Search

This paper presents a study of Z → l l γ decays with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis uses a proton–proton data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb - 1 collected at a centre-of-mass energy s = 8 TeV. Integrated fiducial cross-sections together with normalised differential fiducial cross-sections, sensitive to the kinematics of final-state QED radiation, are obtained. The results are found to be in agreement with state-of-the-art predictions for final-state QED radiation. First measurements of Z → l l γ γ decays are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for supersymmetry targeting the direct production of winos and higgsinos is conducted in final states with either two leptons (e or μ) with the same electric charge, or three leptons. The analysis uses 139 fb−1 of pp collision data at s = 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed. Simplified and complete models with and without R-parity conservation are considered. In topologies with intermediate states including either Wh or WZ pairs, wino masses up to 525 GeV and 250 GeV are excluded, respectively, for a bino of vanishing mass. Higgsino masses smaller than 440 GeV are excluded in a natural R-parity-violating model with bilinear terms. Upper limits on the production cross section of generic events beyond the Standard Model as low as 40 ab are obtained in signal regions optimised for these models and also for an R-parity-violating scenario with baryon-number-violating higgsino decays into top quarks and jets. The analysis significantly improves sensitivity to supersymmetric models and other processes beyond the Standard Model that may contribute to the considered final states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A measurement of novel event shapes quantifying the isotropy of collider events is performed in 140 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions with s = 13 TeV centre-of-mass energy recorded with the ATLAS detector at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. These event shapes are defined as the Wasserstein distance between collider events and isotropic reference geometries. This distance is evaluated by solving optimal transport problems, using the 'Energy-Mover's Distance'. Isotropic references with cylindrical and circular symmetries are studied, to probe the symmetries of interest at hadron colliders. The novel event-shape observables defined in this way are infrared- and collinear-safe, have improved dynamic range and have greater sensitivity to isotropic radiation patterns than other event shapes. The measured event-shape variables are corrected for detector effects, and presented in inclusive bins of jet multiplicity and the scalar sum of the two leading jets' transverse momenta. The measured distributions are provided as inputs to future Monte Carlo tuning campaigns and other studies probing fundamental properties of QCD and the production of hadronic final states up to the TeV-scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive and differential measurements of the top–antitop (t t ¯ ) charge asymmetry A C t t ¯ and the leptonic asymmetry A C ℓ ℓ ¯ are presented in proton–proton collisions at s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement uses the complete Run 2 dataset, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1, combines data in the single-lepton and dilepton channels, and employs reconstruction techniques adapted to both the resolved and boosted topologies. A Bayesian unfolding procedure is performed to correct for detector resolution and acceptance effects. The combined inclusive t t ¯ charge asymmetry is measured to be A C t t ¯ = 0.0068 ± 0.0015, which differs from zero by 4.7 standard deviations. Differential measurements are performed as a function of the invariant mass, transverse momentum and longitudinal boost of the t t ¯ system. Both the inclusive and differential measurements are found to be compatible with the Standard Model predictions, at next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics perturbation theory with next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections. The measurements are interpreted in the framework of the Standard Model effective field theory, placing competitive bounds on several Wilson coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for resonances in events with at least one isolated lepton (e or μ) and two jets is performed using 139 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Deviations from a smoothly falling background hypothesis are tested in three- and four-body invariant mass distributions constructed from leptons and jets, including jets identified as originating from bottom quarks. Model-independent limits on generic resonances characterised by cascade decays of particles leading to multiple jets and leptons in the final state are presented. The limits are calculated using Gaussian shapes with different widths for the invariant masses. The multi-body invariant masses are also used to set 95% confidence level upper limits on the cross-section times branching ratios for the production and subsequent decay of resonances predicted by several new physics scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for heavy Higgs