0000000001022404
AUTHOR
Gavin Pownall
Observation of light-by-light scattering in ultraperipheral Pb+Pb collisions with the ATLAS detector
This Letter describes the observation of the light-by-light scattering process, γγ→γγ, in Pb+Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV. The analysis is conducted using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.73 nb−1, collected in November 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy EγT>3 GeV and pseudorapidity |ηγ|<2.4, diphoton invariant mass above 6 GeV, and small diphoton transverse momentum and acoplanarity. After applying all selection criteria, 59 candidate events are observed for a background expectation of 12±3 events. The observed excess of events…
Search for New Phenomena in Final States with Two Leptons and One or No b -Tagged Jets at s=13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector
A search for new phenomena is presented in final states with two leptons and one or no $b$-tagged jets. The event selection requires the two leptons to have opposite charge, the same flavor (electrons or muons), and a large invariant mass. The analysis is based on the full Run-2 proton-proton collision dataset recorded at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$. No significant deviation from the expected background is observed in the data. A four-fermion contact interaction between two quarks ($b,s$) and two leptons ($ee$ or $\mu\mu$), inspired by the $B$-meson decay anomalies, is used as a…
Search for high-mass dilepton resonances using 139 fb−1 of pp collision data collected at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
A search for high-mass dielectron and dimuon resonances in the mass range of 250 GeV to 6 TeV is presented. The data were recorded by the ATLAS experiment in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1 . A functional form is fitted to the dilepton invariant-mass distribution to model the contribution from background processes, and a generic signal shape is used to determine the significance of observed deviations from this background estimate. No significant deviation is observed and upper limits are placed at the 95% confidence level on the fiducial cross-section times bran…
Properties of jet fragmentation using charged particles measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at s=13 TeV
This paper presents a measurement of quantities related to the formation of jets from high-energy quarks and gluons (fragmentation). Jets with transverse momentum 100 GeV 500 MeV and vertical bar ...
Search for Higgs Boson Decays into a Z Boson and a Light Hadronically Decaying Resonance Using 13 TeV pp Collision Data from the ATLAS Detector
A search for Higgs boson decays into a Z boson and a light resonance in two-lepton plus jet events is performed, using a pp collision dataset with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb^{-1} collected at sqrt[s]=13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC. The resonance considered is a light boson with a mass below 4 GeV from a possible extended scalar sector or a charmonium state. Multivariate discriminants are used for the event selection and for evaluating the mass of the light resonance. No excess of events above the expected background is found. Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section times branching fraction to a Z bos…
Dijet Resonance Search with Weak Supervision Using s=13 TeV pp Collisions in the ATLAS Detector
This Letter describes a search for narrowly resonant new physics using a machine-learning anomaly detection procedure that does not rely on signal simulations for developing the analysis selection. Weakly supervised learning is used to train classifiers directly on data to enhance potential signals. The targeted topology is dijet events and the features used for machine learning are the masses of the two jets. The resulting analysis is essentially a three-dimensional search A→BC, for m_{A}∼O(TeV), m_{B},m_{C}∼O(100 GeV) and B, C are reconstructed as large-radius jets, without paying a penalty associated with a large trials factor in the scan of the masses of the two jets. The full run 2 sq…
Resolution of the ATLAS muon spectrometer monitored drift tubes in LHC Run 2
The momentum measurement capability of the ATLAS muon spectrometer relies fundamentally on the intrinsic single-hit spatial resolution of the monitored drift tube precision tracking chambers. Optimal resolution is achieved with a dedicated calibration program that addresses the specific operating conditions of the 354 000 high-pressure drift tubes in the spectrometer. The calibrations consist of a set of timing offsets and drift time to drift distance transfer relations, and result in chamber resolution functions. This paper describes novel algorithms to obtain precision calibrations from data collected by ATLAS in LHC Run 2 and from a gas monitoring chamber, deployed in a dedicated gas fac…
Search for trilepton resonances from chargino and neutralino pair production in s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search is performed for the electroweak pair production of charginos and associated production of a chargino and neutralino, each of which decays through an $R$-parity-violating coupling into a lepton and a $W$, $Z$, or Higgs boson. The trilepton invariant-mass spectrum is constructed from events with three or more leptons, targeting chargino decays that include an electron or muon and a leptonically decaying $Z$ boson. The analyzed dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV and collected by the ATLAS experiment between 2015 and 2018. The data are f…
Electron and photon performance measurements with the ATLAS detector using the 2015-2017 LHC proton-proton collision data
This paper describes the reconstruction of electrons and photons with the ATLAS detector, employed for measurements and searches exploiting the complete LHC Run 2 dataset. An improved energy clustering algorithm is introduced, and its implications for the measurement and identification of prompt electrons and photons are discussed in detail. Corrections and calibrations that affect performance, including energy calibration, identification and isolation efficiencies, and the measurement of the charge of reconstructed electron candidates are determined using up to 81 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data collected at √s=13 TeV between 2015 and 2017.
Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic τ -leptons in s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners of τ -leptons (staus) in final states with two hadronically decaying τ -leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of p p collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb − 1 , recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected Standard Model background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with each stau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and one τ -lepton in simplified models where the two stau mass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390…
Search for a right-handed gauge boson decaying into a high-momentum heavy neutrino and a charged lepton in pp collisions with the ATLAS detector at s=13 TeV
A search for a right-handed gauge boson WR, decaying into a boosted right-handed heavy neutrino NR, in the framework of Left-Right Symmetric Models is presented. It is based on data from proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 80 fb$^{−1}$. The search is performed separately for electrons and muons in the final state. A distinguishing feature of the search is the use of large-radius jets containing electrons. Selections based on the signal topology result in smaller background compared to the expected signal. No significant d…
Longitudinal Flow Decorrelations in Xe+Xe Collisions at sNN=5.44 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
The first measurement of longitudinal decorrelations of harmonic flow amplitudes v_{n} for n=2-4 in Xe+Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.44 TeV is obtained using 3 μb^{-1} of data with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The decorrelation signal for v_{3} and v_{4} is found to be nearly independent of collision centrality and transverse momentum (p_{T}) requirements on final-state particles, but for v_{2} a strong centrality and p_{T} dependence is seen. When compared with the results from Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV, the longitudinal decorrelation signal in midcentral Xe+Xe collisions is found to be larger for v_{2}, but smaller for v_{3}. Current hydrodynamic models reproduce th…
CP Properties of Higgs Boson Interactions with Top Quarks in the tt¯H and tH Processes Using H→γγ with the ATLAS Detector
A study of the charge conjugation and parity (CP) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and top quarks is presented. Higgs bosons are identified via the diphoton decay channel (H→γγ), and their production in association with a top quark pair (tt[over ¯]H) or single top quark (tH) is studied. The analysis uses 139 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Assuming a CP-even coupling, the tt[over ¯]H process is observed with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The measured cross section times H→γγ branching ratio is 1.64_{-0.36}^{+0.38}(stat)_{-0.14}^{+0.17}(sys) …
Measurement of Azimuthal Anisotropy of Muons from Charm and Bottom Hadrons in pp Collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
The elliptic flow of muons from the decay of charm and bottom hadrons is measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 150 pb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The muons from heavy-flavor decay are separated from light-hadron decay muons using momentum imbalance between the tracking and muon spectrometers. The heavy-flavor decay muons are further separated into those from charm decay and those from bottom decay using the distance-of-closest-approach to the collision vertex. The measurement is performed for muons in the transverse momentum range 4-7 GeV and pseudorapidity range |η|<2.4. A significant nonzero elliptic anisotro…
Medium-Induced Modification of Z -Tagged Charged Particle Yields in Pb+Pb Collisions at 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS Detector
The yield of charged particles opposite to a Z boson with large transverse momentum (p_{T}) is measured in 260 pb^{-1} of pp and 1.7 nb^{-1} of Pb+Pb collision data at 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The Z boson tag is used to select hard-scattered partons with specific kinematics, and to observe how their showers are modified as they propagate through the quark-gluon plasma created in Pb+Pb collisions. Compared with pp collisions, charged-particle yields in Pb+Pb collisions show significant modifications as a function of charged-particle p_{T} in a way that depends on event centrality and Z boson p_{T}. The data are compared with a…
Search for bottom-squark pair production in pp collision events at s=13 TeV with hadronically decaying τ -leptons, b -jets, and missing transverse momentum using the ATLAS detector
A search for pair production of bottom squarks in events with hadronically decaying τ-leptons, b-tagged jets, and large missing transverse momentum is presented. The analyzed dataset is based on proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb-1. The observed data are compatible with the expected Standard Model background. Results are interpreted in a simplified model where each bottom squark is assumed to decay into the second-lightest neutralino χ 20 and a bottom quark, with χ 20 decaying into a Higgs boson and the lightest neutralino χ 10. The search focu…
Search for the Higgs boson decays H → ee and H → eμ in pp collisions at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector
Searches for the Higgs boson decays H -> ee and H -> e mu are performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions a ...
