A measurement of four-top-quark production using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ is presented. Events are selected if they contain a single lepton (electron or muon) or an opposite-sign lepton pair, in association with multiple jets. The events are categorised according to the number of jets and how likely these are to contain $b$-hadrons. A multivariate technique is then used to discriminate between signal and background events. The measured four-top-quark production cross section is found to be 26$^{+17}_{-15}$ fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) significance of 1.9 (1.0) standard deviations over the background-only hypothesis. The result is combined with the previous measurement performed by the ATLAS Collaboration in the multilepton final state. The combined four-top-quark production cross section is measured to be 24$^{+7}_{-6}$ fb, with a corresponding observed (expected) signal significance of 4.7 (2.6) standard deviations over the background-only predictions. It is consistent within 2.0 standard deviations with the Standard Model expectation of 12.0$\pm$2.4 fb.
The results of the fitted signal strength $\mu$ in the 1L/2LOS channel
The results of fitted inclusive ${t\bar{t}t\bar{t}}$ cross-section in the 1L/2LOS channel
Ranking of the nuisance parameters included in the fit according to their impact on the signal strength $\mu$. The impact of each nuisance parameter, $\Delta\mu$, is computed by comparing the nominal best-fit value of $\mu$ with the result of the fit when fixing the nuisance parameter to its best-fit value, $\hat{\theta}$, shifted by its pre-fit (post-fit) uncertainties $\pm \Delta\theta$ ($\pm \Delta\hat{\theta}$).
Fiducial and differential measurements of $W^+W^-$ production in events with at least one hadronic jet are presented. These cross-section measurements are sensitive to the properties of electroweak-boson self-interactions and provide a test of perturbative quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak theory. The analysis is performed using proton$-$proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}=13~$TeV with the ATLAS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139$~$fb$^{-1}$. Events are selected with exactly one oppositely charged electron$-$muon pair and at least one hadronic jet with a transverse momentum of $p_{\mathrm{T}}>30~$GeV and a pseudorapidity of $|\eta|<4.5$. After subtracting the background contributions and correcting for detector effects, the jet-inclusive $W^+W^-+\ge 1~$jet fiducial cross-section and $W^+W^-+$ jets differential cross-sections with respect to several kinematic variables are measured, thus probing a previously unexplored event topology at the LHC. These measurements include leptonic quantities, such as the lepton transverse momenta and the transverse mass of the $W^+W^-$ system, as well as jet-related observables such as the leading jet transverse momentum and the jet multiplicity. Limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings are obtained in a phase space where interference between the Standard Model amplitude and the anomalous amplitude is enhanced.
Measured fiducial cross section for $pp\rightarrow W^+W^-$+jets production. The second column contains the results obtained with a fiducial particle phase space that includes a veto on $b$-jets. This alternative result is obtained from the nominal result by the application of bin-wise correction that is calculated as the ratio of the predicted differential cross-section in the nominal analysis phase space and the predicted cross-section for a phase space that includes a veto on events with $b$-jets with $p_{\mathrm{T}} > 20$ GeV. Also shown are the Standard Model predictions for $q\bar{q} \rightarrow WW$, obtained from Sherpa 2.2.2, MadGraph 2.3.3 + Pythia 8.212 using FxFx merging, and Powheg MiNLO + Pythia 8.244. These predictions are supplemented by the Sherpa 2.2.2 + OpenLoops simulation of $gg\rightarrow WW$. Finally, the prediction from MATRIX is given, which includes nNLO QCD and NLO EW corrections to $WW$+jet production.
Measured fiducial cross section for $pp\rightarrow W^+W^-$+jets production for the observable $p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{lead.~lep.}}$. The second column contains the results obtained with a fiducial particle phase space that includes a veto on $b$-jets. This alternative result is obtained from the nominal result by the application of bin-wise correction that is calculated as the ratio of the predicted differential cross-section in the nominal analysis phase space and the predicted cross-section for a phase space that includes a veto on events with $b$-jets with $p_{\mathrm{T}} > 20$ GeV. Also shown are the Standard Model predictions for $q\bar{q} \rightarrow WW$, obtained from Sherpa 2.2.2, MadGraph 2.3.3 + Pythia 8.212 using FxFx merging, and Powheg MiNLO + Pythia 8.244. These predictions are supplemented by the Sherpa 2.2.2 + OpenLoops simulation of $gg\rightarrow WW$. Finally, the prediction from MATRIX is given, which includes nNLO QCD and NLO EW corrections to $WW$+jet production. Overflow events are included in the last bin. The largest observed value is 1168 GeV.
