A search for heavy charged long-lived particles is performed using a data sample of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The search is based on observables related to ionization energy loss and time of flight, which are sensitive to the velocity of heavy charged particles traveling significantly slower than the speed of light. Multiple search strategies for a wide range of lifetimes, corresponding to path lengths of a few meters, are defined as model-independently as possible, by referencing several representative physics cases that yield long-lived particles within supersymmetric models, such as gluinos/squarks ($R$-hadrons), charginos and staus. No significant deviations from the expected Standard Model background are observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are provided on the production cross sections of long-lived $R$-hadrons as well as directly pair-produced staus and charginos. These results translate into lower limits on the masses of long-lived gluino, sbottom and stop $R$-hadrons, as well as staus and charginos of 2000 GeV, 1250 GeV, 1340 GeV, 430 GeV and 1090 GeV, respectively.
Lower mass requirement for signal regions.
Lower mass requirement for signal regions.
Lower mass requirement for signal regions.
A search for diphoton resonances in the mass range between 10 and 70 GeV with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is presented. The analysis is based on $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded from 2015 to 2018. Previous searches for diphoton resonances at the LHC have explored masses down to 65 GeV, finding no evidence of new particles. This search exploits the particular kinematics of events with pairs of closely spaced photons reconstructed in the detector, allowing examination of invariant masses down to 10 GeV. The presented strategy covers a region previously unexplored at hadron colliders because of the experimental challenges of recording low-energy photons and estimating the backgrounds. No significant excess is observed and the reported limits provide the strongest bound on promptly decaying axion-like particles coupling to gluons and photons for masses between 10 and 70 GeV.
The expected and observed upper limits at 95\% CL on the fiducial cross-section times branching ratio to two photons of a narrow-width ($\Gamma_{X}$ = 4 MeV) scalar resonance as a function of its mass $m_{X}$.
Diphoton invariant mass in the signal region using a 0.1 GeV binning.
Parametrization of the $C_{X}$ factor, defined as the ratio between the number of reconstructed signal events passing the analysis cuts and the number of signal events at the particle level generated within the fiducial volume, as function of $m_{X}$ obtained from the narrow width simulated signal samples produced in gluon fusion.
This paper presents a search for a new $Z^\prime$ resonance decaying into a pair of dark quarks which hadronise into dark hadrons before promptly decaying back as Standard Model particles. This analysis is based on proton-proton collision data 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$^{-1}$. After selecting events containing large-radius jets with high track multiplicity, the invariant mass distribution of the two highest-transverse-momentum jets is scanned to look for an excess above a data-driven estimate of the Standard Model multijet background. No significant excess of events is observed and the results are thus used to set 95 % confidence-level upper limits on the production cross-section times branching ratio of the $Z^\prime$ to dark quarks as a function of the $Z^\prime$ mass for various dark-quark scenarios.
Distribution of the di-jet invariant mass, $m_{\mathrm{JJ}}$ for the data, the simulated multi-jet background and of some representative signals (models A, B, C and D with $m_{Z'}=2.5$ TeV), shown after applying the preselections described in the text. The simulated background is normalised to the data and the signals are normalised to a production cross-section of 10 fb.
Distribution of $m_{\mathrm{JJ}}$ in the SR (black points) compared to the background-only expectation, where the shape is derived from the CR and the normalisation is fitted in the SR.
Observed and expected limits at 95% CL on the cross-section times branching ratio for the production of dark quarks through a $Z^\prime$ as a function of the $Z^\prime$ mass for model A (see the text for details). The darker and lighter shaded bands around the expected limits represent the $\pm 1 \sigma$ and $\pm 2 \sigma$ uncertainty range, respectively.
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 the decay of the Higgs boson to a $Z$ boson and a light, pseudoscalar particle, $a$, decaying respectively to two leptons and to two photons is reported. The search uses the full LHC Run 2 proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, corresponding to 139 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the ATLAS detector. This is one of the first searches for this specific decay mode of the Higgs boson, and it probes unexplored parameter space in models with axion-like particles (ALPs) and extended scalar sectors. The mass of the $a$ particle is assumed to be in the range 0.1-33 GeV. The data are analysed in two categories: a merged category where the photons from the $a$ decay are reconstructed in the ATLAS calorimeter as a single cluster, and a resolved category in which two separate photons are detected. The main background processes are from Standard Model $Z$ boson production in association with photons or jets. The data are in agreement with the background predictions, and upper limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to $Za$ times the branching ratio $a\to\gamma\gamma$ are derived at the 95% confidence level and they range from 0.08% to 2% depending on the mass of the $a$ particle. The results are also interpreted in the context of ALP models.
Post-fit distribution for $m_{\gamma\gamma}$ for the resolved category in number of events per 0.2 GeV for data. The figure uses $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV corresponding to 139 fb$^{-1}$.
