Search

Higgs boson production cross-sections in proton–proton collisions are measured in the H→WW⁎→eνμν decay channel. The proton–proton collision data were produced at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1 . The product of the H→WW⁎ branching fraction times the gluon–gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion cross-sections are measured to be 11.4−1.1+1.2(stat.)−1.7+1.8(syst.)pb and 0.50−0.22+0.24(stat.)±0.17(syst.)pb , respectively, in agreement with Standard Model predictions.

A search is performed for dark matter particles produced in association with a top quark pair in proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb-1 recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. No significant excess over the standard model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted using simplified models of dark matter production via spin-0 mediators that couple to dark matter particles and to standard model quarks, providing constraints on the coupling strength between the mediator and the quarks. These are the most stringent collider limits to date for scalar mediators, and the most stringent for pseudoscalar mediators at low masses.

This Letter presents a search for new light resonances decaying to pairs of quarks and produced in association with a high- pT photon or jet. The dataset consists of proton–proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb −1 at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Resonance candidates are identified as massive large-radius jets with substructure consistent with a particle decaying into a quark pair. The mass spectrum of the candidates is examined for local excesses above background. No evidence of a new resonance is observed in the data, which are used to exclude the production of a lepto-phobic axial-vector Z′ boson.

This Letter presents a search for heavy charged long-lived particles produced in proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV at the LHC using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1 collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2015 and 2016. These particles are expected to travel with a velocity significantly below the speed of light, and therefore have a specific ionisation higher than any high-momentum Standard Model particle of unit charge. The pixel subsystem of the ATLAS detector is used in this search to measure the ionisation energy loss of all reconstructed charged particles which traverse the pixel detector. Results are interpreted assuming the pair production of R -hadrons as composite colourless states of a long-lived gluino and Standard Model partons. No significant deviation from Standard Model background expectations is observed, and lifetime-dependent upper limits on R -hadron production cross-sections and gluino masses are set, assuming the gluino always decays to two quarks and a 100 GeV stable neutralino. R -hadrons with lifetimes above 1.0 ns are excluded at the 95% confidence level, with lower limits on the gluino mass ranging between 1290 GeV and 2060 GeV. In the case of stable R -hadrons, the lower limit on the gluino mass at the 95% confidence level is 1890 GeV.

A search for new charged massive gauge bosons, $W^\prime$, is performed with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Data were collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 $\textrm{fb}^{-1}$. This analysis searches for $W^\prime$ bosons in the $W^\prime \rightarrow t\bar{b}$ decay channel in final states with an electron or muon plus jets. The search covers resonance masses between 0.5 and 5.0 TeV and considers right-handed $W^\prime$ bosons. No significant deviation from the Standard Model (SM) expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the $W^\prime \rightarrow t\bar{b}$ cross section times branching ratio and the $W^\prime$ boson effective couplings as a function of the $W^\prime$ boson mass. For right-handed $W^\prime$ bosons with coupling to the SM particles equal to the SM weak coupling constant, masses below 3.15 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level. This search is also combined with a previously published ATLAS result for $W^\prime \rightarrow t\bar{b}$ in the fully hadronic final state. Using the combined searches, right-handed $W^\prime$ bosons with masses below 3.25 TeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level.

A search is presented for the production of a pair of Higgs bosons, where one decays into two photons and the other one into a bottom quark–antiquark pair. The analysis is performed using proton–proton collision data at s=13TeV recorded in 2016 by the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb−1 . The results are in agreement with standard model (SM) predictions. In a search for resonant production, upper limits are set on the cross section for new spin-0 or spin-2 particles. For the SM-like nonresonant production hypothesis, the data exclude a product of cross section and branching fraction larger than 2.0fb at 95% confidence level (CL), corresponding to about 24 times the SM prediction. Values of the effective Higgs boson self-coupling κλ are constrained to be within the range −11

A search is performed for a long-lived particle decaying into a final state that includes a pair of muons of opposite-sign electric charge, using proton-proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 32.9 fb$^{-1}$. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits at 95% confidence level on the lifetime of the long-lived particle are presented in models of new phenomena including gauge-mediated supersymmetry or decay of the Higgs boson, $H$, to a pair of dark photons, $Z_D$. Lifetimes in the range c$\tau$ = 1-2400 cm are excluded, depending on the parameters of the model. In the supersymmetric model, the lightest neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle, with a relatively long lifetime due to its weak coupling to the gravitino, the lightest supersymmetric particle. The lifetime limits are determined for very light gravitino mass and various assumptions for the neutralino mass in the range 300 GeV to 1000 GeV. In the dark photon model, the lifetime limits are interpreted as exclusion contours in the plane of the coupling between the $Z_D$ and the Standard Model $Z$ boson versus the $Z_D$ mass (in the range 20-60 GeV), for various assumptions for the $H\rightarrow Z_D Z_D$ branching fraction.