Correlation matrix of the statistical uncertainties in the measured fiducial cross section for the observable $p_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{lead.~lep.}}$
The production of $\Upsilon$ mesons in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5 TeV is measured with the muon spectrometer of the ALICE detector at the LHC. The yields as well as the nuclear modification factors are determined in the forward rapidity region $2.5<y<4.0$, as a function of rapidity, transverse momentum and collision centrality. The results show that the production of the $\Upsilon$(1S) meson is suppressed by a factor of about three with respect to the production in proton-proton collisions. For the first time, a significant signal for the $\Upsilon$(2S) meson is observed at forward rapidity, indicating a suppression stronger by about a factor 2-3 with respect to the ground state. The measurements are compared with transport, hydrodynamic, comover and statistical hadronisation model calculations.
Rapidity-differential yield of $\Upsilon(1\mathrm{S}) \rightarrow \mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ divided by the average nuclear overlap function $\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ for the 0–90% centrality interval ($\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ = 6.28 $\pm$ 0.06 mb$^{-1}$).
Rapidity-differential yield of $\Upsilon(2\mathrm{S}) \rightarrow \mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ divided by the average nuclear overlap function $\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ for the 0–90% centrality interval ($\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ = 6.28 $\pm$ 0.06 mb$^{-1}$).
$p_{\mathrm{T}}$-differential yield of $\Upsilon(1\mathrm{S}) \rightarrow \mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ divided by the average nuclear overlap function $\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ for the 0–90% centrality interval ($\langle T_{\mathrm{AA}} \rangle$ = 6.28 $\pm$ 0.06 mb$^{-1}$).
The observation of forward proton scattering in association with lepton pairs ($e^+e^-+p$ or $\mu^+\mu^-+p$) produced via photon fusion is presented. The scattered proton is detected by the ATLAS Forward Proton spectrometer while the leptons are reconstructed by the central ATLAS detector. Proton-proton collision data recorded in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV are analyzed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.6 fb$^{-1}$. A total of 57 (123) candidates in the $ee+p$ ($\mu\mu+p$) final state are selected, allowing the background-only hypothesis to be rejected with a significance exceeding five standard deviations in each channel. Proton-tagging techniques are introduced for cross-section measurements in the fiducial detector acceptance, corresponding to $\sigma_{ee+p}$ = 11.0 $\pm$ 2.6 (stat.) $\pm$ 1.2 (syst.) $\pm$ 0.3 (lumi.) fb and $\sigma_{\mu\mu+p}$ = 7.2 $\pm$ 1.6 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.9 (syst.) $\pm$ 0.2 (lumi.) fb in the dielectron and dimuon channel, respectively.
The measured fiducial cross sections. The first systematic uncertainty is the combined systematic uncertainty excluding luminosity, the second is the luminosity
A search is presented for four-top-quark production using an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are selected if they contain a same-sign lepton pair or at least three leptons (electrons or muons). Jet multiplicity, jet flavour and event kinematics are used to separate signal from the background through a multivariate discriminant, and dedicated control regions are used to constrain the dominant backgrounds. The four-top-quark production cross section is measured to be 24$^{+7}_{-6}$ fb. This corresponds to an observed (expected) significance with respect to the background-only hypothesis of 4.3 (2.4) standard deviations and provides evidence for this process.
The results of fitted inclusive ${t\bar{t}t\bar{t}}$ cross-section
The results of the fitted signal strength $\mu$
List of the uncertainties in the signal strength $\mu$, grouped in categories. The quoted values are obtained by repeating the fit, fixing a set of nuisance parameters of the sources corresponding to the considered category, and subtracting in quadrature the resulting uncertainty from the total uncertainty of the nominal fit presented in the last line. The total uncertainty is different from the sum in quadrature of the components due to correlations between nuisance parameters.