Post-fit distribution for $m_{\gamma\gamma}$ for the resolved category in number of events per 0.2 GeV for a signal distribution for $m_a = 9$ GeV, and the signal plus background fit with its background component. The branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to $Za$ times the branching ratio $a $->$ \gamma \gamma$ is assumed to be 50%. The figure uses $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV corresponding to 139 fb$^{-1}$.
Post-fit final discriminating variable $\Delta R_{Z\gamma}$ in the signal region of the merged category. Signal distributions for $m_a$ values used in this category are overlayed for comparison, assuming a branching ratio of the Higgs boson decay to $Za$ times the branching ratio $a $->$ \gamma \gamma$ of 100%. The signal yields have been multiplied by 10 for better visibility. The figure uses $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV corresponding to 139 fb$^{-1}$.
Many extensions of the Standard Model posit the existence of heavy particles with long lifetimes. This article presents the results of a search for events containing at least one long-lived particle that decays at a significant distance from its production point into two leptons or into five or more charged particles. This analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ collected in 2012 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. No events are observed in any of the signal regions, and limits are set on model parameters within supersymmetric scenarios involving R-parity violation, split supersymmetry, and gauge mediation. In some of the search channels, the trigger and search strategy are based only on the decay products of individual long-lived particles, irrespective of the rest of the event. In these cases, the provided limits can easily be reinterpreted in different scenarios.
Vertex-level efficiency as a function of the vertex radial position for an RPV SUSY model of squark production with $\tilde{q}\to q[\tilde{\chi}_1^0\to\mu qq]$, where $m(\tilde{q}) = 700$ GeV, $m(\tilde{\chi}_1^0) = 494$ GeV and $c\tau(\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ = 175 mm. This result is also represented in Figure 3b and Auxiliary Figure 1.
Vertex-level efficiency as a function of the vertex radial position for an RPV SUSY model of squark production with $\tilde{q}\to q[\tilde{\chi}_1^0\to\mu qq]$, where $m(\tilde{q}) = 700$ GeV, $m(\tilde{\chi}_1^0) = 108$ GeV and $c\tau(\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ = 101 mm.
Vertex-level efficiency as a function of the vertex radial position for an RPV SUSY model of squark production with $\tilde{q}\to q[\tilde{\chi}_1^0\to\mu qb]$, where $m(\tilde{q}) = 700$ GeV, $m(\tilde{\chi}_1^0) = 494$ GeV and $c\tau(\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ = 175 mm. The other SUSY model point in the figure is tabulated in http://hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1362183/d1.
Results of a search for new phenomena in events with an energetic photon and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 $\rm fb^{-1}$. The observed data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. Exclusion limits are presented in models of new phenomena including pair production of dark matter candidates or large extra spatial dimensions. In a simplified model of dark matter and an axial-vector mediator, the search excludes mediator masses of up to 710 GeV for dark matter candidate masses up to 150 GeV. In an effective theory of dark matter production, values of the suppression scale $M_*$ up to 570 GeV are excluded and the effect of truncation for various coupling values is reported. For the ADD large extra spatial dimension model the search places more stringent limits than earlier searches in the same event topology, excluding $M_{\rm D}$ up to about 2.3 (2.8) TeV for two (six) additional spatial dimensions; the limits are reduced by 20--40% depending on the number of additional spatial dimensions when applying a truncation procedure.
Distribution of missing transverse momentum, reconstructed treating muons as non-interacting particles, in the data and for the background in the 1muCR. The total background expectation is normalized to the post-fit result. Overflows are included in the final bin. The errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties determined by a bin-by-bin fit.
Distribution of missing transverse momentum, reconstructed treating muons as non-interacting particles, in the data and for the background in the 2muCR. The total background expectation is normalized to the post-fit result. Overflows are included in the final bin. The errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties determined by a bin-by-bin fit.
Distribution of missing transverse momentum, reconstructed treating electrons as non-interacting particles, in the data and for the background in the 2eleCR. The total background expectation is normalized to the post-fit result. Overflows are included in the final bin. The errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties determined by a bin-by-bin fit.
A search for the supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model bottom and top quarks is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Direct production of pairs of bottom and top squarks ($\tilde{b}_{1}$ and $\tilde{t}_{1}$) is searched for in final states with $b$-tagged jets and missing transverse momentum. Distinctive selections are defined with either no charged leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, or one charged lepton. The zero-lepton selection targets models in which the $\tilde{b}_{1}$ is the lightest squark and decays via $\tilde{b}_{1} \rightarrow b \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$, where $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ is the lightest neutralino. The one-lepton final state targets models where bottom or top squarks are produced and can decay into multiple channels, $\tilde{b}_{1} \rightarrow b \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ and $\tilde{b}_{1} \rightarrow t \tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}$, or $\tilde{t}_{1} \rightarrow t \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ and $\tilde{t}_{1} \rightarrow b \tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}$, where $\tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}$ is the lightest chargino and the mass difference $m_{\tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}}- m_{\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}}$ is set to 1 GeV. No excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed. Exclusion limits at 95\% confidence level on the mass of third-generation squarks are derived in various supersymmetry-inspired simplified models.