A search for Higgs boson pair production in the $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final state is carried out with up to 36.1 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of LHC proton--proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Three benchmark signals are studied: a spin-2 graviton decaying into a Higgs boson pair, a scalar resonance decaying into a Higgs boson pair, and Standard Model non-resonant Higgs boson pair production. Two analyses are carried out, each implementing a particular technique for the event reconstruction that targets Higgs bosons reconstructed as pairs of jets or single boosted jets. The resonance mass range covered is 260--3000 GeV. The analyses are statistically combined and upper limits on the production cross section of Higgs boson pairs times branching ratio to $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ are set in each model. No significant excess is observed; the largest deviation of data over prediction is found at a mass of 280 GeV, corresponding to 2.3 standard deviations globally. The observed 95% confidence level upper limit on the non-resonant production is 13 times the Standard Model prediction.

A search for vector-like quarks is presented, which targets their decay into a $Z$ boson and a third-generation Standard Model quark. In the case of a vector-like quark $T$ ($B$) with charge $+2/3e$ ($-1/3e$), the decay searched for is $T \rightarrow Zt$ ($B \rightarrow Zb$). Data for this analysis were taken during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. The final state used is characterized by the presence of a $Z$ boson with high transverse momentum, which is reconstructed from a pair of opposite-sign same-flavor leptons, as well as $b$-tagged jets. Pair- and single-production of vector-like quarks are both taken into account and are each searched for using optimized dileptonic exclusive and trileptonic inclusive event selections. In these selections, the high scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, the presence of high-transverse-momentum large-radius jets, as well as - in the case of the single-production selections - the presence of forward jets are used. No significant excess over the background-only hypothesis is found and exclusion limits at 95% confidence level allow masses of vector-like quarks of $m_T > 1030$ GeV ($m_T > 1210$ GeV) and $m_B > 1010$ GeV ($m_B > 1140$ GeV) in the singlet (doublet) model. In the case of 100% branching ratio for $T\rightarrow Zt$ ($B\rightarrow Zb$), the limits are $m_T > 1340$ GeV ($m_B > 1220$ GeV). Limits at 95% confidence level are also set on the coupling to Standard Model quarks for given vector-like quark masses.

The angular distribution of the flavor-changing neutral current decay B$^+$$\to$ K$^+\mu^+\mu^-$ is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.5 fb$^{-1}$. The forward-backward asymmetry $A_{\mathrm{FB}}$ of the dimuon system and the contribution $F_{\mathrm{H}}$ from the pseudoscalar, scalar, and tensor amplitudes to the decay width are measured as a function of the dimuon mass squared. The measurements are consistent with the standard model expectations.

Measurements of fragmentation functions for jets associated with an isolated photon are presented for the first time in pp and PbPb collisions. The analysis uses data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. Fragmentation functions are obtained for jets with p$_\mathrm{T}^\text{jet} >$ 30 GeV in events containing an isolated photon with p$_\mathrm{T}^\gamma>$ 60 GeV, using charged tracks with transverse momentum p$_\mathrm{T}^\text{trk} >$ 1 GeV in a cone around the jet axis. The association with an isolated photon constrains the initial p$_\mathrm{T}$ and azimuthal angle of the parton whose shower produced the jet. For central PbPb collisions, modifications of the jet fragmentation functions are observed when compared to those measured in pp collisions, while no significant differences are found in the 50% most peripheral collisions. Jets in central PbPb events show an excess (depletion) of low (high) p$_\mathrm{T}$ particles, with a transition around 3 GeV.

Three of the most significant measured deviations from standard model predictions, the enhanced decay rate for B→D(*)τν, hints of lepton universality violation in B→K(*)ℓℓ decays, and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, can be explained by the existence of leptoquarks (LQs) with large couplings to third-generation quarks and masses at the TeV scale. The existence of these states can be probed at the LHC in high energy proton-proton collisions. A novel search is presented for pair production of LQs coupled to a top quark and a muon using data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb-1, recorded by the CMS experiment. No deviation from the standard model prediction has been observed and scalar LQs decaying exclusively into tμ are excluded up to masses of 1420 GeV. The results of this search are combined with those from previous searches for LQ decays into tτ and bν, which excluded scalar LQs below masses of 900 and 1080 GeV. Vector LQs are excluded up to masses of 1190 GeV for all possible combinations of branching fractions to tμ, tτ and bν. With this analysis, all relevant couplings of LQs with an electric charge of -1/3 to third-generation quarks are probed for the first time.

Searches for non-resonant and resonant Higgs boson pair production are performed in the $\gamma \gamma WW^*$ channel with the final state of $\gamma \gamma \ell \nu jj$ using 36.1 $\hbox {fb}^{-1}$ of proton–proton collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed. A 95% confidence-level observed upper limit of 7.7 pb is set on the cross section for non-resonant production, while the expected limit is 5.4 pb. A search for a narrow-width resonance X decaying to a pair of Standard Model Higgs bosons HH is performed with the same set of data, and the observed upper limits on $\sigma (pp\rightarrow X)\times B(X\rightarrow HH)$ range between 40.0 and 6.1 pb for masses of the resonance between 260 and 500 GeV, while the expected limits range between 17.6 and 4.4 pb. When deriving the limits above, the Standard Model branching ratios of the $H{\rightarrow }{\gamma \gamma }$ and $H{\rightarrow }WW^*$ are assumed.