Combination of Searches for Invisible Higgs Boson Decays with the ATLAS Experiment
Dark matter particles, if sufficiently light, may be produced in decays of the Higgs boson. This Letter presents a statistical combination of searches for H → invisible decays where H is produced according to the standard model via vector boson fusion, Z(ℓℓ)H, and W/Z(had)H, all performed with the ATLAS detector using 36.1 fb⁻¹ of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV at the LHC. In combination with the results at √s = 7 and 8 TeV, an exclusion limit on the H → invisible branching ratio of 0.26(0.17-0.05+0.07) at 95% confidence level is observed (expected).
Evidence for the production of three massive vector bosons with the ATLAS detector
A search for the production of three massive vector bosons in proton–proton collisions is performed using data at TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in the years 2015–2017, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 79.8 fb−1. Events with two same-sign leptons ℓ (electrons or muons) and at least two reconstructed jets are selected to search for . Events with three leptons without any same-flavour opposite-sign lepton pairs are used to search for , while events with three leptons and at least one same-flavour opposite-sign lepton pair and one or more reconstructed jets are used to search for . Finally, events with four leptons are analysed to search for and .…
Search for a heavy charged boson in events with a charged lepton and missing transverse momentum from pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
A search for a heavy charged-boson resonance decaying into a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino is reported. A data sample of 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015–2018 is used in the search. The observed transverse mass distribution computed from the lepton and missing transverse momenta is consistent with the distribution expected from the Standard Model, and upper limits on the cross section for pp→W′→lν are extracted (l=e or μ). These vary between 1.3 pb and 0.05 fb depending on the resonance mass in the range between 0.15 and 7.0 TeV at 95% confidence level for the electron and muon channels combined. …
Test of CP invariance in vector-boson fusion production of the Higgs boson in the H → ττ channel in proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector
A test of CP invariance in Higgs boson production via vector-boson fusion is performed in the H → ττ decay channel. This test uses the Optimal Observable method and is carried out using 36.1 fb−1 of √s = 13 TeV proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Contributions from CP-violating interactions between the Higgs boson and electroweak gauge bosons are described by an effective field theory, in which the parameter ˜ d governs the strength of CP violation. No sign of CP violation is observed in the distributions of the Optimal Observable, and ˜ d is constrained to the interval [−0.090, 0.035] at the 68% confidence level (CL), compared to an expected interval …
Search for Heavy Higgs Bosons Decaying into Two Tau Leptons with the ATLAS Detector Using pp Collisions at s=13 TeV
A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the τ^{+}τ^{-} decay with at least one τ-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the standard model. In the M_{h}^{125} scenario of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, values of tanβ>8 and tanβ>21 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where tanβ is the…
ATLAS data quality operations and performance for 2015-2018 data-taking
The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider reads out particle collision data from over 100 million electronic channels at a rate of approximately 100 kHz, with a recording rate for physics events of approximately 1 kHz. Before being certified for physics analysis at computer centres worldwide, the data must be scrutinised to ensure they are clean from any hardware or software related issues that may compromise their integrity. Prompt identification of these issues permits fast action to investigate, correct and potentially prevent future such problems that could render the data unusable. This is achieved through the monitoring of detector-level quantities and reconstructed collision ev…
Search for Dark Matter Produced in Association with a Dark Higgs Boson Decaying into W±W∓ or ZZ in Fully Hadronic Final States from s=13 TeV pp Collisions Recorded with the ATLAS Detector
Several extensions of the Standard Model predict the production of dark matter particles at the LHC. An uncharted signature of dark matter particles produced in association with VV=W^{±}W^{∓} or ZZ pairs from a decay of a dark Higgs boson s is searched for using 139 fb^{-1} of pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The s→V(qq[over ¯])V(qq[over ¯]) decays are reconstructed with a novel technique aimed at resolving the dense topology from boosted VV pairs using jets in the calorimeter and tracking information. Dark Higgs scenarios with m_{s}>160 GeV are excluded.