Inclusive and differential cross-sections for the production of top quarks in association with a photon are measured with proton$-$proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. The data were collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during Run 2 between 2015 and 2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measurements are performed in a fiducial volume defined at parton level. Events with exactly one photon, one electron and one muon of opposite sign, and at least two jets, of which at least one is $b$-tagged, are selected. The fiducial cross-section is measured to be $39.6\,^{+2.7}_{-2.3}\,\textrm{fb}$. Differential cross-sections as functions of several observables are compared with state-of-the-art Monte Carlo simulations and next-to-leading-order theoretical calculations. These include cross-sections as functions of photon kinematic variables, angular variables related to the photon and the leptons, and angular separations between the two leptons in the event. All measurements are in agreement with the predictions from the Standard Model.
The measured fiducial cross-section in the electron-muon channel. The first uncertainty is the statistical uncertainty and the second one is the systematic uncertainty.
The absolute differential cross-section measured in the fiducial phase-space as a function of the photon pT in the electron-muon channel. The uncertainty is decomposed into four components which are the signal modelling uncertainty, the background modelling uncertainty, the experimental uncertainty, and the data statistical uncertainty.
The absolute differential cross-section measured in the fiducial phase-space as a function of the photon $|\eta|$ in the electron-muon channel. The uncertainty is decomposed into four components which are the signal modelling uncertainty, the background modelling uncertainty, the experimental uncertainty, and the data statistical uncertainty.
The $t\bar{t}$ production cross-section is measured in the lepton+jets channel using proton$-$proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. Events with exactly one charged lepton and four or more jets in the final state, with at least one jet containing $b$-hadrons, are used to determine the $t\bar{t}$ production cross-section through a profile-likelihood fit. The inclusive cross-section is measured to be ${\sigma_{\text{inc}} = 830 \pm 0.4~ \text{(stat.)}\pm 36~\text{(syst.)}\pm 14~\text{(lumi.)}~\mathrm{pb}}$ with a relative uncertainty of 4.6 %. The result is consistent with theoretical calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. The fiducial $t\bar{t}$ cross-section within the experimental acceptance is also measured.
The results of fitted inclusive and fiducial ${t\bar{t}}$ cross-sections
Ranking of the systematic uncertainties on the measured cross-section, normalised to the predicted value, in the inclusive fit to data. The impact of each nuisance parameter, $\Delta \sigma_{\text{inc}}/\sigma^{\text{pred.}}_{\text{inc}}$, is computed by comparing the nominal best-fit value of $\sigma_{\text{inc}}/\sigma^{\text{pred}}_{\text{inc}}$ with the result of the fit when fixing the considered nuisance parameter to its best-fit value, $\theta$, shifted by its pre-fit (post-fit) uncertainties $\pm \Delta \theta$ ($\pm \Delta \hat{\theta}$). The figure shows the effect of the ten most significant uncertainties.
Ranking of the systematic uncertainties on the measured cross-section, normalised to the predicted value, in the fiducial fit to data. The impact of each nuisance parameter, $\Delta \sigma_{\text{fid}}/\sigma^{\text{pred.}}_{\text{fid}}$, is computed by comparing the nominal best-fit value of $\sigma_{\text{fid}}/\sigma^{\text{pred}}_{\text{fid}}$ with the result of the fit when fixing the considered nuisance parameter to its best-fit value, $\theta$, shifted by its pre-fit (post-fit) uncertainties $\pm \Delta \theta$ ($\pm \Delta \hat{\theta}$). The figure shows the effect of the ten most significant uncertainties.
Exclusive photoproduction of $\rho^0(770)$ mesons is studied using the H1 detector at the $ep$ collider HERA. A sample of about 900000 events is used to measure single- and double-differential cross sections for the reaction $\gamma p \to \pi^{+}\pi^{-}Y$. Reactions where the proton stays intact (${m_Y{=}m_p}$) are statistically separated from those where the proton dissociates to a low-mass hadronic system ($m_p{<}m_Y{<}10$ GeV). The double-differential cross sections are measured as a function of the invariant mass $m_{\pi\pi}$ of the decay pions and the squared $4$-momentum transfer $t$ at the proton vertex. The measurements are presented in various bins of the photon-proton collision energy $W_{\gamma p}$. The phase space restrictions are $0.5 < m_{\pi\pi} < 2.2$ GeV, ${\vert t\vert < 1.5}$ GeV${}^2$, and ${20 < W_{\gamma p} < 80}$ GeV. Cross section measurements are presented for both elastic and proton-dissociative scattering. The observed cross section dependencies are described by analytic functions. Parametrising the $m_{\pi\pi}$ dependence with resonant and non-resonant contributions added at the amplitude level leads to a measurement of the $\rho^{0}(770)$ meson mass and width at $m_\rho = 770.8\ {}^{+2.6}_{-2.7}$ (tot) MeV and $\Gamma_\rho = 151.3\ {}^{+2.7}_{-3.6}$ (tot) MeV, respectively. The model is used to extract the $\rho^0(770)$ contribution to the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ cross sections and measure it as a function of $t$ and $W_{\gamma p}$. In a Regge asymptotic limit in which one Regge trajectory $\alpha(t)$ dominates, the intercept $\alpha(t{=}0) = 1.0654\ {}^{+0.0098}_{-0.0067}$ (tot) and the slope $\alpha^\prime(t{=}0) = 0.233\ {}^{+0.067 }_{-0.074 }$ (tot) GeV${}^{-2}$ of the $t$ dependence are extracted for the case $m_Y{=}m_p$.