A search for a heavy resonance decaying into WZ in the fully leptonic channel (electrons and muons) is performed. It is based on proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb −1 . No significant excess is observed over the Standard Model predictions and limits are set on the production cross section times branching ratio of a heavy vector particle produced either in quark–antiquark fusion or through vector-boson fusion. Constraints are also obtained on the mass and couplings of a singly charged Higgs boson, in the Georgi–Machacek model, produced through vector-boson fusion.

A search for the electroweak production of charginos, neutralinos and sleptons decaying into final states involving two or three electrons or muons is presented. The analysis is based on 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV proton--proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Several scenarios based on simplified models are considered. These include the associated production of the next-to-lightest neutralino and the lightest chargino, followed by their decays into final states with leptons and the lightest neutralino via either sleptons or Standard Model gauge bosons; direct production of chargino pairs, which in turn decay into leptons and the lightest neutralino via intermediate sleptons; and slepton pair production, where each slepton decays directly into the lightest neutralino and a lepton. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectation are observed and stringent limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the masses of relevant supersymmetric particles in each of these scenarios. For a massless lightest neutralino, masses up to 580 GeV are excluded for the associated production of the next-to-lightest neutralino and the lightest chargino, assuming gauge-boson mediated decays, whereas for slepton-pair production masses up to 500 GeV are excluded assuming three generations of mass-degenerate sleptons.

A measurement of jet substructure observables is presented using tt¯ events in the lepton+jets channel from proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb-1. Multiple jet substructure observables are measured for jets identified as bottom, light-quark, and gluon jets, as well as for inclusive jets (no flavor information). The results are unfolded to the particle level and compared to next-to-leading-order predictions from powheg interfaced with the parton shower generators pythia 8 and herwig 7, as well as from sherpa 2 and Dire 2. A value of the strong coupling at the Z boson mass, αS(mZ)=0.115-0.013+0.015, is extracted from the substructure data at leading-order plus leading-log accuracy.

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into a pair of electrons or muons and a photon is described. Higgs boson decays to a Z boson and a photon (H $\to$ Z$\gamma\to\ell\ell\gamma$, $\ell =$ e or $\mu$), or to two photons, one of which has an internal conversion into a muon pair (H $\to\gamma^{*}\gamma\to\mu\mu\gamma$) were considered. The analysis is performed using a data set recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. No significant excess above the background prediction has been found. Limits are set on the cross section for a standard model Higgs boson decaying to opposite-sign electron or muon pairs and a photon. The observed limits on cross section times the corresponding branching fractions vary between 1.4 and 4.0 (6.1 and 11.4) times the standard model cross section for H $\to\gamma^{*}\gamma\to\mu\mu\gamma$ (H $\to$ Z$\gamma\to\ell\ell\gamma$) in the 120-130 GeV mass range of the $\ell\ell\gamma$ system. The H $\to\gamma^*\gamma\to\mu\mu\gamma$ and H $\to$ Z$\gamma\to\ell\ell\gamma$ analyses are combined for $m_\mathrm{H} =$ 125 GeV, obtaining an observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit of 3.9 (2.0) times the standard model cross section.

A combination of the searches for pair-produced vectorlike partners of the top and bottom quarks in various decay channels (T→Zt/Wb/Ht, B→Zb/Wt/Hb) is performed using 36.1 fb-1 of pp collision data at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed data are found to be in good agreement with the standard model background prediction in all individual searches. Therefore, combined 95% confidence-level upper limits are set on the production cross section for a range of vectorlike quark scenarios, significantly improving upon the reach of the individual searches. Model-independent limits are set assuming the vectorlike quarks decay to standard model particles. A singlet T is excluded for masses below 1.31 TeV and a singlet B is excluded for masses below 1.22 TeV. Assuming a weak isospin (T,B) doublet and |VTb|≪|VtB|, T and B masses below 1.37 TeV are excluded.

A search for electroweak production of supersymmetric particles is performed in two-lepton and three-lepton final states using recursive jigsaw reconstruction, a technique that assigns reconstructed objects to the most probable hemispheres of the decay trees, allowing one to construct tailored kinematic variables to separate the signal and background. The search uses data collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS experiment in s=13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb-1. Chargino-neutralino pair production, with decays via W/Z bosons, is studied in final states involving leptons and jets and missing transverse momentum for scenarios with large and intermediate mass splittings between the parent particle and lightest supersymmetric particle, as well as for the scenario where this mass splitting is close to the mass of the Z boson. The latter case is challenging since the vector bosons are produced with kinematic properties that are similar to those in Standard Model processes. Results are found to be compatible with the Standard Model expectations in the signal regions targeting large and intermediate mass splittings, and chargino-neutralino masses up to 600 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level for a massless lightest supersymmetric particle. Excesses of data above the expected background are found in the signal regions targeting low mass splittings, and the largest local excess amounts to 3.0 standard deviations.

