This Letter presents a search for the production of a long-lived neutral particle ($Z_d$) decaying within the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter, in association with a Standard Model (SM) $Z$ boson produced via an intermediate scalar boson, where $Z\to l^+l^-$ ($l=e,\mu$). The data used were collected by the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 $pp$ collisions with a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $36.1\pm0.8$ fb$^{-1}$. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. Limits on the production cross section of the scalar boson times its decay branching fraction into the long-lived neutral particle are derived as a function of the mass of the intermediate scalar boson, the mass of the long-lived neutral particle, and its $c\tau$ from a few centimeters to one hundred meters. In the case that the intermediate scalar boson is the SM Higgs boson, its decay branching fraction to a long-lived neutral particle with a $c\tau$ approximately between 0.1 m and 7 m is excluded with a 95% confidence level up to 10% for $m_{Z_d}$ between 5 and 15 GeV.
Searches for dijet resonances with sub-TeV masses using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider can be statistically limited by the bandwidth available to inclusive single-jet triggers, whose data-collection rates at low transverse momentum are much lower than the rate from Standard Model multijet production. This Letter describes a new search for dijet resonances where this limitation is overcome by recording only the event information calculated by the jet trigger algorithms, thereby allowing much higher event rates with reduced storage needs. The search targets low-mass dijet resonances in the range 450-1800 GeV. The analyzed dataset has an integrated luminosity of up to 29.3 fb$^{-1}$ and was recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No excesses are found; limits are set on Gaussian-shaped contributions to the dijet mass distribution from new particles and on a model of dark-matter particles with axial-vector couplings to quarks.
Data, estimated background and uncertainties, in the region defined by |y*|<0.3.
Data, estimated background and uncertainties, in the region defined by |y*|<0.6.
Observed 95% CL limit on cross section times acceptance times branching ratio for each width and mass of Gaussian signal shape tested, in the region defined by |y*|<0.3.
This paper describes a measurement of fiducial and differential cross sections of gluon-fusion Higgs boson production in the $H{\rightarrow\,}WW^{\ast}{\rightarrow\,}e\nu\mu\nu$ channel, using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data. The data were produced at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2012. Cross sections are measured from the observed $H{\rightarrow\,}WW^{\ast}{\rightarrow\,}e\nu\mu\nu$ signal yield in categories distinguished by the number of associated jets. The total cross section is measured in a fiducial region defined by the kinematic properties of the charged leptons and neutrinos. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of the number of jets, the Higgs boson transverse momentum, the dilepton rapidity, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The jet-veto efficiency, or fraction of events with no jets above a given transverse momentum threshold, is also reported. All measurements are compared to QCD predictions from Monte Carlo generators and fixed-order calculations, and are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.
Correction factors from inclusive parton level to fiducial particle level for the jet-veto efficiency with different jet pT thresholds derived with POWHEG NNLOPS+Pythia8. The asterisk on the 25 GeV bin label indicates that the results are for a mixed pT threshold, which is raised from 25 GeV to 30 GeV for jets with 2.5 < |eta| < 4.5, corresponding to the selection used to define the signal regions for the analysis.
A search for decays of pair-produced neutral long-lived particles (LLPs) is presented using 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015-2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Dedicated techniques were developed for the reconstruction of displaced jets produced by LLPs decaying hadronically in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter. Two search regions are defined for different LLP kinematic regimes. The observed numbers of events are consistent with the expected background, and limits for several benchmark signals are determined. For a SM Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV, branching ratios above 10% are excluded at 95% confidence level for values of $c$ times LLP mean proper lifetime in the range between 20 mm and 10 m depending on the model. Upper limits are also set on the cross-section times branching ratio for scalars with a mass of 60 GeV and for masses between 200 GeV and 1 TeV.
The 95% CL observed limits, expected limits and ± 1 σ and 2 σ bands for the Φ mass of 60 GeV compared to the results from the 2016-data analysis and subsequent combinations, where available.
The 95% CL observed limits, expected limits and ± 1 σ and 2 σ bands for the Φ mass of 60 GeV compared to the results from the 2016-data analysis and subsequent combinations, where available.
The 95% CL observed limits, expected limits and ± 1 σ and 2 σ bands for the Φ mass 125 GeV, compared to the results from the 2016-data analysis and subsequent combinations, where available.
A search for new resonances decaying into a pair of jets is reported using the dataset of proton-proton collisions recorded at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The distribution of the invariant mass of the two leading jets is examined for local excesses above a data-derived estimate of the Standard Model background. In addition to an inclusive dijet search, events with jets identified as containing $b$-hadrons are examined specifically. No significant excess of events above the smoothly falling background spectra is observed. The results are used to set cross-section upper limits at 95% confidence level on a range of new physics scenarios. Model-independent limits on Gaussian-shaped signals are also reported. The analysis looking at jets containing $b$-hadrons benefits from improvements in the jet flavour identification at high transverse momentum, which increases its sensitivity relative to the previous analysis beyond that expected from the higher integrated luminosity.
The probability of an event to pass the b-tagging requirement after the rest of the event selection, shown as a function of the resonance mass and for the 1b and 2b analysis categories.
The expected 95% CL upper limits on the cross-section times acceptance times b-tagging efficiency times branching ratio as a function of the DM mediator Z' mass for the current and previous iterations of the analysis. The upper limit of the previous result was obtained with the Bayesian method and is also shown scaled to the 139 fb$^{-1}$ integrated luminosity of the current result to illustrate the effect of the analysis improvements.