bosons produced in association with a vector boson and decaying into a pair of vector bosons is performed in final states with two leptons (electrons or muons) of the same electric charge, missing transverse momentum and jets. A data sample of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018 is used. The data correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. The observed data are in agreement with Standard Model background expectations. The results are interpreted using higher-dimensional operators in an effective field theory. Upper limits on the production cross-section are calculated at 95% confidence level as a function of the heavy Higgs boson's mass and coupling strengths to vector bosons. Limits are set in the Higgs boson mass range from 300 to 1500 GeV, and depend on the assumed couplings. The highest excluded mass for a heavy Higgs boson with the coupling combinations explored is 900 GeV. Limits on coupling strengths are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents direct searches for lepton flavour violation in Higgs boson decays, H → eτ and H → μτ, performed using data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The searches are based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. Leptonic (τ → ℓνℓντ) and hadronic (τ → hadrons ντ) decays of the τ-lepton are considered. Two background estimation techniques are employed: the MC-template method, based on data-corrected simulation samples, and the Symmetry method, based on exploiting the symmetry between electrons and muons in the Standard Model backgrounds. No significant excess of events is observed and the results are interpreted as upper limits on lepton-flavour-violating branching ratios of the Higgs boson. The observed (expected) upper limits set on the branching ratios at 95% confidence level, B (H → eτ) < 0.20% (0.12%) and B (H → μτ) < 0.18% (0.09%), are obtained with the MC-template method from a simultaneous measurement of potential H → eτ and H → μτ signals. The best-fit branching ratio difference, B (H → μτ) → B (H → eτ), measured with the Symmetry method in the channel where the τ-lepton decays to leptons, is (0.25 ± 0.10)%, compatible with a value of zero within 2.5σ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential and double-differential distributions of kinematic variables of leptons from decays of top-quark pairs (t t ¯ ) are measured using the full LHC Run 2 data sample collected with the ATLAS detector. The data were collected at a pp collision energy of s = 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The measurements use events containing an oppositely charged eμ pair and b-tagged jets. The results are compared with predictions from several Monte Carlo generators. While no prediction is found to be consistent with all distributions, a better agreement with measurements of the lepton pT distributions is obtained by reweighting the t t ¯ sample so as to reproduce the top-quark pT distribution from an NNLO calculation. The inclusive top-quark pair production cross-section is measured as well, both in a fiducial region and in the full phase-space. The total inclusive cross-section is found to be σ t t ¯ = 829 ± 1 stat ± 13 syst ± 8 lumi ± 2 beam pb , where the uncertainties are due to statistics, systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the beam energy. This is in excellent agreement with the theoretical expectation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a search for dark photons (γd) in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The dark photons are searched for in the decay of Higgs bosons (H → γγd) produced through the ZH production mode. The transverse mass of the system, made of the photon and the missing transverse momentum from the non-interacting γd, presents a distinctive signature as it peaks near the Higgs boson mass. The results presented use the total Run-2 integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The dominant reducible background processes are estimated using data-driven techniques. A Boosted Decision Tree technique is adopted to enhance the sensitivity of the search. As no excess is observed with respect to the Standard Model prediction, an observed (expected) upper limit on the branching ratio BR(H → γγd) of 2.28% ( 2.82 − 0.84 + 1.33 % ) is set at 95% CL for massless γd. For massive dark photons up to 40 GeV, the observed (expected) upper limits on BR(H → γγd) at 95% confidence level is found within the [2.19,2.52]% ([2.71,3.11]%) range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for high-mass charged and neutral bosons decaying to Wγ and Zγ final states is presented in this paper. The analysis uses a data sample of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2 operation. The sensitivity of the search is determined using models of the production and decay of spin-1 charged bosons and spin-0/2 neutral bosons. The range of resonance masses explored extends from 1.0 TeV to 6.8 TeV. At these high resonance masses, it is beneficial to target the hadronic decays of the W and Z bosons because of their large branching fractions. The decay products of the high-momentum W/Z bosons are strongly collimated and boosted-boson tagging techniques are employed to improve the sensitivity. No evidence of