A search for beyond the standard model spin-0 bosons, $\phi$, that decay into pairs of electrons, muons, or tau leptons is presented. The search targets the associated production of such bosons with a W or Z gauge boson, or a top quark-antiquark pair, and uses events with three or four charged leptons, including hadronically decaying tau leptons. The proton-proton collision data set used in the analysis was collected at the LHC from 2016 to 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The observations are consistent with the predictions from standard model processes. Upper limits are placed on the product of cross sections and branching fractions of such new particles over the mass range of 15 to 350 GeV with scalar, pseudoscalar, or Higgs-boson-like couplings, as well as on the product of coupling parameters and branching fractions. Several model-dependent exclusion limits are also presented. For a Higgs-boson-like $\phi$ model, limits are set on the mixing angle of the Higgs boson with the $\phi$ boson. For the associated production of a $\phi$ boson with a top quark-antiquark pair, limits are set on the coupling to top quarks. Finally, limits are set for the first time on a fermiophilic dilaton-like model with scalar couplings and a fermiophilic axion-like model with pseudoscalar couplings.
We search for the rare decay $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ in a $362\ \rm{fb}^{-1}$ sample of electron-positron collisions at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. We use the inclusive properties of the accompanying $B$ meson in $\Upsilon(4S) \to B\kern 0.18em\overline{\kern -0.18em B}{}$ events to suppress background from other decays of the signal $B$ candidate and light-quark pair production. We validate the measurement with an auxiliary analysis based on a conventional hadronic reconstruction of the accompanying $B$ meson. For background suppression, we exploit distinct signal features using machine learning methods tuned with simulated data. The signal-reconstruction efficiency and background suppression are validated through various control channels. The branching fraction is extracted in a maximum likelihood fit. Our inclusive and hadronic analyses yield consistent results for the $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ branching fraction of $\left[2.7\pm 0.5(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.5(\mathrm{syst})\right] \times 10^{-5}$ and $\left[1.1^{+0.9}_{-0.8}(\mathrm{stat}){}^{+0.8}_{-0.5}(\mathrm{syst})\right] \times 10^{-5}$, respectively. Combining the results, we determine the branching fraction of the decay $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ to be $\left[2.3 \pm 0.5(\mathrm{stat})^{+0.5}_{-0.4}(\mathrm{syst})\right]\times 10^{-5}$, providing the first evidence for this decay at $3.5$ standard deviations. The combined result is $2.7$ standard deviations above the standard model expectation.
This paper presents a search for physics beyond the Standard Model targeting a heavy resonance visible in the invariant mass of the lepton-jet system. The analysis focuses on final states with a high-energy lepton and jet, and is optimised for the resonant production of leptoquarks-a novel production mode mediated by the lepton content of the proton originating from quantum fluctuations. Four distinct and orthogonal final states are considered: $e$+light jet, $μ$+light jet, $e$+$b$-jet, and $μ$+$b$-jet, constituting the first search at the Large Hadron Collider for resonantly produced leptoquarks with couplings to electrons and muons. Events with an additional same-flavour lepton, as expected from higher-order diagrams in the signal process, are also included in each channel. The search uses proton-proton collision data from the full Run 2, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$ at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, and from a part of Run 3 (2022-2023), corresponding to 55 fb$^{-1}$ at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV. No significant excess over Standard Model predictions is observed. The results are interpreted as exclusion limits on scalar leptoquark ($\tilde{S}_1$) production, substantially improving upon previous ATLAS constraints from leptoquark pair production for large coupling values. The excluded $\tilde{S}_1$ mass ranges depend on the coupling strength, reaching up to 3.4 TeV for quark-lepton couplings $y_{de} = 1.0$, and up to 4.3 TeV, 3.1 TeV, and 2.8 TeV for $y_{sμ}$, $y_{be}$, and $y_{bμ}$ couplings set to 3.5, respectively.
This paper presents a model-agnostic search for narrow resonances in the dijet final state in the mass range 1.8-6 TeV. The signal is assumed to produce jets with substructure atypical of jets initiated by light quarks or gluons, with minimal additional assumptions. Search regions are obtained by utilizing multivariate machine-learning methods to select jets with anomalous substructure. A collection of complementary anomaly detection methods - based on unsupervised, weakly supervised, and semisupervised algorithms - are used in order to maximize the sensitivity to unknown new physics signatures. These algorithms are applied to data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant excesses above background expectations are seen. Exclusion limits are derived on the production cross section of benchmark signal models varying in resonance mass, jet mass, and jet substructure. Many of these signatures have not been previously sought, making several of the limits reported on the corresponding benchmark models the first ever. When compared to benchmark inclusive and substructure-based search strategies, the anomaly detection methods are found to significantly enhance the sensitivity to a variety of models.