This Letter presents a measurement of γγ→μ+μ- production in Pb+Pb collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at sNN=5.02 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 0.49 nb-1. The azimuthal angle and transverse momentum correlations between the muons are measured as a function of collision centrality. The muon pairs are produced from γγ through the interaction of the large electromagnetic fields of the nuclei. The contribution from background sources of muon pairs is removed using a template fit method. In peripheral collisions, the muons exhibit a strong back-to-back correlation consistent with previous measurements of muon pair production in ultraperipheral collisions. The angular correlations are observed to broaden significantly in central collisions. The modifications are qualitatively consistent with rescattering of the muons while passing through the hot matter produced in the collision.

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.

Direct searches for lepton flavor violation in decays of the Z boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. Decays of the Z boson into an electron or muon and a hadronically decaying τ lepton are considered. The searches are based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb-1 at a center-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV. No statistically significant excess of events above the expected background is observed, and upper limits on the branching ratios of lepton-flavor-violating decays are set at the 95% confidence level: B(Z→eτ)

A search is performed for a heavy particle decaying into different-flavor, dilepton pairs (eμ, eτ or μτ), using 36.1 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data at s=13 TeV collected in 2015–2016 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No excesses over the Standard Model predictions are observed. Bayesian lower limits at the 95% credibility level are placed on the mass of a Z′ boson, the mass of a supersymmetric τ-sneutrino, and on the threshold mass for quantum black-hole production. For the Z′ and sneutrino models, upper cross-section limits are converted to upper limits on couplings, which are compared with similar limits from low-energy experiments and which are more stringent for the eτ and μτ modes.

A search for the decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson into a bb¯ pair when produced in association with a W or Z boson is performed with the ATLAS detector. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 79.8fb−1 were collected in proton–proton collisions during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV . For a Higgs boson mass of 125GeV , an excess of events over the expected background from other Standard Model processes is found with an observed (expected) significance of 4.9 (4.3) standard deviations. A combination with the results from other searches in Run 1 and in Run 2 for the Higgs boson in the bb¯ decay mode is performed, which yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.4 (5.5) standard deviations, thus providing direct observation of the Higgs boson decay into b -quarks. The ratio of the measured event yield for a Higgs boson decaying into bb¯ to the Standard Model expectation is 1.01±0.12(stat.)−0.15+0.16(syst.) . Additionally, a combination of Run 2 results searching for the Higgs boson produced in association with a vector boson yields an observed (expected) significance of 5.3 (4.8) standard deviations.

A combined measurement of differential and inclusive total cross sections of Higgs boson production is performed using 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data produced by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Cross sections are obtained from measured $H \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ and $H \rightarrow ZZ^* \rightarrow 4\ell$ event yields, which are combined taking into account detector efficiencies, resolution, acceptances and branching fractions. The total Higgs boson production cross section is measured to be 57.0$^{+6.0}_{-5.9}$ (stat.) $^{+4.0}_{-3.3}$ (syst.) pb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Differential cross-section measurements are presented for the Higgs boson transverse momentum distribution, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets produced together with the Higgs boson, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The results from the two decay channels are found to be compatible, and their combination agrees with the Standard Model predictions.

A search is presented for the pair production of heavy vectorlike quarks, TT¯ or BB¯, that decay into final states with jets and no reconstructed leptons. Jets in the final state are classified using a deep neural network as arising from hadronically decaying W/Z bosons, Higgs bosons, top quarks, or background. The analysis uses data from the ATLAS experiment corresponding to 36.1 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed. Results are interpreted assuming the vectorlike quarks decay into a Standard Model boson and a third-generation-quark, T→Wb,Ht,Zt or B→Wt,Hb,Zb, for a variety of branching ratios. At 95% confidence level, the observed (expected) lower limit on the vectorlike B-quark mass for a weak-isospin doublet (B, Y) is 950 (890) GeV, and the lower limits on the masses for the pure decays B→Hb and T→Ht, where these results are strongest, are 1010 (970) GeV and 1010 (1010) GeV, respectively.