a signal above the Standard Model backgrounds is observed, and upper limits on the production cross-sections of these bosons times their branching fractions to Wγ and Zγ are derived for various boson production models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for vector-like leptons in multilepton (two, three, or four-or-more electrons plus muons) final states with zero or more hadronic τ-lepton decays is presented. The search is performed using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. To maximize the separation of signal and background, a machine-learning classifier is used. No excess of events is observed beyond the Standard Model expectation. Using a doublet vector-like lepton model, vector-like leptons coupling to third-generation Standard Model leptons are excluded in the mass range from 130 GeV to 900 GeV at the 95% confidence level, while the highest excluded mass is expected to be 970 GeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several extensions of the Standard Model predict the production of dark matter particles at the LHC. A search for dark matter particles produced in association with a dark Higgs boson decaying into W+W− in the ℓ ± νq q ¯ ′ , final states with ℓ = e, μ is presented. This analysis uses 139 fb−1 of pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The W± → q q ′ ¯ decays are reconstructed from pairs of calorimeter-measured jets or from track-assisted reclustered jets, a technique aimed at resolving the dense topology from a pair of boosted quarks using jets in the calorimeter and tracking information. The observed data are found to agree with Standard Model predictions. Scenarios with dark Higgs boson masses ranging between 140 and 390 GeV are excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential cross-section measurements of Zγ production in association with hadronic jets are presented, using the full 139 fb−1 dataset of s = 13 TeV proton–proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the LHC. Distributions are measured using events in which the Z boson decays leptonically and the photon is usually radiated from an initial-state quark. Measurements are made in both one and two observables, including those sensitive to the hard scattering in the event and others which probe additional soft and collinear radiation. Different Standard Model predictions, from both parton-shower Monte Carlo simulation and fixed-order QCD calculations, are compared with the measurements. In general, good agreement is observed between data and predictions from MATRIX and MiNNLOPS, as well as next-to-leading-order predictions from MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and Sherpa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for Higgs boson pair production in events with two b-jets and two τ-leptons is presented, using a proton–proton collision dataset with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 collected at s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Higgs boson pairs produced non-resonantly or in the decay of a narrow scalar resonance in the mass range from 251 to 1600 GeV are targeted. Events in which at least one τ-lepton decays hadronically are considered, and multivariate discriminants are used to reject the backgrounds. No significant excess of events above the expected background is observed in the non-resonant search. The largest excess in the resonant search is observed at a resonance mass of 1 TeV, with a local (global) significance of 3.1σ (2.0σ). Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits are set on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair-production cross-section at 4.7 (3.9) times the Standard Model prediction, assuming Standard Model kinematics, and on the resonant Higgs boson pair-production cross-section at between 21 and 900 fb (12 and 840 fb), depending on the mass of the narrow scalar resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for new phenomena has been performed in final states with at least one isolated high-momentum photon, jets and missing transverse momentum in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV. The data, collected by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. The experimental results are interpreted in a supersymmetric model in which pair-produced gluinos decay into neutralinos, which in turn decay into a gravitino, at least one photon, and jets. No significant deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model are observed. Upper limits are set on the visible cross section due to physics beyond the Standard Model, and lower limits are set on the masses of the gluinos and neutralinos, all at 95% confidence level. Visible cross sections greater than 0.022 fb are excluded and pair-produced gluinos with masses up to 2200 GeV are excluded for most of the NLSP masses investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exclusive production of pion pairs in the process p p → p p π + π - has been measured at s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using 80 μ b - 1 of low-luminosity data. The pion pairs were detected in the ATLAS central detector while outgoing protons were measured in the forward ATLAS ALFA detector system. This represents the first use of proton tagging to measure an