Measurements of the total and differential Higgs boson production cross-sections, via $WH$ and $ZH$ associated production using $H\rightarrow WW^\ast\rightarrow\ellν\ellν$ and $H\rightarrow WW^\ast\rightarrow\ellνjj$ decays, are presented. The analysis uses proton-proton events delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector between 2015 and 2018. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$. The sum of the $WH$ and $ZH$ cross-sections times the $H\rightarrow WW^\ast$ branching fraction is measured to be $0.44^{+0.10}_{-0.09}$ (stat.) $^{+0.06}_{-0.05}$ (syst.) pb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Higgs boson production is further characterised through measurements of the differential cross-section as a function of the transverse momentum of the vector boson and in the framework of Simplified Template Cross-Sections.
A search for heavy neutral gauge bosons (Z') decaying into a pair of tau leptons is performed in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV at the CERN LHC. The data were collected with the CMS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The observations are found to be in agreement with the expectation from standard model processes. Limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the Z' production cross section and its branching fraction to tau lepton pairs for a range of Z' boson masses. For a narrow resonance in the sequential standard model scenario, a Z' boson with a mass below 3.5 TeV is excluded. This is the most stringent limit to date from this type of search.
An inclusive search for nonresonant signatures of beyond the standard model (SM) phenomena in events with three or more charged leptons, including hadronically decaying $\tau$ leptons, is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016-2018. Events are categorized based on the lepton and b-tagged jet multiplicities and various kinematic variables. Three scenarios of physics beyond the SM are probed, and signal-specific boosted decision trees are used for enhancing sensitivity. No significant deviations from the background expectations are observed. Lower limits are set at 95% confidence level on the mass of type-III seesaw heavy fermions in the range 845-1065 GeV for various decay branching fraction combinations to SM leptons. Doublet and singlet vector-like $\tau$ lepton extensions of the SM are excluded for masses below 1045 GeV and in the mass range 125-150 GeV, respectively. Scalar leptoquarks decaying exclusively to a top quark and a lepton are excluded below 1.12-1.42 TeV, depending on the lepton flavor. For the type-III seesaw as well as the vector-like doublet model, these constraints are the most stringent to date. For the vector-like singlet model, these are the first constraints from the LHC experiments. Detailed results are also presented to facilitate alternative theoretical interpretations.
A search for the production of three Higgs bosons ($HHH$) in the $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final state is presented. The search uses $126~\text{fb}^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis targets both non-resonant and resonant production of $HHH$. The resonant interpretations primarily consider a cascade decay topology of $X\rightarrow SH\rightarrow HHH$ with masses of the new scalars $X$ and $S$ up to 1.5 TeV and 1 TeV, respectively. In addition to scenarios where $S$ is off-shell, the non-resonant interpretation includes a search for standard model (SM) $HHH$ production, with limits on the tri-linear and quartic Higgs self-coupling set. No evidence for $HHH$ production is observed. An upper limit of 59 fb is set, at 95% confidence level, on the cross-section for Standard-Model $HHH$ production.
Results of a search for new physics in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected in the period 2015-2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Compared to previous publications, in addition to an increase of almost a factor of four in the data size, the analysis implements a number of improvements in the signal selection and the background determination leading to enhanced sensitivity. Events are required to have at least one jet with transverse momentum above 150 GeV and no reconstructed leptons ($e$, $\mu$ or $\tau$) or photons. Several signal regions are considered with increasing requirements on the missing transverse momentum starting at 200 GeV. Overall agreement is observed between the number of events in data and the Standard Model predictions. Model-independent $95%$ confidence-level limits on visible cross sections for new processes are obtained in the range between 736 fb and 0.3 fb. Results are also translated into improved exclusion limits in models with pair-produced weakly interacting dark-matter candidates, large extra spatial dimensions, supersymmetric particles in several compressed scenarios, axion-like particles, and new scalar particles in dark-energy-inspired models. In addition, the data are translated into bounds on the invisible branching ratio of the Higgs boson.
A search is presented for the pair production of higgsinos $\tilde{\chi}$ in gauge-mediated supersymmetry models, where the lightest neutralinos $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ decay into a light gravitino $\tilde{G}$ in association with either a Higgs $h$ or a $Z$ boson. The search is performed with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. It targets final states in which a Higgs boson decays into a photon pair, while the other Higgs or $Z$ boson decays into a $b\bar{b}$ pair, with missing transverse momentum associated with the two gravitinos. Search regions dependent on the amount of missing transverse momentum are defined by the requirements that the diphoton mass should be consistent with the mass of the Higgs boson, and the $b\bar{b}$ mass with the mass of the Higgs or $Z$ boson. The main backgrounds are estimated with data-driven methods using the sidebands of the diphoton mass distribution. No excesses beyond Standard Model expectations are observed and higgsinos with masses up to 320 GeV are excluded, assuming a branching fraction of 100% for $\tilde{\chi}_1^0\rightarrow h\tilde{G}$. This analysis excludes higgsinos with masses of 130 GeV for branching fractions to $h\tilde{G}$ as low as 36%, thus providing complementarity to previous ATLAS searches in final states with multiple leptons or multiple $b$-jets, targeting different decays of the electroweak bosons.