A search for resonant and nonresonant pair production of Higgs bosons in the bb¯τ+τ- final state is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb-1 of pp collision data with s=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. Decays of the τ-lepton pairs with at least one τ lepton decaying to final states with hadrons and a neutrino are considered. No significant excess above the expected background is observed in the data. The cross-section times branching ratio for nonresonant Higgs boson pair production is constrained to be less than 30.9 fb, 12.7 times the standard model expectation, at 95% confidence level. The data are also analyzed to probe resonant Higgs boson pair production, constraining a model with an extended Higgs sector based on two doublets and a Randall-Sundrum bulk graviton model. Upper limits are placed on the resonant Higgs boson pair production cross-section times branching ratio, excluding resonances X in the mass range 305 GeV

A search is performed for resonant and non-resonant Higgs boson pair production in the $ \upgamma \upgamma b\overline{b} $ final state. The data set used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{−1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess relative to the Standard Model expectation is observed. The observed limit on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair cross-section is 0.73 pb at 95% confidence level. This observed limit is equivalent to 22 times the predicted Standard Model cross-section. The Higgs boson self-coupling (κ$_{λ}$ = λ$_{HHH}$/λ$_{HHH}^{SM}$ ) is constrained at 95% confidence level to −8.2 < κ$_{λ}$ < 13.2. For resonant Higgs boson pair production through $ X\to HH\to \upgamma \upgamma b\overline{b} $ , the limit is presented, using the narrow-width approximation, as a function of m$_{X}$ in the range 260 GeV < m$_{X}$ < 1000 GeV. The observed limits range from 1.1 pb to 0.12 pb over this mass range.

A measurement of the rapidity and transverse momentum dependence of dijet azimuthal decorrelations is presented, using the quantity $R_{\Delta \phi}$. The quantity $R_{\Delta \phi}$ specifies the fraction of the inclusive dijet events in which the azimuthal opening angle of the two jets with the highest transverse momenta is less than a given value of the parameter $\Delta \phi_\mathrm{max}$. The quantity $R_{\Delta \phi}$ is measured in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$8 TeV as a function of the dijet rapidity interval, the event total scalar transverse momentum, and $\Delta \phi_\mathrm{max}$. The measurement uses an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb$^{-1}$ collected with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Predictions of a perturbative QCD calculation at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling with corrections for non-perturbative effects are compared to the data. The theoretical predictions describe the data in the whole kinematic region. The data are used to determine the strong coupling $\alpha_{\mathrm{S}}$ and to study its running for momentum transfers from 260 GeV to above 1.6 TeV. An analysis that combines data at all momentum transfers results in $\alpha_{\mathrm{S}}(m_{Z}) = 0.1127^{+0.0063}_{-0.0027}$.

A search for pair production of the supersymmetric partners of the Higgs boson (higgsinos H˜) in gauge-mediated scenarios is reported. Each higgsino is assumed to decay to a Higgs boson and a gravitino. Two complementary analyses, targeting high- and low-mass signals, are performed to maximize sensitivity. The two analyses utilize LHC pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy s=13 TeV, the former with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb-1 and the latter with 24.3 fb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The search is performed in events containing missing transverse momentum and several energetic jets, at least three of which must be identified as b-quark jets. No significant excess is found above the predicted background. Limits on the cross section are set as a function of the mass of the H˜ in simplified models assuming production via mass-degenerate higgsinos decaying to a Higgs boson and a gravitino. Higgsinos with masses between 130 and 230 GeV and between 290 and 880 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level. Interpretations of the limits in terms of the branching ratio of the higgsino to a Z boson or a Higgs boson are also presented, and a 45% branching ratio to a Higgs boson is excluded for mH˜≈400 GeV.

Previous studies have shown that weighted angular moments derived from jet constituents encode the colour connections between partons that seed the jets. This paper presents measurements of two such distributions, the jet-pull angle and jet-pull magnitude, both of which are derived from the jet-pull angular moment. The measurement is performed in $t\bar{t}$ events with one leptonically decaying W boson and one hadronically decaying W boson, using $36.1\,\text {fb}^{-1}$ of pp collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at $\sqrt{s} = 13 \, \text {TeV}$ delivered by the Large Hadron Collider. The observables are measured for two dijet systems, corresponding to the colour-connected daughters of the W boson and the two b-jets from the top-quark decays, which are not expected to be colour connected. To allow the comparison of the measured distributions to colour model predictions, the measured distributions are unfolded to particle level, after correcting for experimental effects introduced by the detector. While good agreement can be found for some combinations of predictions and observables, none of the predictions describes the data well across all observables.

ATLAS measurements of the production of muons from heavy-flavor decays in sNN=2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collisions and s=2.76 TeV pp collisions at the LHC are presented. Integrated luminosities of 0.14 nb−1 and 570 nb−1 are used for the Pb+Pb and pp measurements, respectively, which are performed over the muon transverse momentum range 4

This Letter presents the observation of the rare Z boson decay Z $\to\psi\ell^+\ell^-$. Here, $\psi$ represents contributions from direct J/$\psi$ and $\psi$(2S) $\to$ J/$\psi X$, $\ell^+\ell^-$ is a pair of electrons or muons, and the J/$\psi$ meson is detected via its decay to $\mu^+\mu^-$. The sample of proton-proton collision data, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The signal is observed with a significance in excess of 5 standard deviations. After subtraction of the $\psi$(2S) $\to$ J/$\psi X$ contribution, the ratio of the branching fraction of the exclusive decay Z $\to\psi\ell^+\ell^-$ to the decay Z $\to\mu^+\mu^-\mu^+\mu^-$ within a fiducial phase space is measured to be $\mathcal{B}($Z $\to\psi\ell^+\ell^-) / \mathcal{B}($Z $\to\mu^+\mu^-\mu^+\mu^-) =$ 0.67 $\pm$ 0.18 (stat) $\pm$ 0.05 (syst).

