A search for a heavy neutral Higgs boson, $A$, decaying into a $Z$ boson and another heavy Higgs boson, $H$, is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search considers the $Z$ boson decaying to electrons or muons and the $H$ boson into a pair of $b$-quarks. No evidence for the production of an $A$ boson is found. Considering each production process separately, the 95% confidence-level upper limits on the $pp\rightarrow A\rightarrow ZH$ production cross-section times the branching ratio $H\rightarrow bb$ are in the range of 14-830 fb for the gluon-gluon fusion process and 26-570 fb for the $b$-associated process for the mass ranges 130-700 GeV of the $H$ boson and process for the mass ranges 130-700 GeV of the $H$ boson and 230-800 GeV of the $A$ boson. The results are interpreted in the context of the two-Higgs-doublet model.
The signal efficiency for the production modes (gluon-gluon fusion and b-associated production) and the signal regions used in the analysis. The efficiency denominator has the total number of generated MC events. The numerator includes the events passing the full signal region selection, including the mbb window cuts. The table shows for each signal mass pair (mA, mH) 3 efficiencies corresponding to the two production modes in the two categories, 2tag and 3tag. These corresponds to "nb = 2 category" and "nb >= 3 category", respectively, of the preprint. No numbers for gluon-gluon fusion in the 3tag category are provided since those are not used in the analysis. The efficiencies are given in fractions.
The cross section times BR(A->ZH) times BR(H->bb) limits for a narrow width A boson produced via gluon-gluon fusion. For each signal point, characterised by the mass pair (mA, mH), two limits are provided, the observed and the expected. The result refers to the nb=2 category only.
The cross section times BR(A->ZH) times BR(H->bb) limits for a narrow width A boson produced in association with b-quarks. For each signal point, characterised by the mass pair (mA, mH), two limits are provided, the observed and the expected. The result refers to the combination of the nb=2 and nb>=3 categories.
A search for supersymmetry in events with large missing transverse momentum, jets, and at least one hadronically decaying tau lepton has been performed using 3.2 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015. Two exclusive final states are considered, with either exactly one or at least two tau leptons. No excess over the Standard Model prediction is observed in the data. Results are interpreted in the context of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking and a simplified model of gluino pair production with tau-rich cascade decays, substantially improving on previous limits. In the GMSB model considered, supersymmetry-breaking scale ($\Lambda$) values below 92 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level, corresponding to gluino masses below 2000 GeV. For large values of $\tan\beta$, values of $\Lambda$ up to 107 TeV and gluino masses up to 2300 GeV are excluded. In the simplified model, gluino masses are excluded up to 1570 GeV for neutralino masses around 100 GeV. Neutralino masses up to 700 GeV are excluded for all gluino masses between 800 GeV and 1500 GeV, while the strongest exclusion of 750 GeV is achieved for gluino masses around 1400 GeV.
mTtau distributions for "extended SR selections" of the 1 tau channel, for the Compressed SR selection without the mTtau > 80 GeV requirement. The last bin includes overflow events. Uncertainties are statistical only. Signal predictions are overlaid for several benchmark models, normalised to their predicted cross sections. For the simplified model, "LM" refers to a low mass splitting, or compressed scenario, with m(gluino)=665 GeV and m(neutralino)=585 GeV; "MM" stands for a medium mass splitting, with m(gluino)=1145 GeV and m(neutralino)=265 GeV; "HM" denotes a high mass splitting scenario, with m(gluino)=1305 GeV and m(neutralino)=105 GeV.
mTtau distributions for "extended SR selections" of the 1 tau channel, for the Medium Mass SR selection without the mTtau > 200 GeV requirement. The last bin includes overflow events. Uncertainties are statistical only. Signal predictions are overlaid for several benchmark models, normalised to their predicted cross sections. For the simplified model, "LM" refers to a low mass splitting, or compressed scenario, with m(gluino)=665 GeV and m(neutralino)=585 GeV; "MM" stands for a medium mass splitting, with m(gluino)=1145 GeV and m(neutralino)=265 GeV; "HM" denotes a high mass splitting scenario, with m(gluino)=1305 GeV and m(neutralino)=105 GeV.
mTtau distributions for "extended SR selections" of the 1 tau channel, for the High Mass SR selection without the mTtau > 200 GeV requirement. The last bin includes overflow events. Uncertainties are statistical only. Signal predictions are overlaid for several benchmark models, normalised to their predicted cross sections. For the simplified model, "LM" refers to a low mass splitting, or compressed scenario, with m(gluino)=665 GeV and m(neutralino)=585 GeV; "MM" stands for a medium mass splitting, with m(gluino)=1145 GeV and m(neutralino)=265 GeV; "HM" denotes a high mass splitting scenario, with m(gluino)=1305 GeV and m(neutralino)=105 GeV.
The result of a search for pair production of the supersymmetric partner of the Standard Model bottom quark ($\tilde{b}_1$) is reported. The search uses 3.2 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015. Bottom squarks are searched for in events containing large missing transverse momentum and exactly two jets identified as originating from $b$-quarks. No excess above the expected Standard Model background yield is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the mass of the bottom squark are derived in phenomenological supersymmetric $R$-parity-conserving models in which the $\tilde{b}_1$ is the lightest squark and is assumed to decay exclusively via $\tilde{b}_1 \rightarrow b \tilde{\chi}_1^0$, where $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ is the lightest neutralino. The limits significantly extend previous results; bottom squark masses up to 800 (840) GeV are excluded for the $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ mass below 360 (100) GeV whilst differences in mass above 100 GeV between the $\tilde{b}_1$ and the $\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ are excluded up to a $\tilde{b}_1$ mass of 500 GeV.
Expected exclusion limit at 95% CL in the $m(\tilde b_1)$-$m(\tilde\chi^0_1)$ plane for the sbottom pair production scenario.
Observed exclusion limit at 95% CL in the $m(\tilde b_1)$-$m(\tilde\chi^0_1)$ plane for the sbottom pair production scenario.
Signal region (SR) providing the best expected sensitivity in the $m(\tilde b_1)$-$m(\tilde\chi^0_1)$ plane.
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