Signal acceptance (in %) in the ( M(SBOTTOM), M(NEUTRALINO) ) mass plane for the symmetric decay of the sbottom into bottom quark and neutralino, for the b0L-SRA350 signal region.
Signal acceptance (in %) in the ( M(SBOTTOM), M(NEUTRALINO) ) mass plane for the symmetric decay of the sbottom into bottom quark and neutralino, for the b0L-SRA350 signal region.
Signal acceptance (in %) in the ( M(SBOTTOM), M(NEUTRALINO) ) mass plane for the symmetric decay of the sbottom into bottom quark and neutralino, for the b0L-SRA450 signal region.
A search is presented for pair production of a new heavy quark ($Q$) that decays into a $W$ boson and a light quark ($q$) in the final state where one $W$ boson decays leptonically (to an electron or muon plus a neutrino) and the other $W$ boson decays hadronically. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No evidence of $Q\bar{Q}$ production is observed. New chiral quarks with masses below 690 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming BR$(Q\to Wq)=1$. Results are also interpreted in the context of vectorlike quark models, resulting in the limits on the mass of a vectorlike quark in the two-dimensional plane of BR$(Q\to Wq)$ versus BR$(Q\to Hq)$.
The expected and observed 95% CL upper limits on the cross section as a function of $m_Q$ when setting BR$(Q\to Wq) = 1$, which would be the case for a new chiral quark. Also shown are the $\pm 1\sigma$ and $\pm 2\sigma$ intervals on the distribution of expected results for the chiral model if no signal exists.
The upper and lower bounds on the range of heavy quark masses expected and observed to be excluded at 95% CL, as a function of the branching ratio of the heavy quark to $Wq$ versus $Hq$, with the branching ratio to $Zq$ fixed by the requirement BR$(Q\!\to\!Zq) = 1 - \text{BR}(Q\!\to\!Wq) - \text{BR}(Q\!\to\!Hq)$.
This paper reviews and extends searches for the direct pair production of the scalar supersymmetric partners of the top and bottom quarks in proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS collaboration during the LHC Run 1. Most of the analyses use 20 fb$^{-1}$ of collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV, although in some case an additional 4.7 fb$^{-1}$ of collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV are used. New analyses are introduced to improve the sensitivity to specific regions of the model parameter space. Since no evidence of third-generation squarks is found, exclusion limits are derived by combining several analyses and are presented in both a simplified model framework, assuming simple decay chains, as well as within the context of more elaborate phenomenological supersymmetric models.
Summary of the ATLAS Run 1 searches for direct stop pair production in models where no supersymmetric particle other than the $\tilde t_1$ and the $\tilde \chi_1^0$ is involved in the $\tilde t_1$ decay. Lines for $\Delta m(\tilde t_1, \chi_1^0 ) > m_{t}$ - t0L/t1L combined observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d63 - t0L/t1L combined expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d64 - t2L observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1286444/d19 - t2L expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1286444/d20 - SC observed limit $m_t< m_{\tilde t_1} < 198$ GeV - SC expected limit $m_t< m_{\tilde t_1} < 184$ GeV Lines for $m_b + m_W < \Delta m(\tilde t_1, \chi_1^0 ) < m_{t}$ - t1L observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304456/d22 - t1L expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304456/d23 - t2L observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1286444/d22 - t2L expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1286444/d23 - WW observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d47 - WW expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d48 Lines for $0 < \Delta m(\tilde t_1, \chi_1^0 ) < m_b + m_W $ - tc observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304459 (root macro) - tc expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304459 (root macro) - t1L observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304456/d22 - t1L expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1304456/d23 - WW observed limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d47 - WW expected limit hepdata.cedar.ac.uk/view/ins1380183/d48.
Upper limits on the stop pair production cross sections for different values of the branching ratios for the decays $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow c\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ and $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow ff'b\tilde{\chi}_1^0$, where BR$(\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow c\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ + BR$(\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow ff'b\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ = 1. Signal points with $\Delta m (\tilde{t}_1, \tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ of 10 GeV are shown. The limits quoted are taken from the best performing, based on expected exclusion CLs, signal regions from the tc-M, tc-C, t1L-bCa_low and WW analyses at each mass point. - Theoretical cross section from twiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/LHCPhysics/SUSYCrossSections8TeVstopsbottom.
Upper limits on the stop pair production cross sections for different values of the branching ratios for the decays $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow c\tilde{\chi}_1^0$ and $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow ff'b\tilde{\chi}_1^0$, where BR$(\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow c\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ + BR$(\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow ff'b\tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ = 1. Signal points with $\Delta m (\tilde{t}_1, \tilde{\chi}_1^0)$ of 80 GeV are shown. The limits quoted are taken from the best performing, based on expected exclusion CLs, signal regions from the tc-M, tc-C, t1L-bCa_low and WW analyses at each mass point. - Theoretical cross section from twiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/LHCPhysics/SUSYCrossSections8TeVstopsbottom.
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