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This report presents a comprehensive collection of searches for new physics performed by the ATLAS Collaboration during the Run~2 period of data taking at the Large Hadron Collider, from 2015 to 2018, corresponding to about 140~$$^{-1}$$ of $$\sqrt{s}=13$$~TeV proton--proton collision data. These searches cover a variety of beyond-the-standard model topics such as dark matter candidates, new vector bosons, hidden-sector particles, leptoquarks, or vector-like quarks, among others. Searches for supersymmetric particles or extended Higgs sectors are explicitly excluded as these are the subject of separate reports by the Collaboration. For each topic, the most relevant searches are described, focusing on their importance and sensitivity and, when appropriate, highlighting the experimental techniques employed. In addition to the description of each analysis, complementary searches are compared, and the overall sensitivity of the ATLAS experiment to each type of new physics is discussed. Summary plots and statistical combinations of multiple searches are included whenever possible. 

The ATLAS experiment has developed extensive software and distributed computing systems for Run 3 of the LHC. These systems are described in detail, including software infrastructure and workflows, distributed data and workload management, database infrastructure, and validation. The use of these systems to prepare the data for physics analysis and assess its quality are described, along with the software tools used for data analysis itself. An outlook for the development of these projects towards Run 4 is also provided. 

Abstract The ATLAS tile calorimeter (TileCal) is the hadronic sampling calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This paper gives an overview of the calorimeter’s operation and performance during the years 2015–2018 (Run 2). In this period, ATLAS collected proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and the TileCal was 99.65% efficient for data-taking. The signal reconstruction, the calibration procedures, and the detector operational status are presented. The performance of two ATLAS trigger systems making use of TileCal information, the minimum-bias trigger scintillators and the tile muon trigger, is discussed. Studies of radiation effects allow the degradation of the output signals at the end of the LHC and HL-LHC operations to be estimated. Finally, the TileCal response to isolated muons, hadrons and jets from proton–proton collisions is presented. The energy and time calibration methods performed excellently, resulting in good stability and uniformity of the calorimeter response during Run 2. The setting of the energy scale was performed with an uncertainty of 2%. The results demonstrate that the performance is in accordance with specifications defined in the Technical Design Report. 

Abstract This paper reports a summary of searches for a fermionic dark matter candidate in the context of theoretical models characterised by a mediator particle exchange in thes-channel. The data sample considered consists ofppcollisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider during its Run 2 at a centre-of-mass energy of$$\sqrt{s} = 13\,\textrm{TeV}$$ $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$and recorded by the ATLAS detector, corresponding to up to 140 fb$$^{-1}$$ $_{}^{-1}$. The interpretations of the results are based on simplified models where the new mediator particles can be spin-0, with scalar or pseudo-scalar couplings to fermions, or spin-1, with vector or axial-vector couplings to fermions. Exclusion limits are obtained from various searches characterised by final states with resonant production of Standard Model particles, or production of Standard Model particles in association with large missing transverse momentum. 

Abstract A search for leptoquark pair production decaying into$$te^- \bar{t}e^+$$ $t{e}^{-}\overline{t}{e}^{+}$or$$t\mu ^- \bar{t}\mu ^+$$ $t{\mu }^{-}\overline{t}{\mu }^{+}$in final states with multiple leptons is presented. The search is based on a dataset ofppcollisions at$$\sqrt{s}=13~\text {TeV} $$ $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$$^{-1}$$ $_{}^{-1}$. Four signal regions, with the requirement of at least three light leptons (electron or muon) and at least two jets out of which at least one jet is identified as coming from ab-hadron, are considered based on the number of leptons of a given flavour. The main background processes are estimated using dedicated control regions in a simultaneous fit with the signal regions to data. No excess above the Standard Model background prediction is observed and 95% confidence level limits on the production cross section times branching ratio are derived as a function of the leptoquark mass. Under the assumption of exclusive decays into$$te^{-}$$ $t{e}^{-}$($$t\mu ^{-}$$ $t{\mu }^{-}$), the corresponding lower limit on the scalar mixed-generation leptoquark mass$$m_{\textrm{LQ}_{\textrm{mix}}^{\textrm{d}}}$$ $m_{{\text{LQ}}_{\text{mix}}^{\text{d}}}$is at 1.58 (1.59) TeV and on the vector leptoquark mass$$m_{{\tilde{U}}_1}$$ $m_{{\tilde{U}}_1}$at 1.67 (1.67) TeV in the minimal coupling scenario and at 1.95 (1.95) TeV in the Yang–Mills scenario. 

