A search is conducted for new resonances decaying into a $W$ or $Z$ boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson in the $\nu\bar{\nu}b\bar{b}$, $\ell^{\pm}{\nu}b\bar{b}$, and $\ell^+\ell^-b\bar{b}$ final states, where $\ell ^{\pm}= e^{\pm}$ or $\mu^{\pm}$, in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt s = 13$ TeV. The data used correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the 2015 and 2016 data-taking periods. The search is conducted by examining the reconstructed invariant or transverse mass distributions of $Wh$ and $Zh$ candidates for evidence of a localised excess in the mass range of 220 GeV up to 5 TeV. No significant excess is observed and the results are interpreted in terms of constraints on the production cross-section times branching fraction of heavy $W^\prime$ and $Z^\prime$ resonances in heavy-vector-triplet models and the CP-odd scalar boson $A$ in two-Higgs-doublet models. Upper limits are placed at the 95 % confidence level and range between $9.0\times 10^{-4}$ pb and $8.1\times 10^{-1}$ pb depending on the model and mass of the resonance.
A search for a light charged Higgs boson (H$^+$) decaying to a W boson and a CP-odd Higgs boson (A) in final states with e$\mu\mu$ or $\mu\mu\mu$ is performed using data from pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV, recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. In this search, it is assumed that the H$^+$ boson is produced in decays of top quarks, and the A boson decays to two oppositely charged muons. The presence of signals for H$^+$ boson masses between 100 and 160 GeV and A boson masses between 15 and 75 GeV is investigated. No evidence for the production of the H$^+$ boson is found. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are obtained on the combined branching fraction for the decay chain t $\to$ bH$^+$ $\to$ bW$^+$A $\to$ bW$^+\mu^+\mu^-$, of 1.9 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ to 8.6 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$, depending on the masses of the H$^+$ and A bosons. These are the first limits for these decay modes of the H$^+$ and A bosons.
A search is presented for the pair production of heavy vector-like $T$ and $B$ quarks, primarily targeting the $T$ quark decays to a $W$ boson and a $b$-quark. The search is based on $36.1$ fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Data are analysed in the lepton-plus-jets final state, including at least one $b$-tagged jet and a large-radius jet identified as originating from the hadronic decay of a high-momentum $W$ boson. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed in the reconstructed $T$ mass distribution. The observed 95% confidence level lower limit on the $T$ mass are 1350 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to $Wb$. In the SU(2) singlet scenario, the lower mass limit is 1170 GeV. This search is also sensitive to a heavy vector-like $B$ quark decaying to $Wt$ and other final states. The results are thus reinterpreted to provide a 95% confidence level lower limit on the $B$ quark mass at 1250 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to $Wt$; in the SU(2) singlet scenario, the limit is 1080 GeV. Mass limits on both $T$ and $B$ production are also set as a function of the decay branching ratios. The 100% branching ratio limits are found to be applicable to heavy vector-like $Y$ and $X$ production that decay to $Wb$ and $Wt$, 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 139 fb$^{-1}$ from proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The search considers the $Z$ boson decaying into electrons or muons and the $H$ boson into a pair of $b$-quarks or $W$ bosons. The mass range considered is 230-800 GeV for the $A$ boson and 130-700 GeV for the $H$ boson. The data are in good agreement with the background predicted by the Standard Model, and therefore 95% confidence-level upper limits for $\sigma \times B(A\rightarrow ZH) \times B(H\rightarrow bb$ or $H\rightarrow WW)$ are set. The upper limits are in the range 0.0062-0.380 pb for the $H\rightarrow bb$ channel and in the range 0.023-8.9 pb for the $H\rightarrow WW$ channel. An interpretation of the results in the context of two-Higgs-Doublet models is also given.
A search for a new $Z'$ gauge boson predicted by $L_{\mu}-L_{\tau}$ models, based on charged-current Drell-Yan production, $pp \rightarrow W^{\pm(*)} \rightarrow Z' \mu^{\pm} \nu \rightarrow \mu^{\pm}\mu^{\mp}\mu^{\pm}\nu$, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search examines a final state of $3\mu$ plus large missing transverse momentum. Upper limits are set on the $Z'$ production cross-section times branching ratio in the mass range of 5-81 GeV. After combining with the previous $Z'$ search using the neutral-current Drell-Yan production with a $4\mu$ final state, the most stringent exclusion limits to date are achieved in the parameter space of the $Z'$ coupling strength and mass.
Measurements of $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ and $\mathrm{B}_\mathrm{s1}(5830)^0$ mesons are performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analysis studies $P$-wave $\mathrm{B}^0_\mathrm{S}$ meson decays into $\mathrm{B}^{(*)+}\mathrm{K}^-$ and $\mathrm{B}^{(*)0}\mathrm{K}^0_\mathrm{S}$, where the $\mathrm{B}^+$ and $\mathrm{B}^0$ mesons are identified using the decays $\mathrm{B}^+\to\mathrm{J}/\psi\,\mathrm{K}^+$ and $\mathrm{B}^0\to\mathrm{J}/\psi\,\mathrm{K}^*(892)^0$. The masses of the $P$-wave $\mathrm{B}^0_\mathrm{S}$ meson states are measured and the natural width of the $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ state is determined. The first measurement of the mass difference between the charged and neutral $\mathrm{B}^*$ mesons is also presented. The $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0$ decay to $\mathrm{B}^0\mathrm{K}^0_\mathrm{S}$ is observed, together with a measurement of its branching fraction relative to the $\mathrm{B}^*_\mathrm{s2}(5840)^0\to\mathrm{B}^+\mathrm{K}^-$ decay.
A search for heavy resonances decaying into a pair of $Z$ bosons leading to $\ell^+\ell^-\ell'^+\ell'^-$ and $\ell^+\ell^-\nu\bar\nu$ final states, where $\ell$ stands for either an electron or a muon, is presented. The search uses proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected from 2015 to 2018 that corresponds to the full integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. Different mass ranges spanning 200 GeV to 2000 GeV for the hypothetical resonances are considered, depending on the final state and model. In the absence of a significant observed excess, the results are interpreted as upper limits on the production cross section of a spin-0 or spin-2 resonance. The upper limits for the spin-0 resonance are translated to exclusion contours in the context of Type-I and Type-II two-Higgs-doublet models, and the limits for the spin-2 resonance are used to constrain the Randall--Sundrum model with an extra dimension giving rise to spin-2 graviton excitations.
The ratio of the production cross sections times branching fractions (sigma(Bc+) B(Bc+ to J/psi pi+))/ (sigma(B+) B(B+ to J/psi K+)) is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The kinematic region investigated requires Bc+/- and B+/- mesons with transverse momentum pt > 15 GeV and rapidity abs(y) < 1.6. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.1 inverse femtobarns. The ratio is determined to be [0.48 +/- 0.05 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) +/- 0.05 (tau_{Bc})]% The J/psi pi+/- pi+/- pi-/+ decay mode is also observed in the same data sample. Using a model-independent method developed to measure the efficiency given the presence of resonant behaviour in the three-pion system, the ratio of the branching fractions B(Bc+/- to J/psi pi+/- pi+/- pi-/+) / B(Bc+/- to J/psi pi+/-) is measured to be 2.55 +/- 0.80 (stat) +/- 0.33 (syst) +0.04/-0.01 (tau[Bc+]), consistent with the previous LHCb result.
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