The expected 95% CL upper limits on the cross-section times branching ratio as a function of the DM mediator Z' mass for the current and previous iterations of the analysis. The upper limit of the previous result was obtained with the Bayesian method and is also shown scaled to the 139 fb$^{-1}$ integrated luminosity of the current result to illustrate the effect of the analysis improvements. The current b-tagging requirement is tighter than the previous one for high-$p_T$ jets, resulting in a data sample with limited size for mass above 4 TeV. The background rejection, instead, has improved significantly across the entire mass spectrum inspected by the analysis.
The cross section of a top-quark pair produced in association with a photon is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV with $20.2$ fb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. The measurement is performed by selecting events that contain a photon with transverse momentum $p_\mathrm{T} > 15$ GeV, an isolated lepton with large transverse momentum, large missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets, where at least one is identified as originating from a $b$-quark. The production cross section is measured in a fiducial region close to the selection requirements. It is found to be $139 \pm 7 (\mathrm{stat.}) \pm 17 (\mathrm{syst.})$ fb, in good agreement with the theoretical prediction at next-to-leading order of $151 \pm 24$ fb. In addition, differential cross sections in the fiducial region are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of the photon.
This paper reports constraints on Higgs boson production with transverse momentum above 1 TeV. The analyzed data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV were recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider from 2015 to 2018 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 136 fb$^{-1}$. Higgs bosons decaying into $b\bar{b}$ are reconstructed as single large-radius jets recoiling against a hadronic system and identified by the experimental signature of two $b$-hadron decays. The experimental techniques are validated in the same kinematic regime using the $Z\rightarrow b\bar{b}$ process.The 95$\% $ confidence-level upper limit on the cross section for Higgs boson production with transverse momentum above 450 GeV is 115 fb, and above 1 TeV it is 9.6 fb. The Standard Model cross section predictions for a Higgs boson with a mass of 125 GeV in the same kinematic regions are 18.4 fb and 0.13 fb, respectively.
The efficiency for simulated ggF events to pass each analysis cut.
The efficiency for simulated VBF events to pass each analysis cut.
The efficiency for simulated VH events to pass each analysis cut.
A search is presented for pair-production of long-lived neutral particles using 33 fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV proton-proton collision data, collected during 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This search focuses on a topology in which one long-lived particle decays in the ATLAS inner detector and the other decays in the muon spectrometer. Special techniques are employed to reconstruct the displaced tracks and vertices in the inner detector and in the muon spectrometer. One event is observed that passes the full event selection, which is consistent with the estimated background. Limits are placed on scalar boson propagators with masses from 125 GeV to 1000 GeV decaying into pairs of long-lived hidden-sector scalars with masses from 8 GeV to 400 GeV. The limits placed on several low-mass scalars extend previous exclusion limits in the range of proper lifetimes $c \tau$ from 5 cm to 1 m.
Combined limits from this analysis (ID) and the CR and MS analyses for $m_{H} = 125$ GeV, $m_s = 15$ GeV.
Combined limits from this analysis (ID) and the CR and MS analyses for $m_{H} = 125$ GeV, $m_s = 25$ GeV.
Combined limits from this analysis (ID) and the CR and MS analyses for $m_{H} = 125$ GeV, $m_s = 40$ GeV.
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 $H\rightarrow bb$ channel and the other via one of the $H \rightarrow WW^*/ZZ^*/\tau\tau$ 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 ($0.9^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$) pb is set on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair production cross-section at 95% confidence level, which is equivalent to 40 ($29^{+14}_{-9}$) times the value predicted in the Standard Model.
Reconstruction-level analysis selection efficiency for the $HH \rightarrow bbWW^* \rightarrow bbl\nu l\nu$ signal process as a function of the truth-level $HH$ invariant mass, $m_{HH}$. Each color indicates an additional selection applied sequentially and in the order indicated in the legend with respect to the starting sample of events satisfying the analysis preselection requirements and having at least two $b$-tagged jets. In the legend, ``Trigger'' refers to enforcing the analysis' trigger requirements. For reference, overlaid in grey colour and with arbitrary normalisation is the truth level $m_{HH}$ distribution for events having only the preselection criteria applied. The total efficiency for the tightest selection that is shown (red line), which has selection requirements similar to those of the analysis' signal regions SR-SF and SR-DF, is $7.1\%$.
Expected and observed $95\%$ CL limits on the cross-section of ggF non-resonant Higgs boson pair production as a function of the Higgs boson self-coupling modifier, $\kappa_{\lambda} = \lambda_{HHH} / \lambda_{HHH}^{\textit{SM}}$. The $\pm 1 \sigma$ and $\pm 2 \sigma$ variations about the expected limit, due to statistical and systematic uncertainties, are also shown. The method used for producing estimates of $HH$ production at non-SM values of $\kappa_{\lambda}$ is fully described in arXiv:1906.02025. The theory prediction curve represents the scenario where all parameters and couplings are set to their SM values except for $\kappa_{\lambda}$, also described in arXiv:1906.02025. The uncertainty band on the theory prediction indicates the theoretical uncertainty of this prediction. No additional analysis optimisation relative to that appearing in the main body of the analysis is performed to become particularly sensitive to non-SM values of $\kappa_{\lambda}$. The vertical dashed line indicates the SM scenario with $\kappa_{\lambda} = 1$.
A measurement of the charge asymmetry in top-quark pair ($t\bar{t}$) production in association with a photon is presented. The measurement is performed in the single-lepton $t\bar{t}$ decay channel using proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN at a centre-of-mass-energy of 13 TeV during the years 2015-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The charge asymmetry is obtained from the distribution of the difference of the absolute rapidities of the top quark and antiquark using a profile likelihood unfolding approach. It is measured to be $A_\text{C}=-0.003 \pm 0.029$ in agreement with the Standard Model expectation.