Search for: All records

Abstract A search for pair production of scalar leptoquarks, each decaying into either an electron or a muon and a top quark, is presented. This is the first leptoquark search using ATLAS data to investigate top-philic cross-generational couplings that could provide explanations for recently observed anomalies in B meson decays. This analysis targets high leptoquark masses which cause the decay products of each resultant top quark to be contained within a single high- $$p_{\mathrm {T}}$$ p T large-radius jet. The full Run 2 dataset is exploited, consisting of $$139~\hbox {fb}^{-1}$$ 139 fb - 1 of data collected from proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13~\mathrm {TeV}$$ s = 13 TeV from 2015 to 2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. In the absence of any significant deviation from the background expectation, lower limits on the leptoquark masses are set at $$1480~\mathrm {GeV}$$ 1480 GeV and $$1470~\mathrm {GeV}$$ 1470 GeV for the electron and muon channel, respectively.

Abstract A search for heavy resonances decaying into a pair of Z bosons leading to $$\ell ^+\ell ^-\ell '^+\ell '^-$$ ℓ + ℓ - ℓ ′ + ℓ ′ - and $$\ell ^+\ell ^-\nu {{\bar{\nu }}}$$ ℓ + ℓ - ν ν ¯ final states, where $$\ell $$ ℓ 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 integrated luminosity of 139 $$\mathrm {fb}^{-1}$$ 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.

Abstract Jet substructure has provided new opportunities for searches and measurements at the LHC, and has seen continuous development since the optimization of the large-radius jet definition used by ATLAS was performed during Run 1. A range of new inputs to jet reconstruction, pile-up mitigation techniques and jet grooming algorithms motivate an optimisation of large-radius jet reconstruction for ATLAS. In this paper, this optimisation procedure is presented, and the performance of a wide range of large-radius jet definitions is compared. The relative performance of these jet definitions is assessed using metrics such as their pileup stability, ability to identify hadronically decaying W bosons and top quarks with large transverse momenta. A new type of jet input object, called a ‘unified flow object’ is introduced which combines calorimeter- and inner-detector-based signals in order to achieve optimal performance across a wide kinematic range. Large-radius jet definitions are identified which significantly improve on the current ATLAS baseline definition, and their modelling is studied using pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at $$\sqrt{s}=13~\text {TeV}$$ s = 13 TeV during 2017.

A Correction to this paper has been published: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-08730-0

A bstract A search is presented for the production of the Standard Model Higgs boson in association with a high-energy photon. With a focus on the vector-boson fusion process and the dominant Higgs boson decay into b -quark pairs, the search benefits from a large reduction of multijet background compared to more inclusive searches. Results are reported from the analysis of 132 fb − 1 of pp collision data at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measured Higgs boson signal yield in this final-state signature is 1 . 3 ± 1 . 0 times the Standard Model prediction. The observed significance of the Higgs boson signal above the background is 1 . 3 standard deviations, compared to an expected significance of 1 . 0 standard deviations.

A bstract This paper describes a measurement of light-by-light scattering based on Pb+Pb collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 2 of the LHC. The study uses 2 . 2 nb − 1 of integrated luminosity collected in 2015 and 2018 at $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ s NN = 5 . 02 TeV. Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy $$ {E}_{\mathrm{T}}^{\gamma } $$ E T γ > 2 . 5 GeV, pseudorapidity |η γ | < 2 . 37, diphoton invariant mass m γγ > 5 GeV, and with small diphoton transverse momentum and diphoton acoplanarity. The integrated and differential fiducial cross sections are measured and compared with theoretical predictions. The diphoton invariant mass distribution is used to set limits on the production of axion-like particles. This result provides the most stringent limits to date on axion-like particle production for masses in the range 6–100 GeV. Cross sections above 2 to 70 nb are excluded at the 95% CL in that mass interval.