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1. Search for Higgs boson pair production in association with a vector boson in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {TeV}$$ with the ATLAS detector

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11559-y  

   Aad, G. ; Abbott, B. ; Abbott, D. C. ; Abeling, K. ; Abidi, S. H. ; Aboulhorma, A. ; Abramowicz, H. ; Abreu, H. ; Abulaiti, Y. ; Hoffman, A. C. ; et al ( June 2023 , The European Physical Journal C)

   This paper reports a search for Higgs boson pair (hh) production in association with a vector boson ($$W\; {\text {o}r}\; Z$$$W\text{o}rZ$) using 139 fb$$^{-1}$$${}^{-1}$of proton–proton collision data at$$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {TeV}$$$\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search is performed in final states in which the vector boson decays leptonically ($$W\rightarrow \ell \nu ,\, Z\rightarrow \ell \ell ,\nu \nu $$$W\to \ell \nu ,Z\to \ell \ell ,\nu \nu$with$$\ell =e, \mu $$$\ell =e,\mu$) and the Higgs bosons each decay into a pair ofb-quarks. It targetsVhhsignals from both non-resonanthhproduction, present in the Standard Model (SM), and resonanthhproduction, as predicted in some SM extensions. A 95% confidence-level upper limit of 183 (87) times the SM cross-section is observed (expected) for non-resonantVhhproduction when assuming the kinematics are as expected in the SM. Constraints are also placed on Higgs boson coupling modifiers. For the resonant search, upper limits on the production cross-sections are derived for two specific models: one is the production of a vector boson along with a neutral heavy scalar resonanceH, in the mass range 260–1000 GeV, that decays intohh, and the other is the production of a heavier neutral pseudoscalar resonanceAthat decays into aZboson andHboson, where theAboson mass is 360–800 GeV and theHboson mass is 260–400 GeV. Constraints are also derived in the parameter space of two-Higgs-doublet models.

    

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2. Search for light Higgs bosons from supersymmetric cascade decays in $$\text {pp}$$ collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13\,\textrm{TeV}$$

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11581-0  

   Tumasyan, A. ; Adam, W. ; Andrejkovic, J. W. ; Bergauer, T. ; Chatterjee, S. ; Damanakis, K. ; Dragicevic, M. ; Valle, A. Escalante ; Frühwirth, R. ; Jeitler, M. ; et al ( July 2023 , The European Physical Journal C)

   A search is reported for pairs of light Higgs bosons ($${\textrm{H}} _1$$${\text{H}}_1$) produced in supersymmetric cascade decays in final states with small missing transverse momentum. A data set of LHC$$\hbox {pp}$$$\text{pp}$collisions collected with the CMS detector at$$\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {TeV} $$$\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138$$\,\text {fb}^{-1}$$${\text{fb}}^{-1}$is used. The search targets events where both$${\textrm{H}} _1$$${\text{H}}_1$bosons decay into Equation missing<#comment/>pairs that are reconstructed as large-radius jets using substructure techniques. No evidence is found for an excess of events beyond the background expectations of the standard model (SM). Results from the search are interpreted in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric extension of the SM, where a “singlino” of small mass leads to squark and gluino cascade decays that can predominantly end in a highly Lorentz-boosted singlet-like$${\textrm{H}} _1$$${\text{H}}_1$and a singlino-like neutralino of small transverse momentum. Upper limits are set on the product of the squark or gluino pair production cross section and the square of the Equation missing<#comment/>branching fraction of the$${\textrm{H}} _1$$${\text{H}}_1$in a benchmark model containing almost mass-degenerate gluinos and light-flavour squarks. Under the assumption of an SM-like Equation missing<#comment/>branching fraction,$${\textrm{H}} _1$$${\text{H}}_1$bosons with masses in the range 40–120$$\,\text {GeV}$$$\text{GeV}$arising from the decays of squarks or gluinos with a mass of 1200–2500$$\,\text {GeV}$$$\text{GeV}$are excluded at 95% confidence level.

    

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3. A Late-time Galaxy-targeted Search for the Radio Counterpart of GW190814

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac281a  

   Alexander, K. D. ; Schroeder, G. ; Paterson, K. ; Fong, W. ; Cowperthwaite, P. ; Gomez, S. ; Margalit, B. ; Margutti, R. ; Berger, E. ; Blanchard, P. ; et al ( December 2021 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract GW190814 was a compact object binary coalescence detected in gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo that garnered exceptional community interest due to its excellent localization and the uncertain nature of the binary’s lighter-mass component (either the heaviest known neutron star, or the lightest known black hole). Despite extensive follow-up observations, no electromagnetic counterpart has been identified. Here, we present new radio observations of 75 galaxies within the localization volume at Δ t ≈ 35–266 days post-merger. Our observations cover ∼32% of the total stellar luminosity in the final localization volume and extend to later timescales than previously reported searches, allowing us to place the deepest constraints to date on the existence of a radio afterglow from a highly off-axis relativistic jet launched during the merger (assuming that the merger occurred within the observed area). For a viewing angle of ∼46° (the best-fit binary inclination derived from the gravitational wave signal) and assumed electron and magnetic field energy fractions of ϵ e = 0.1 and ϵ B = 0.01, we can rule out a typical short gamma-ray burst-like Gaussian jet with an opening angle of 15° and isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy 2 × 10 51 erg propagating into a constant-density medium n ≳ 0.1 cm −3 . These are the first limits resulting from a galaxy-targeted search for a radio counterpart to a gravitational wave event, and we discuss the challenges—and possible advantages—of applying similar search strategies to future events using current and upcoming radio facilities. 

