A search for the production of top-quark pairs with the same electric charge ($tt$ or $\bar{t}\bar{t}$) is presented. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. Events with two same-charge leptons and at least two $b$-tagged jets are selected. Neural networks are employed to define two selections sensitive to additional couplings beyond the Standard Model that would enhance the production rate of same-sign top-quark pairs. No significant signal is observed, leading to an upper limit on the total production cross-section of same-sign top-quark pairs of 1.6 fb at 95$\%$ confidence level. Corresponding limits on the three Wilson coefficients associated with the ${\cal O}_{tu}^{(1)}$, ${\cal O}_{Qu}^{(1)}$, and ${\cal O}_{Qu}^{(8)}$ operators in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory framework are derived.
Distributions of the $\mathrm{NN^{SvsB}}$ output for data and the expected background after the likelihood fit in the $SR_{ctu ++}$ signal region. The post-fit background expectations are shown as filled histograms, the combined pre-fit background expectations are shown as dashed lines. The signal distribution using the Wilson coefficient values $c_{tu}^{(1)}=0.04$, $c_{Qu}^{(1)}=0.1$, $c_{Qu}^{(8)}=0.1$ is shown with a dotted line, normalized to the same number of events as the background.
Distributions of the $\mathrm{NN^{SvsB}}$ output for data and the expected background after the likelihood fit in the $SR_{ctu --}$ signal region. The post-fit background expectations are shown as filled histograms, the combined pre-fit background expectations are shown as dashed lines. The signal distribution using the Wilson coefficient values $c_{tu}^{(1)}=0.04$, $c_{Qu}^{(1)}=0.1$, $c_{Qu}^{(8)}=0.1$ is shown with a dotted line, normalized to the same number of events as the background.
Distributions of the $\mathrm{NN^{SvsB}}$ output for data and the expected background after the likelihood fit in the $SR_{cQu ++}$ signal region. The post-fit background expectations are shown as filled histograms, the combined pre-fit background expectations are shown as dashed lines. The signal distribution using the Wilson coefficient values $c_{tu}^{(1)}=0.04$, $c_{Qu}^{(1)}=0.1$, $c_{Qu}^{(8)}=0.1$ is shown with a dotted line, normalized to the same number of events as the background.
This letter documents a search for flavour-changing neutral currents (FCNCs), which are strongly suppressed in the Standard Model, in events with a photon and a top quark with the ATLAS detector. The analysis uses data collected in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV during Run 2 of the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. Both FCNC top-quark production and decay are considered. The final state consists of a charged lepton, missing transverse momentum, a $b$-tagged jet, one high-momentum photon and possibly additional jets. A multiclass deep neural network is used to classify events either as signal in one of the two categories, FCNC production or decay, or as background. No significant excess of events over the background prediction is observed and 95% CL upper limits are placed on the strength of left- and right-handed FCNC interactions. The 95% CL bounds on the branching fractions for the FCNC top-quark decays, estimated from both top-quark production and decay, are $\mathcal{B}(t\rightarrow u\gamma) < 0.85 \times 10^{-5}$ and $\mathcal{B}(t\to c\gamma) < 4.2 \times 10^{-5}$ for a left-handed $tq\gamma$ coupling, and $\mathcal{B}(t\to u\gamma) < 1.2 \times 10^{-5}$ and $\mathcal{B}(t\to c\gamma) < 4.5 \times 10^{-5}$ for a right-handed coupling.
Post-fit distribution of a background-only fit to the NN discriminant in the SR for the $tu\gamma$ coupling. The last bin of the distribution contains the overflow and the first bin also contains the underflow. In addition, the expected $tu\gamma$ LH signal is overlaid for an expected number of events corresponding to the observed 95% CL limit scaled by a factor of ten. The uncertainty band includes both the statistical and systematic uncertainties in the background prediction as well as the correlations of the uncertainties as obtained by the fit.
Post-fit distribution of a background-only fit to the photon transverse momentum distribution in the $t\bar{t}\gamma$ CR. The last bin of the distribution contains the overflow. The uncertainty band includes both the statistical and systematic uncertainties in the background prediction as well as the correlations of the uncertainties as obtained by the fit.
Post-fit distribution of a background-only fit to the photon transverse momentum distribution in the $W\gamma$+jets CR. The last bin of the distribution contains the overflow. The uncertainty band includes both the statistical and systematic uncertainties in the background prediction as well as the correlations of the uncertainties as obtained by the fit.
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