Measurement of light-by-light scattering and search for axion-like particles with 2.2 nb−1 of Pb+Pb data with the ATLAS detector
We thank CERN for the very successful operation of the LHC, as well as the support staff from our institutions without whom ATLAS could not be operated efficiently. We acknowledge the support of ANPCyT, Argentina; YerPhI, Armenia; ARC, Australia; BMWFW and FWF, Austria; ANAS, Azerbaijan; SSTC, Belarus; CNPq and FAPESP, Brazil; NSERC, NRC and CFI, Canada; CERN; ANID, Chile; CAS, MOST and NSFC, China; COLCIENCIAS, Colombia; MSMT CR, MPO CR and VSC CR, Czech Republic; DNRF and DNSRC, Denmark; IN2P3-CNRS and CEA-DRF/IRFU, France; SRNSFG, Georgia; BMBF, HGF and MPG, Germany; GSRT, Greece; RGC and Hong Kong SAR, China; ISF and Benoziyo Center, Israel; INFN, Italy; MEXT and JSPS, Japan; CNRST, Mor…
Two-particle azimuthal correlations in photonuclear ultraperipheral Pb+Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV with ATLAS
We thank CERN for the very successful operation of the LHC, as well as the support staff from our institutions without whom ATLAS could not be operated efficiently. We acknowledge the support of ANPCyT, Argentina, YerPhI, Armenia, ARC, Australia, BMWFW and FWF, Austria, ANAS, Azerbaijan, SSTC, Belarus, CNPq and FAPESP, Brazil, NSERC, NRC, and CFI, Canada, CERN and ANID, Chile, CAS, MOST, and NSFC, China, COLCIENCIAS, Colombia, MSMT CR, MPO CR, and VSC CR, Czech Republic, DNRF and DNSRC, Denmark, IN2P3-CNRS and CEA-DRF/IRFU, France, SRNSFG, Georgia, BMBF, HGF, and MPG, Germany, GSRT, Greece, RGC and Hong Kong SAR, China, ISF and Benoziyo Center, Israel, INFN, Italy, MEXT and JSPS, Japan, CNR…
Search for Displaced Leptons in s=13 TeV pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector
A search for charged leptons with large impact parameters using 139 fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp collision data from the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented, addressing a long-standing gap in coverage of possible new physics signatures. Results are consistent with the background prediction. This search provides unique sensitivity to long-lived scalar supersymmetric lepton partners (sleptons). For lifetimes of 0.1 ns, selectron, smuon, and stau masses up to 720, 680, and 340 GeV, respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level, drastically improving on the previous best limits from LEP.
Measurement of the production cross section for a Higgs boson in association with a vector boson in the H → WW⁎ → ℓνℓν channel in pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
A measurement of the Higgs boson production cross sections via associated WH and ZH production using H -> WW* -> l nu l nu decays, where l stands for either an electron or a muon, is presente ...
Search for low-mass resonances decaying into two jets and produced in association with a photon using pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
A search is performed for localised excesses in dijet mass distributions of low-dijet-mass events produced in association with a high transverse energy photon. The search uses up to 79.8 fb−1 of LHC proton–proton collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV during 2015–2017. Two variants are presented: one which makes no jet flavour requirements and one which requires both jets to be tagged as b-jets. The observed mass distributions are consistent with multi-jet processes in the Standard Model. The data are used to set upper limits on the production cross-section for a benchmark Z′ model and, separately, on generic Gaussian-shape contributions to the mas…