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4. Search for a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson in the boosted μμττ final state in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV

   https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP08(2020)139  

   Sirunyan, A. M. ; Tumasyan, A. ; Adam, W. ; Ambrogi, F. ; Bergauer, T. ; Dragicevic, M. ; Erö, J. ; Escalante Del Valle, A. ; Frühwirth, R. ; Jeitler, M. ; et al ( August 2020 , Journal of High Energy Physics)

   null (Ed.)

   A bstract A search for a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson (a) decaying from the 125 GeV (or a heavier) scalar Higgs boson (H) is performed using the 2016 LHC proton-proton collision data at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 . 9 fb − 1 , collected by the CMS experiment. The analysis considers gluon fusion and vector boson fusion production of the H, followed by the decay H → aa → μμττ , and considers pseudoscalar masses in the range 3 . 6 < m a < 21 GeV. Because of the large mass difference between the H and the a bosons and the small masses of the a boson decay products, both the μμ and the ττ pairs have high Lorentz boost and are collimated. The ττ reconstruction efficiency is increased by modifying the standard technique for hadronic τ lepton decay reconstruction to account for a nearby muon. No significant signal is observed. Model-independent limits are set at 95% confidence level, as a function of m a , on the branching fraction (ℬ) for H → aa → μμττ , down to 1 . 5 (2 . 0) × 10 − 4 for m H = 125 (300) GeV. Model-dependent limits on ℬ(H → aa) are set within the context of two Higgs doublets plus singlet models, with the most stringent results obtained for Type-III models. These results extend current LHC searches for heavier a bosons that decay to resolved lepton pairs and provide the first such bounds for an H boson with a mass above 125 GeV. 

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5. Measured spin–orbit alignment of ultra-short-period super-Earth 55 Cancri e

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01837-2  

   Zhao, Lily L. ; Kunovac, Vedad ; Brewer, John M. ; Llama, Joe ; Millholland, Sarah C. ; Hedges, Christina ; Szymkowiak, Andrew E. ; Roettenbacher, Rachael M. ; Cabot, Samuel H. ; Weiss, Sam A. ; et al ( December 2022 , Nature Astronomy)

   A planet’s orbital alignment places important constraints on how a planet formed and consequently evolved. The dominant formation pathway of ultra-short-period planets (P < 1 day) is particularly mysterious as such planets most likely formed further out, and it is not well understood what drove their migration inwards to their current positions. Measuring the orbital alignment is difficult for smaller super-Earth/sub-Neptune planets, which give rise to smaller amplitude signals. Here we present radial velocities across two transits of 55 Cancri (Cnc) e, an ultra-short-period super-Earth, observed with the Extreme Precision Spectrograph. Using the classical Rossiter–McLaughlin method, we measure 55 Cnc e’s sky-projected stellar spin–orbit alignment (that is, the projected angle between the The star 55 Cancri (Cnc) A hosts five known exoplanets with minimum mass estimates ranging from approximately 8M⊕ to 3MJup and periods less than one day to nearly 20 years1–4. Of particular interest has been 55 Cnc e, one of the most massive known ultra-short-period planets (USPs) and the only planet around 55 Cnc found to transit5,6. It has an star’s spin axis and the planet’s orbit normal—will shed light on the formation and evolution of USPs, especially in the case of compact, multiplanet systems. It has been shown that USPs form a statistically distinct popula- tion of planets9 that tend to be misaligned with other planetary orbits in their system10. This suggests that USPs experience a unique migra- tion pathway that brings them close in to their host stars. This inward migration is most likely driven by dissipation due to star–planet tidal interactions that result from either non-zero eccentricities11,12 or plan- etary spin-axis tilts13. orbital period of 0.7365474 +1.3 × 10−6 days, a mass of 7.99 ± 0.33M −1.4 × 10−6 ⊕ and a radius of 1.853 +0.026 R⊕ (refs. 7,8). A precise measure of the −0.027 stellar spin–orbit alignment of 55 Cnc e—the angle between the host planet’s orbital axis and its host star’s spin axis) to be λ = 10 +17∘ with an +14∘ −20∘ unprojected angle of ψ = 23 −12∘. The best-fit Rossiter–McLaughlin model to the Extreme Precision Spectrograph data has a radial velocity semi- amplitude of just 0.41 +0.09 m s−1. The spin–orbit alignment of 55 Cnc e −0.10 favours dynamically gentle migration theories for ultra-short-period planets, namely tidal dissipation through low-eccentricity planet–planet interactions and/or planetary obliquity tides. 

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