exclusive hadronic final state at the LHC. A cross-section measurement is performed in two kinematic regions defined by the proton momenta, the pion rapidities and transverse momenta, and the pion–pion invariant mass. Cross-section values of 4.8 ± 1.0 (stat) - 0.2 + 0.3 (syst) μ b and 9 ± 6 (stat) - 2 + 2 (syst) μ b are obtained in the two regions; they are compared with theoretical models and provide a demonstration of the feasibility of measurements of this type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a search for dark matter, χ , using events with a single top quark and an energetic W boson. The analysis is based on proton–proton collision data collected with the ATLAS experiment at s = 13 TeV during LHC Run 2 (2015–2018), corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 . The search considers final states with zero or one charged lepton (electron or muon), at least one b-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 ± , arising from the two-Higgs-doublet mixing, and its semi-invisible decays via the mediator particle, a: H ± → W ± a (→ χ χ) . Signal models with H ± masses up to 1.5 TeV and a masses up to 350 GeV are excluded assuming a tan β value of 1. For masses of a of 150 (250) GeV, tan β values up to 2 are excluded for H ± masses between 200 (400) GeV and 1.5 TeV. Signals with tan β values between 20 and 30 are excluded for H ± masses between 500 and 800 GeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

A search for supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via off-shell third-generation squarks into the lightest neutralino (χ ~ 1 0) is reported. It exploits LHC proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 collected with the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018. The search uses events containing large missing transverse momentum, up to one electron or muon, and several energetic jets, at least three of which must be identified as containing b-hadrons. Both a simple kinematic event selection and an event selection based upon a deep neural-network are used. No significant excess above the predicted background is found. In simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos that decay via off-shell top (bottom) squarks, gluino masses less than 2.44 TeV (2.35 TeV) are excluded at 95% CL for a massless χ ~ 1 0. Limits are also set on the gluino mass in models with variable branching ratios for gluino decays to b b ¯ χ ~ 1 0 , t t ¯ χ ~ 1 0 and t b ¯ χ ~ 1 - / t ¯ b χ ~ 1 +. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for a WZ resonance, in the fully leptonic final state (electrons or muons), is performed using 139 fb - 1 of data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The results are interpreted in terms of a singly charged Higgs boson of the Georgi–Machacek model, produced by WZ fusion, and of a Heavy Vector Triplet, with the resonance produced by WZ fusion or the Drell–Yan process. No significant excess over the Standard Model prediction is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio as a function of the resonance mass for these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for light long-lived neutral particles with masses in the O(MeV–GeV) range is presented. The analysis targets the production of long-lived dark photons in the decay of a Higgs boson produced via gluon–gluon fusion or in association with a W boson. Events that contain displaced collimated Standard Model fermions reconstructed in the calorimeter or muon spectrometer are selected in 139 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Background estimates for contributions from Standard Model processes and instrumental effects are extracted from data. The observed event yields are consistent with the expected background. Exclusion limits are reported on the production cross-section times branching fraction as a function of the mean proper decay length cτ of the dark photon, or as a function of the dark-photon mass and kinetic mixing parameter that quantifies the coupling between the Standard Model and potential hidden (dark) sectors. A Higgs boson branching fraction above 1% is excluded at 95% CL for a Higgs boson decaying into two dark photons for dark-photon mean proper decay lengths between 10 mm and 250 mm and dark photons with masses between 0.4 GeV and 2 GeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusive top-quark pair (t t ¯ ) production cross-section σ t t ¯ is measured in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s = 5.02 TeV, using 257 pb−1 of data collected in 2017 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The t t ¯ cross-section is measured in both the dilepton and single-lepton final states of the t t ¯ system and then combined. The combination of the two measurements yields σ t t ¯ = 67.5 ± 0.9 stat. ± 2.3 syst. ± 1.1 lumi. ± 0.2 beam pb , where the four uncertainties reflect the limited size of the data sample, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, and imperfect knowledge of both the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total uncertainty of 3.9%. The result is in agreement with theoretical quantum chromodynamic calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant, including the resummation of next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic soft-gluon terms, and constrains the parton distribution functions of the proton at large Bjorken-x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electroweak production of Z ν ν ¯ γ in association with two jets is studied in a regime with a photon of high transverse momentum above 150 GeV using proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis uses a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector during the 2015–2018 LHC data-taking period. This process is an important probe of the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism in the Standard Model and is sensitive to quartic gauge boson couplings via vector-boson scattering. The fiducial Z ν ν ¯ γjj cross section for electroweak production is measured to be 0.77 − 0.30 + 0.34 fb and is consistent with the Standard Model prediction. Evidence of electroweak Z ν ν ¯ γjj production is found with an observed significance of 3.2σ for the background-only hypothesis, compared with an expected significance of 3.7σ. The combination of this result with the previously published ATLAS observation of electroweak Z ν ν ¯ γjj production yields an observed (expected) signal significance of 6.3σ (6.6σ). Limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings are obtained in the framework of effective field theory with dimension-8 operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-section measurements for a Z boson produced in association with high-transverse-momentum jets (pT ≥ 100 GeV) and decaying into a charged-lepton pair (e+e−, μ+μ−) are presented. The measurements are performed using proton–proton collisions at s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Measurements of angular correlations between the Z boson and the closest jet are performed in events with at least one jet with pT ≥ 500 GeV. Event topologies of particular interest are the collinear emission of a Z boson in dijet events and a boosted Z boson recoiling against a jet. Fiducial cross sections are compared with state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. The data are found to agree with next-to-next-to-leading-order predictions by NNLOjet and with the next-to-leading-order multi-leg generators MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and Sherpa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for the electroweak production of pairs of charged sleptons or charginos decaying into two-lepton final states with missing transverse momentum is presented. Two simplified models of R-parity-conserving supersymmetry are considered: direct pair-production of sleptons ℓ ~ ℓ ~ , with each decaying into a charged lepton and a χ ~ 1 0 neutralino, and direct pair-production of the lightest charginos χ ~ 1 ± χ ~ 1 ∓ , with each decaying into a W-boson and a χ ~ 1 0 . The lightest neutralino χ ~ 1 0 is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). The analyses target the experimentally challenging mass regions where m ℓ ~ − m χ ~ 1 0 and m χ ~ 1 ± − m χ ~ 1 0 are close to the W-boson mass ('moderately compressed' regions). The search uses 139 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No significant excesses over the expected background are observed. Exclusion limits on the simplified models under study are reported in the ℓ ~ χ ~ 1 0 and χ ~ 1 ± χ ~ 1 0 mass planes at 95% confidence level (CL). Sleptons with masses up to 150 GeV are excluded at 95% CL for the case of a mass-splitting between sleptons and the LSP of 50 GeV. Chargino masses up to 140 GeV are excluded at 95% CL for the case of a mass-splitting between the chargino and the LSP down to about 100 GeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A measurement of the top-quark mass (mt) in the t t ¯ → lepton + jets channel is presented, with an experimental technique which exploits semileptonic decays of b-hadrons produced in the top-quark decay chain. The distribution of the invariant mass mℓμ of the lepton, ℓ (with ℓ = e, μ), from the W-boson decay and the muon, μ, originating from the b-hadron decay is reconstructed, and a binned-template profile likelihood fit is performed to extract mt. The measurement is based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV pp collisions provided by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector. The measured value of the top-quark mass is mt = 174.41 ± 0.39 (stat.) ± 0.66 (syst.) ± 0.25 (recoil) GeV, where the third uncertainty arises from changing the Pythia8 parton shower gluon-recoil scheme, used in top-quark decays, to a recently developed setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sections for the production of a Z boson in association with two photons are measured in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 2 of the LHC. The measurements use the electron and muon decay channels of the Z boson, and a fiducial phase-space region where the photons are not radiated from the leptons. The integrated Z (→ ℓ ℓ) γ γ cross-section is measured with a precision of 12% and differential cross-sections are measured as a function of six kinematic variables of the Z γ γ system. The data are compared with predictions from MC event generators which are accurate to up to next-to-leading order in QCD. The cross-section measurements are used to set limits on the