Abstract A search is reported for long-lived dark photons with masses between 0.1 GeV and 15 GeV, from exotic decays of Higgs bosons produced via vector-boson-fusion. Events that contain displaced collimated Standard Model fermions reconstructed in the calorimeter or muon spectrometer are probed. This search uses the full LHC Run 2 (2015–2018) data sample collected in proton–proton collisions at$$\sqrt{s}=13$$ $\sqrt{s}=13$TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139$$fb^{-1}$$ $f{b}^{-1}$. Dominant backgrounds from Standard Model processes and non-collision sources are estimated using data-driven techniques. The observed event yields in the signal regions are consistent with the expected background. Upper limits on the Higgs boson to dark photon branching fraction are reported as a function of the dark photon mean proper decay length or of the dark photon mass and the coupling between the Standard Model and the potential dark sector. This search is combined with previous ATLAS searches obtained in the gluon–gluon fusion andWHproduction modes. A branching fraction above 10% is excluded at 95% CL for a 125 GeV Higgs boson decaying into two dark photons for dark photon mean proper decay lengths between 173 and 1296 mm and mass of 10 GeV. 

Abstract A study of the charge conjugation and parity ( $$\textit{CP}$$ CP ) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and $$\tau $$ τ -leptons is presented. The study is based on a measurement of $$\textit{CP}$$ CP -sensitive angular observables defined by the visible decay products of $$\tau $$ τ -leptons produced in Higgs boson decays. The analysis uses 139 fb $$^{-1}$$ - 1 of proton–proton collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of $$\sqrt{s}= 13$$ s = 13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Contributions from $$\textit{CP}$$ CP -violating interactions between the Higgs boson and $$\tau $$ τ -leptons are described by a single mixing angle parameter $$\phi _{\tau }$$ ϕ τ in the generalised Yukawa interaction. Without constraining the $$H\rightarrow \tau \tau $$ H → τ τ signal strength to its expected value under the Standard Model hypothesis, the mixing angle $$\phi _{\tau }$$ ϕ τ is measured to be $$9^{\circ } \pm 16^{\circ }$$ 9 ∘ ± 16 ∘ , with an expected value of $$0^{\circ } \pm 28^{\circ }$$ 0 ∘ ± 28 ∘ at the 68% confidence level. The pure $$\textit{CP}$$ CP -odd hypothesis is disfavoured at a level of 3.4 standard deviations. The results are compatible with the predictions for the Higgs boson in the Standard Model. 

Abstract This paper presents a search for dark matter,$$\chi $$ $\chi$, using events with a single top quark and an energeticWboson. The analysis is based on proton–proton collision data collected with the ATLAS experiment at$$\sqrt{s}=$$ $\sqrt{s}=$13 TeV during LHC Run 2 (2015–2018), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$$^{-1}$$ ${}^{-1}$. The search considers final states with zero or one charged lepton (electron or muon), at least oneb-jet and large missing transverse momentum. In addition, a result from a previous search considering two-charged-lepton final states is included in the interpretation of the results. The data are found to be in good agreement with the Standard Model predictions and the results are interpreted in terms of 95% confidence-level exclusion limits in the context of a class of dark matter models involving an extended two-Higgs-doublet sector together with a pseudoscalar mediator particle. The search is particularly sensitive to on-shell production of the charged Higgs boson state,$$H^{\pm }$$ $H^{\pm }$, arising from the two-Higgs-doublet mixing, and its semi-invisible decays via the mediator particle,a:$$H^{\pm } \rightarrow W^\pm a (\rightarrow \chi \chi )$$ $H^{\pm }\to W^{\pm }a(\to \chi \chi )$. Signal models with$$H^{\pm }$$ $H^{\pm }$masses up to 1.5 TeV andamasses up to 350 GeV are excluded assuming a$$\tan \beta $$ $tan\beta$value of 1. For masses ofaof 150 (250) GeV,$$\tan \beta $$ $tan\beta$values up to 2 are excluded for$$H^{\pm }$$ $H^{\pm }$masses between 200 (400) GeV and 1.5 TeV. Signals with$$\tan \beta $$ $tan\beta$values between 20 and 30 are excluded for$$H^{\pm }$$ $H^{\pm }$masses between 500 and 800 GeV. 

Abstract This paper presents the observation of four-top-quark ($$t\bar{t}t\bar{t}$$ $t\overline{t}t\overline{t}$) production in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 140 $$\hbox {fb}^{-1}$$ ${\text{fb}}^{-1}$at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected using the ATLAS detector. Events containing two leptons with the same electric charge or at least three leptons (electrons or muons) are selected. Event kinematics are used to separate signal from background through a multivariate discriminant, and dedicated control regions are used to constrain the dominant backgrounds. The observed (expected) significance of the measured$$t\bar{t}t\bar{t}$$ $t\overline{t}t\overline{t}$signal with respect to the standard model (SM) background-only hypothesis is 6.1 (4.3) standard deviations. The$$t\bar{t}t\bar{t}$$ $t\overline{t}t\overline{t}$production cross section is measured to be$$22.5^{+6.6}_{-5.5}$$ $22.5_{-5.5}^{+6.6}$ fb, consistent with the SM prediction of$$12.0 \pm 2.4$$ $12.0\pm 2.4$fb within 1.8 standard deviations. Data are also used to set limits on the three-top-quark production cross section, being an irreducible background not measured previously, and to constrain the top-Higgs Yukawa coupling and effective field theory operator coefficients that affect$$t\bar{t}t\bar{t}$$ $t\overline{t}t\overline{t}$production. 

Abstract 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.