A measurement of the $ZZ$ production in the $\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\ell^{\prime -}\ell^{\prime +}$ and $\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ channels $(\ell = e, \mu)$ in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2012 is presented. The fiducial cross sections for $ZZ\to\ell^{-}\ell^{+}\ell^{\prime -}\ell^{\prime +}$ and $ZZ\to \ell^{-}\ell^{+}\nu\bar{\nu}$ are measured in selected phase-space regions. The total cross section for $ZZ$ events produced with both $Z$ bosons in the mass range 66 to 116 GeV is measured from the combination of the two channels to be $7.3\pm0.4\textrm{(stat)}\pm0.3\textrm{(syst)}\pm0.2\textrm{(lumi)}$ pb, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction of $6.6^{+0.7}_{-0.6}$ pb. The differential cross sections in bins of various kinematic variables are presented. The differential event yield as a function of the transverse momentum of the leading $Z$ boson is used to set limits on anomalous neutral triple gauge boson couplings in $ZZ$ production.

A search for Supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via third-generation squarks to the lightest neutralino is reported. It uses an LHC proton--proton dataset at a center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015. The signal is searched for in events containing several energetic jets, of which at least three must be identified as $b$-jets, large missing transverse momentum and, potentially, isolated electrons or muons. Large-radius jets with a high mass are also used to identify highly boosted top quarks. No excess is found above the predicted background. For neutralino masses below approximately 700 GeV, gluino masses of less than 1.78 TeV and 1.76 TeV are excluded at the 95% CL in simplified models of the pair production of gluinos decaying via sbottom and stop, respectively. These results significantly extend the exclusion limits obtained with the $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV dataset.

A search for heavy resonances decaying into a $W$ or $Z$ boson and a Higgs boson produced in proton$-$proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV is presented. The analysis utilizes the dominant $W \to q \bar{q}^\prime$ or $Z \to q \bar{q}$ and $H \to b \bar{b}$ decays with substructure techniques applied to large-radius jets. A sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the ATLAS detector is analyzed and no significant excess of data is observed over the background prediction. The results are interpreted in the context of the Heavy Vector Triplet model with spin-1 $W^\prime$ and $Z^\prime$ bosons. Upper limits on the cross section are set for resonances with mass between 1.5 and 5.0 TeV, ranging from 6.8 to 0.53 fb for $W^\prime \to WH$ and from 8.7 to 0.53 fb for $Z^\prime \to ZH$ at the 95 % confidence level.

The production of a $Z$ boson in association with a $J/\psi$ meson in proton-proton collisions probes the production mechanisms of quarkonium and heavy flavour in association with vector bosons, and allows studies of multiple parton scattering. Using $20.3\, \mathrm{fb^{-1}}$ of data collected with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8\, \mathrm{TeV}$, the first measurement of associated $Z + J/\psi$ production is presented for both prompt and non-prompt $J/\psi$ production, with both signatures having a significance in excess of $5\sigma$. The inclusive production cross-sections for $Z$ boson production (analysed in $\mu^+\mu^-$ or $e^+e^-$ decay modes) in association with prompt and non-prompt $J/\psi(\to\mu^+\mu^-)$ are measured relative to the inclusive production rate of $Z$ bosons in the same fiducial volume to be $(36.8\pm 6.7\pm 2.5) \times 10^{-7}$ and $(65.8\pm 9.2\pm 4.2) \times 10^{-7}$ respectively. Normalised differential production cross-section ratios are also determined as a function of the $J/\psi$ transverse momentum. The fraction of signal events arising from single and double parton scattering is estimated, and a lower limit of $5.3\ (3.7)\, \mathrm{mb}$ at $68\ (95)$% confidence level is placed on the effective cross-section regulating double parton interactions.