coupling strengths of dimension-8 operators in the framework of an effective field theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A measurement of observables sensitive to effects of colour reconnection in top-quark pair-production events is presented using 139 fb - 1 of 13 TeV proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are selected by requiring exactly one isolated electron and one isolated muon with opposite charge and two or three jets, where exactly two jets are required to be b-tagged. For the selected events, measurements are presented for the charged-particle multiplicity, the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of the charged particles, and the same scalar sum in bins of charged-particle multiplicity. These observables are unfolded to the stable-particle level, thereby correcting for migration effects due to finite detector resolution, acceptance and efficiency effects. The particle-level measurements are compared with different colour reconnection models in Monte Carlo generators. These measurements disfavour some of the colour reconnection models and provide inputs to future optimisation of the parameters in Monte Carlo generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total and differential Higgs boson production cross-sections are measured through a combined statistical analysis of the H → ZZ* → 4ℓ and H → γγ decay channels. The results are based on a dataset of 139 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measured total Higgs boson production cross-section is 55.5 − 3.8 + 4.0 pb, consistent with the Standard Model prediction of 55.6 ± 2.5 pb. All results from the two decay channels are compatible with each other, and their combination agrees with the Standard Model predictions. A combined statistical interpretation of the measured fiducial cross-sections as a function of the Higgs boson transverse momentum is performed in order to probe the Yukawa couplings to the bottom and charm quarks. A similar interpretation is performed by including also the constraints from the measurements of Higgs boson production in association with a W or Z boson in the H → b b ¯ and c c ¯ decay channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a special run of the LHC with β ⋆ = 2.5 km, proton–proton elastic-scattering events were recorded at s = 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 340 μ b - 1 using the ALFA subdetector of ATLAS in 2016. The elastic cross section was measured differentially in the Mandelstam t variable in the range from - t = 2.5 · 10 - 4 GeV 2 to - t = 0.46 GeV 2 using 6.9 million elastic-scattering candidates. This paper presents measurements of the total cross section σ tot , parameters of the nuclear slope, and the ρ -parameter defined as the ratio of the real part to the imaginary part of the elastic-scattering amplitude in the limit t → 0 . These parameters are determined from a fit to the differential elastic cross section using the optical theorem and different parameterizations of the t-dependence. The results for σ tot and ρ are σ tot (p p → X) = 104.7 ± 1.1 mb , ρ = 0.098 ± 0.011. The uncertainty in σ tot is dominated by the luminosity measurement, and in ρ by imperfect knowledge of the detector alignment and by modelling of the nuclear amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a measurement of b-jet production in Pb+Pb and pp collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurement uses 260 pb - 1 of pp collisions collected in 2017 and 1.4 nb - 1 of Pb+Pb collisions collected in 2018. In both collision systems, jets are reconstructed via the anti- k t algorithm. The b-jets are identified from a sample of jets containing muons from the semileptonic decay of b-quarks using template fits of the muon momentum relative to the jet axis. In pp collisions, b-jets are reconstructed for radius parameters R = 0.2 and R = 0.4 , and only R = 0.2 jets are used in Pb+Pb collisions. For comparison, inclusive R = 0.2 jets are also measured using 1.7 nb - 1 of Pb+Pb collisions collected in 2018 and the same pp collision data as the b-jet measurement. The nuclear modification factor, R AA , is calculated for both b-jets and inclusive jets with R = 0.2 over the transverse momentum range of 80–290 GeV. The nuclear modification factor for b-jets decreases from peripheral to central collisions. The ratio of the b-jet R AA to inclusive jet R AA is also presented and suggests that the R AA for b-jets is larger than that for inclusive jets in central Pb+Pb collisions. The measurements are compared with theoretical calculations and suggest a role for mass and colour-charge effects in partonic energy loss in heavy-ion collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for long-lived charginos produced either directly or in the cascade decay of heavy prompt gluino states is presented. The search is based on proton–proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 T eV between 2015 and 2018 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 136 fb - 1 . Long-lived charginos are characterised by a distinct signature of a short and then disappearing track, and are reconstructed using at least four measurements in the ATLAS pixel detector, with no subsequent measurements in the silicon-microstrip tracking