Measurements of azimuthal angle and transverse momentum ($p_\mathrm{T}$) correlations of isolated photons and associated jets are reported for pp and PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\mathrm{NN}}}} =$ 5.02 TeV. The data were recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. For events containing a leading isolated photon with $p_\mathrm{T}^\gamma >$ 40 GeV$/c$ and an associated jet with $p_\mathrm{T}^\text{jet} >$ 30 GeV$/c$, the photon+jet azimuthal correlation and $p_\mathrm{T}$ imbalance in PbPb collisions are studied as functions of collision centrality and $p_\mathrm{T}^\gamma$. The results are compared to pp reference data collected at the same collision energy and to predictions from several theoretical models for parton energy loss. No evidence of broadening of the photon+jet azimuthal correlations is observed, while the ratio $p_\mathrm{T}^\text{jet}/p_\mathrm{T}^\gamma$ decreases significantly for PbPb data relative to the pp reference. All models considered agree within uncertainties with the data. The number of associated jets per photon with $p_\mathrm{T}^\gamma >$ 80 GeV$/c$ is observed to be shifted towards lower $p_\mathrm{T}^\text{jet}$ values in central PbPb collisions compared to pp collisions.

This letter presents the results of a search for pair-produced particles of masses above 100 GeV that each decay into at least four quarks. Using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2015-2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38.2 fb$^{-1}$, reconstructed particles are clustered into two large jets of similar mass, each consistent with four-parton substructure. No statistically significant excess of data over the background prediction is observed in the distribution of average jet mass. Pair-produced squarks with dominant hadronic $R$-parity-violating decays into four quarks and with masses between 0.10 and 0.72 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. Similarly, pair-produced gluinos that decay into five quarks are also excluded with masses between 0.10 and 1.41 TeV at 95% confidence level. These are the first constraints that have been placed on pair-produced particles with masses below 400 GeV that decay into four or five quarks, bridging a significant gap in the coverage of $R$-parity-violating supersymmetry parameter space.

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A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into a pair of spin-zero particles, H → aa, where the a-boson decay sin to b-quarks promptly or with a mean proper lifetime cτ$_{a}$ up to 6 mm and has a mass in the range of 20–60 GeV, is presented. The search is performed in events where the Higgs boson is produced in association with a W or Z boson, giving rise to a signature of one or two charged leptons (electrons or muons) and multiple jets from b-quark decays. The analysis is based on the dataset of proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{−1}$. No significant excess of events above the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and 95% confidence-level upper limits are derived for the production cross-sections for pp → WH, ZH and their combination, times the branching ratio of the decay chain H → aa → 4b. For a-bosons which decay promptly, the upper limit on the combination of cross-sections for WH and ZH times the branching ratio of H → aa → 4b ranges from 3.0 pb for m$_{a}$ = 20 GeV to 1.3 pb for m$_{a}$ = 60 GeV, assuming that the ratio of WH to ZH cross-sections follows the Standard Model prediction. For a-bosons with longer proper lifetimes, the most stringent limits are 1.8 pb and 0.68 pb, respectively, at cτ$_{a}$ ∼ 0.4 mm.

The elliptic flow of prompt and non-prompt $J/\psi $ was measured in the dimuon decay channel in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_\text {NN}}}=5.02$ $\text {TeV}$ with an integrated luminosity of $0.42~\mathrm {nb}^{-1}$ with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The prompt and non-prompt signals are separated using a two-dimensional simultaneous fit of the invariant mass and pseudo-proper decay time of the dimuon system from the $J/\psi $ decay. The measurement is performed in the kinematic range of dimuon transverse momentum and rapidity $9

Searches for new heavy resonances decaying into different pairings of $W$, $Z$, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons, are presented using a data sample corresponding to 36.1fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting bosonic decay modes in the $qqqq$, $\nu\nu qq$, $\ell\nu qq$, $\ell\ell qq$, $\ell\nu\ell\nu$, $\ell\ell\nu\nu$, $\ell\nu\ell\ell$, $\ell\ell\ell\ell$, $qqbb$, $\nu\nu bb$, $\ell\nu bb$, and $\ell\ell bb$ final states are combined, searching for a narrow-width resonance. Likewise, analyses selecting the leptonic $\ell\nu$ and $\ell\ell$ final states are also combined. These two sets of analyses are then further combined. No significant deviation from the Standard Model predictions is observed. Three benchmark models are tested: a model predicting the existence of a new heavy scalar singlet, a simplified model predicting a heavy vector-boson triplet, and a bulk Randall-Sundrum model with a heavy spin-2 Kaluza-Klein excitation of the graviton. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confidence level using an asymptotic approximation and are compared with predictions for the benchmark models. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.5 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario and 4.5 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, as well as a Kaluza-Klein graviton with mass below 2.3 TeV.