The inclusive top quark pair ($t\bar{t}$) production cross-section $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}$ has been measured in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV and $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, using $t\bar{t}$ events with an opposite-charge $e\mu$ pair in the final state. The measurement was performed with the 2011 7 TeV dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb$^{-1}$ and the 2012 8 TeV dataset of 20.3 fb$^{-1}$. The cross-section was measured to be: $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}=182.9\pm 3.1\pm 4.2\pm 3.6 \pm 3.3$ pb ($\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV) and $\sigma_{t\bar{t}}=242.9\pm 1.7\pm 5.5\pm 5.1\pm 4.2$ pb ($\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV, updated as described in the Addendum), where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the knowledge of the integrated luminosity and of the LHC beam energy. The results are consistent with recent theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. Fiducial measurements corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons are also reported, together with the ratio of cross-sections measured at the two centre-of-mass energies. The inclusive cross-section results were used to determine the top quark pole mass via the dependence of the theoretically-predicted cross-section on $m_t^{\rm pole}$, giving a result of $m_t^{\rm pole}=172.9^{+2.5}_{-2.6}$ GeV. By looking for an excess of $t\bar{t}$ production with respect to the QCD prediction, the results were also used to place limits on the pair-production of supersymmetric top squarks $\tilde{t}_1$ with masses close to the top quark mass decaying via $\tilde{t}_1\rightarrow t\tilde{\chi}^0_1$ to predominantly right-handed top quarks and a light neutralino $\tilde{\chi}_0^1$, the lightest supersymmetric particle. Top squarks with masses between the top quark mass and 177 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level.

Measurements of four-lepton (4$\ell$, $\ell=e,\mu$) production cross sections at the $Z$ resonance in $pp$ collisions at the LHC with the ATLAS detector are presented. For dilepton and four-lepton invariant mass region $m_{\ell^+\ell^-} > 5$ GeV and $80 < m_{4\ell} < 100$ GeV, the measured cross sections are $76 \pm 18 \text { (stat) } \pm 4 \text { (syst) } \pm 1.4 \text { (lumi) }$ fb and $107 \pm 9 \text{ (stat) } \pm 4 \text{ (syst) } \pm 3.0 \text { (lumi) }$ fb at $\sqrt s$ = 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. By subtracting the non-resonant 4$\ell$ production contributions and normalizing with $Z\rightarrow \mu^+\mu^-$ events, the branching fraction for the $Z$ boson decay to $4\ell$ is determined to be $\left( 3.20 \pm 0.25\text{ (stat)} \pm 0.13\text{ (syst)} \right) \times 10^{-6}$, consistent with the Standard Model prediction.

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 production of $W$ boson pairs in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 8 TeV is studied using data corresponding to 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector during 2012 at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed using their leptonic decays into electrons or muons and neutrinos. Events with reconstructed jets are not included in the candidate event sample. A total of 6636 $WW$ candidate events are observed. Measurements are performed in fiducial regions closely approximating the detector acceptance. The integrated measurement is corrected for all acceptance effects and for the $W$ branching fractions to leptons in order to obtain the total $WW$ production cross section, which is found to be 71.1$\pm1.1$(stat)$^{+5.7}_{-5.0}$(syst)$\pm1.4$ pb. This agrees with the next-to-next-to-leading-order Standard Model prediction of 63.2$^{+1.6}_{-1.4}$(scale)$\pm1.2$(PDF) pb. Fiducial differential cross sections are measured as a function of each of six kinematic variables. The distribution of the transverse momentum of the leading lepton is used to set limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings.

A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons and $Z^{\prime}$ bosons 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 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015 and 2016. The heavy resonance is assumed to decay to $\tau^+\tau^-$ with at least one tau lepton decaying to final states with hadrons and a neutrino. The search is performed in the mass range of 0.2-2.25 TeV for Higgs bosons and 0.2-4.0 TeV for $Z^{\prime}$ bosons. The data are in good agreement with the background predicted by the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in benchmark scenarios. In the context of the hMSSM scenario, the data exclude $\tan\beta > 1.0$ for $m_A$ = 0.25 TeV and $\tan\beta > 42$ for $m_A$ = 1.5 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the Sequential Standard Model, $Z^{\prime}_\mathrm{SSM}$ with $m_{Z^{\prime}} < 2.42$ TeV is excluded at 95% confidence level, while $Z^{\prime}_\mathrm{NU}$ with $m_{Z^{\prime}} < 2.25$ TeV is excluded for the non-universal $G(221)$ model that exhibits enhanced couplings to third-generation fermions.

Many extensions of the Standard Model posit the existence of heavy particles with long lifetimes. In this Letter, results are presented of a search for such particles, which decay at a significant distance from their production point, using a final state containing charged hadrons and an associated muon. This analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb-1 collected in 2011 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Results are interpreted in the context of R-parity violating supersymmetric scenarios. No events in the signal region are observed and limits are set on the production cross section for supersymmetric particles, multiplied by the square of the branching ratio for a neutralino to decay to charged hadrons and a muon, as a function of the neutralino lifetime. To allow these limits to be used in a variety of models, they are presented for a range of squark and neutralino masses.