Elastic ($m_Y=m_p$) and proton-dissociative ($1<m_Y<10$ GeV) $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ photoproduction off protons, differential in the dipion mass. The tabulated cross sections are $\gamma p$ cross sections but can be converted to $ep$ cross sections using the effective photon flux $\Phi_{\gamma/e}$.
Elastic ($m_Y=m_p$) and proton-dissociative ($1<m_Y<10$ GeV) $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ photoproduction off protons, differential in the dipion mass --- statistical correlations coefficients $\rho_{ij}$ only. Only one half of the (symmetric) matrix is stored. Bins are identified by their global bin number.
Fit of elastic ($m_Y=m_p$) and proton-dissociative ($1<m_Y<10$ GeV) $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ photoproduction cross section off protons with a Soeding-inspired analytic function including $\rho$ and $\omega$ meson resonant contributions as well as a continuum background which interfere at the amplitude level. Parameters with subscript "el" and "pd" correspond to elastic and proton-dissociative cross sections, respectively.
Electroweak symmetry breaking explains the origin of the masses of elementary particles through their interactions with the Higgs field. Besides the measurements of the Higgs boson properties, the study of the scattering of massive vector bosons with spin one allows the nature of electroweak symmetry breaking to be probed. Among all processes related to vector-boson scattering, the electroweak production of two jets and a $Z$-boson pair is a rare and important one. Here we report the observation of this process from proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139/fb recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We consider two different final states originating from the decays of the $Z$-boson pair - one containing four charged leptons and the other containing two charged leptons and two neutrinos. The hypothesis of no electroweak production is rejected with a statistical significance of 5.7 $\sigma$, and the measured cross-section for electroweak production is consistent with the standard model prediction. In addition, we report cross-sections for inclusive production of a $Z$-boson pair and two jets for the two final states.
Signal strength and significance of EW ZZjj processes
Measured and predicted fiducial cross-sections in both the lllljj and ll$\nu\nu$jj channels for the inclusive ZZjj processes. Uncertainties due to different sources are presented.
Observed and expected multivariate discriminant distribution in the $\ell\ell\ell\ell jj$ QCD CR.
A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the $\tau^+\tau^-$ decay with at least one $\tau$-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the Standard Model. In the $M_{h}^{125}$ scenario of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, values of $\tan\beta>8$ and $\tan\beta>21$ are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 TeV and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where $\tan\beta$ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets.
Observed and predicted mTtot distribution in the b-veto category of the 1l1tau_h channel. Please note that the bin content is divided by the bin width in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table.The last bin includes overflows. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 400, 1000 and 1500 GeV and $\tan\beta$ = 6, 12 and 25 respectively in the mh125 scenario are also provided. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 1000 and 1500 GeV is scaled by 100 in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table.
Observed and predicted mTtot distribution in the b-tag category of the 1l1tau_h channel. Please note that the bin content is divided by the bin width in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table. The last bin includes overflows. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 400, 1000 and 1500 GeV and $\tan\beta$ = 6, 12 and 25 respectively in the mh125 scenario are also provided. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 1000 and 1500 GeV is scaled by 100 in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table.
Observed and predicted mTtot distribution in the b-veto category of the 2tau_h channel. Please note that the bin content is divided by the bin width in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table. The last bin includes overflows. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 400, 1000 and 1500 GeV and $\tan\beta$ = 6, 12 and 25 respectively in the mh125 scenario are also provided. The combined prediction for A and H bosons with masses of 1000 and 1500 GeV is scaled by 100 in the paper figure, but not in the HepData table.
Forum