Charged Higgs bosons produced either in top-quark decays or in association with a top-quark, subsequently decaying via H$^{±}$ → τ$^{±}$ν$_{τ}$, are searched for in 36.1 fb$^{−1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. Depending on whether the top-quark produced together with H$^{±}$ decays hadronically or leptonically, the search targets τ+jets and τ+lepton final states, in both cases with a hadronically decaying τ-lepton. No evidence of a charged Higgs boson is found. For the mass range of $ {m}_{H^{\pm }} $ = 90–2000 GeV, upper limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the production cross-section of the charged Higgs boson times the branching fraction $ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({H}^{\pm}\to {\tau}^{\pm }{\nu}_{\tau}\right) $ in the range 4.2–0.0025 pb. In the mass range 90–160 GeV, assuming the Standard Model cross-section for $ t\overline{t} $ production, this corresponds to upper limits between 0.25% and 0.031% for the branching fraction $ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left(t\to b{H}^{\pm}\right)\times \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({H}^{\pm}\to {\tau}^{\pm }{\nu}_{\tau}\right) $ .

A measurement of $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2\mathrm{S})$ production is presented. It is based on a data sample from Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV and $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 5.02 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $0.42\mathrm{nb}^{-1}$ and $25\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$ in Pb+Pb and $pp$, respectively. The measurements of per-event yields, nuclear modification factors, and non-prompt fractions are performed in the dimuon decay channel for $9 < p_{T}^{\mu\mu} < 40$ GeV in dimuon transverse momentum, and $-2.0 < y_{\mu\mu} < 2.0$ in rapidity. Strong suppression is found in Pb+Pb collisions for both prompt and non-prompt $J/\psi$, as well as for prompt and non-prompt $\psi(2\mathrm{S})$, increasing with event centrality. The suppression of prompt $\psi(2\mathrm{S})$ is observed to be stronger than that of $J/\psi$, while the suppression of non-prompt $\psi(2\mathrm{S})$ is equal to that of the non-prompt $J/\psi$ within uncertainties, consistent with the expectation that both arise from \textit{b}-quarks propagating through the medium. Despite prompt and non-prompt $J/\psi$ arising from different mechanisms, the dependence of their nuclear modification factors on centrality is found to be quite similar.

Properties of the Higgs boson are measured in the two-photon final state using 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data recorded at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Cross-section measurements for the production of a Higgs boson through gluon-gluon fusion, vector-boson fusion, and in association with a vector bosonor a top-quark pair are reported. The signal strength, defined as the ratio of the observed to the expected signal yield, is measured for each of these production processes as well as inclusively. The global signal strength measurement of $0.99 \pm 0.14$ improves on the precision of the ATLAS measurement at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ and 8 TeV by a factor of two. Measurements of gluon-gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion productions yield signal strengths compatible with the Standard Model prediction. Measurements of simplified template cross sections, designed to quantify the different Higgs boson production processes in specific regions of phase space, are reported. The cross section for the production of the Higgs boson decaying to two isolated photons in a fiducial region closely matching the experimental selection of the photons is measured to be $55 \pm 10$ fb, which is in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction of $64 \pm 2$ fb. Furthermore, cross sections in fiducial regions enriched in Higgs boson production in vector-boson fusion or in association with large missing transverse momentum, leptons or top-quark pairs are reported. Differential and double-differential measurements are performed for several variables related to the diphoton kinematics as well as the kinematics and multiplicity of the jets produced in association with a Higgs boson. No significant deviations from a wide array of Standard Model predictions are observed.

A search for the bb¯ decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson produced through vector-boson fusion is presented. Three mutually exclusive channels are considered: two all-hadronic channels and a photon-associated channel. Results are reported from the analysis of up to 30.6 fb-1 of pp data at s=13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measured signal strength relative to the Standard Model prediction from the combined analysis is 2.5-1.3+1.4 for inclusive Higgs boson production and 3.0-1.6+1.7 for vector-boson fusion production only.

The mass of the Higgs boson is measured in the H→ZZ⁎→4ℓ and in the H→γγ decay channels with 36.1 fb −1 of proton–proton collision data from the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The measured value in the H→ZZ⁎→4ℓ channel is mHZZ⁎=124.79±0.37GeV , while the measured value in the H→γγ channel is mHγγ=124.93±0.40GeV . Combining these results with the ATLAS measurement based on 7 and 8 TeV proton–proton collision data yields a Higgs boson mass of mH=124.97±0.24GeV .

