions at 95% confidence level are placed on two representative models. In an R-parity violating supersymmetric model, tau sneutrinos with a mass below 0.75 TeV are excluded, assuming single coupling dominance and the couplings lambda'_{311}=0.11, lambda_{312}=0.07. In a lepton flavor violating model, a Z'-like vector boson with masses of 0.70 to 1.00 TeV and corresponding cross sections times branching ratios of 0.175 to 0.183 pb is excluded. These results extend to higher mass RPV sneutrinos and LFV Z's than previous constraints from the Tevatron.
This Letter reports a search for a heavy particle that decays to WW using events produced in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The data were recorded in 2011 by the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1. WW to l nu l' nu'(l, l' = e or mu) final states are considered and the distribution of the transverse mass of the WW candidates is found to be consistent with Standard Model expectations. Upper limits on the production cross section times branching ratio into W boson pairs are set for Randall-Sundrum and bulk Randall-Sundrum gravitons, which result in observed 95% CL lower limits on the masses of the two particles of 1.23 TeV and 0.84 TeV, respectively.
A search for pair-produced scalar particles decaying to a four-jet final state is presented. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1 recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2010. No deviation from the Standard Model is observed. For a scalar mass of 100 GeV (190 GeV) the limit on the scalar gluon pair production cross section at 95% confidence level is 1 nb (0.28 nb). When these results are interpreted as mass limits, scalar-gluons (hyperpions) with masses of 100 to 185 GeV (100 to 155 GeV) are excluded at 95% confidence level with the exception of a mass window of width about 5 GeV (15 GeV) around 140 GeV.
The production cross-section of B+ mesons is measured as a function of transverse momentum pT and rapidity y in proton--proton collisions at center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using 2.4 fb-1 of data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The differential production cross-sections, determined in the range 9<pT<120 GeV and y<2.25, are compared to next-to-leading-order theoretical predictions.
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