A search for dark matter particles is performed by looking for events with large transverse momentum imbalance and a recoiling Higgs boson decaying to either a pair of photons or a pair of τ leptons. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected at the CERN LHC in 2016 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{−1}$. No significant excess over the expected standard model background is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are presented for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction in the context of two benchmark simplified models. For the Z$^{′}$-two-Higgs-doublet model (where Z$^{′}$ is a new massive boson mediator) with an intermediate heavy pseudoscalar particle of mass m$_{A}$ = 300 GeV and m$_{DM}$ = 100 GeV, the Z$^{′}$ masses from 550 GeV to 1265 GeV are excluded. For a baryonic Z$^{′}$ model, with m$_{DM}$ = 1 GeV, Z$^{′}$ masses up to 615 GeV are excluded. Results are also presented for the spin-independent cross section for the dark matter-nucleon interaction as a function of the mass of the dark matter particle. This is the first search for dark matter particles produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to two τ leptons.

A measurement is presented of the $\mathrm {Z}/\gamma ^{*} \rightarrow \tau \tau $ cross section in $\text {pp}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13\hbox { TeV}$ , using data recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $2.3\hbox { fb}^{-1}$ . The product of the inclusive cross section and branching fraction is measured to be $\sigma (\text {pp} \rightarrow \mathrm {Z}/\gamma ^{*}\text {+X}) \, \mathcal {B}(\mathrm {Z}/\gamma ^{*} \rightarrow \tau \tau ) = 1848 \pm 12\,(\text {stat}) \pm 67\text { (syst \,+\,lumi)}\text { pb} $ , in agreement with the standard model expectation, computed at next-to-next-to-leading order accuracy in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. The measurement is used to validate new analysis techniques relevant for future measurements of $\tau $ lepton production. The measurement also provides the reconstruction efficiency and energy scale for $\tau $ decays to hadrons $\,+\,\nu _{\tau }$ final states, determined with respective relative uncertainties of 2.2 and 0.9%.

A measurement is presented of the effective leptonic weak mixing angle ($\sin^2\theta^{\ell}_{\text{eff}}$) using the forward-backward asymmetry of Drell-Yan lepton pairs ($\mu\mu$ and ee) produced in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 8 TeV at the CMS experiment of the LHC. The data correspond to integrated luminosities of 18.8 and 19.6 fb$^{-1}$ in the dimuon and dielectron channels, respectively, containing 8.2 million dimuon and 4.9 million dielectron events. With more events and new analysis techniques, including constraints obtained on the parton distribution functions from the measured forward-backward asymmetry, the statistical and systematic uncertainties are significantly reduced relative to previous CMS measurements. The extracted value of $\sin^2\theta^{\ell}_{\text{eff}}$ from the combined dilepton data is $\sin^2\theta^{\ell}_{\text{eff}} =$ 0.23101 $\pm$ 0.00036 (stat) $\pm$ 0.00018 (syst) $\pm$ 0.00016 (theo) $\pm$ 0.00031 (parton distributions in proton) = 0.23101 $\pm$ 0.00053. AMVA4NewPhysics

Pseudorapidity, transverse momentum, and multiplicity distributions are measured in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta | < 2.4$ for charged particles with transverse momenta satisfying $p_{\mathrm {T}} > 0.5\,\text {GeV} $ in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13\,\text {TeV} $ . Measurements are presented in three different event categories. The most inclusive of the categories corresponds to an inelastic $\mathrm {p}$ $\mathrm {p}$ data set, while the other two categories are exclusive subsets of the inelastic sample that are either enhanced or depleted in single diffractive dissociation events. The measurements are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo event generators used to describe high-energy hadronic interactions in collider and cosmic-ray physics.

A search for new resonances decaying into jets containing b-hadrons in $pp$ collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented in the dijet mass range from 0.57 TeV to 7 TeV. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of up to 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ collected in 2015 and 2016 at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. No evidence of a significant excess of events above the smooth background shape is found. Upper cross-section limits and lower limits on the corresponding signal mass parameters for several types of signal hypotheses are provided at 95% CL. In addition, 95% CL upper limits are set on the cross-sections for new processes that would produce Gaussian-shaped signals in the di-b-jet mass distributions.

The $\chi_\mathrm{b1}$(3P) and $\chi_\mathrm{b2}$(3P) states are observed through their $\Upsilon$(3S) $\gamma$ decays, using an event sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The data were collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 80.0 fb$^{-1}$. The $\Upsilon$(3S) mesons are identified through their dimuon decay channel, while the low-energy photons are detected after converting to e$^+$e$^-$ pairs in the silicon tracker, leading to a $\chi_\mathrm{b}$(3P) mass resolution of 2.2 MeV. This is the first time that the $J =$ 1 and 2 states are well resolved and their masses individually measured: 10$\,$513.42 $\pm$ 0.41 (stat) $\pm$ 0.18 (syst) MeV and 10$\,$524.02 $\pm$ 0.57 (stat) $\pm$ 0.18 (syst) MeV; they are determined with respect to the world-average value of the $\Upsilon$(3S) mass, which has an uncertainty of 0.5 MeV. The mass splitting is measured to be 10.60 $\pm$ 0.64 (stat) $\pm$ 0.17 (syst) MeV.