volume nor any associated energy deposits in the calorimeter. The final state is complemented by a large missing transverse-momentum requirement for triggering purposes and at least one high-transverse-momentum jet. No excess above the expected backgrounds is observed. Exclusion limits are set at 95% confidence level on the masses of the chargino and gluino for different chargino lifetimes. Chargino masses up to 660 (210) G eV are excluded in scenarios where the chargino is a pure wino (higgsino). For charginos produced during the cascade decay of a heavy gluino, gluinos with masses below 2.1 T eV are excluded for a chargino mass of 300 G eV and a lifetime of 0.2 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents studies of Bose–Einstein correlations (BEC) in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using data from the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Data were collected in a special low-luminosity configuration with a minimum-bias trigger and a high-multiplicity track trigger, accumulating integrated luminosities of 151 μ b - 1 and 8.4 nb - 1 , respectively. The BEC are measured for pairs of like-sign charged particles, each with | η | < 2.5 , for two kinematic ranges: the first with particle p T > 100 MeV and the second with particle p T > 500 MeV. The BEC parameters, characterizing the source radius and particle correlation strength, are investigated as functions of charged-particle multiplicity (up to 300) and average transverse momentum of the pair (up to 1.5 GeV). The double-differential dependence on charged-particle multiplicity and average transverse momentum of the pair is also studied. The BEC radius is found to be independent of the charged-particle multiplicity for high charged-particle multiplicity (above 100), confirming a previous observation at lower energy. This saturation occurs independent of the transverse momentum of the pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of two studies of Higgs boson properties using the W W ∗ (→ e ν μ ν) j j final state, based on a dataset corresponding to 36.1 fb - 1 of s = 13 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The first study targets Higgs boson production via gluon–gluon fusion and constrains the CP properties of the effective Higgs–gluon interaction. Using angular distributions and the overall rate, a value of tan (α) = 0.0 ± 0.4 (stat.) ± 0.3 (syst.) is obtained for the tangent of the mixing angle for CP-even and CP-odd contributions. The second study exploits the vector-boson fusion production mechanism to probe the Higgs boson couplings to longitudinally and transversely polarised W and Z bosons in both the production and the decay of the Higgs boson; these couplings have not been directly constrained previously. The polarisation-dependent coupling-strength scale factors are defined as the ratios of the measured polarisation-dependent coupling strengths to those predicted by the Standard Model, and are determined using rate and kinematic information to be a L = 0. 91 - 0.18 + 0.10 (stat.) - 0.17 + 0.09 (syst.) and a T = 1.2 ± 0.4 (stat.) - 0.3 + 0.2 (syst.). These coupling strengths are translated into pseudo-observables, resulting in κ VV = 0. 91 - 0.18 + 0.10 (stat.) - 0.17 + 0.09 (syst.) and ϵ VV = 0. 13 - 0.20 + 0.28 (stat.) - 0.10 + 0.08 (syst.). All results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search is presented for the production of a single top quark via left-handed flavour-changing neutral-current (FCNC) interactions of a top quark, a gluon and an up or charm quark. Two production processes are considered: u + g → t and c + g → t . The analysis is based on proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 . Events with exactly one electron or muon, exactly one b-tagged jet and missing transverse momentum are selected, resembling the decay products of a singly produced top quark. Neural networks based on kinematic variables differentiate between events from the two signal processes and events from background processes. The measured data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are set on the production cross-sections of the signal processes: σ (u + g → t) × B (t → W b) × B (W → ℓ ν) < 3.0 pb and σ (c + g → t) × B (t → W b) × B (W → ℓ ν) < 4.7 pb at the 95% confidence level, with B (W → ℓ ν) = 0.325 being the sum of branching ratios of all three leptonic decay modes of the W boson. Based on the framework of an effective field theory, the cross-section limits are translated into limits on the strengths of the tug and tcg couplings occurring in the theory: | C uG u t | / Λ 2 < 0.057 TeV - 2 and | C uG c t | / Λ 2 < 0.14 TeV - 2 . These bounds correspond to limits on the branching ratios of FCNC-induced top-quark decays: B (t → u + g) < 0.61 × 10 - 4 and B (t → c + g) < 3.7 × 10 - 4 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and performance of the inner detector trigger for the high level trigger of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider during the 2016–2018 data taking period is discussed. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 the ATLAS detector recorded 35.6 fb - 1 , 46.9 fb - 1 , and 60.6 fb - 1 respectively of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. In order to deal with the very high interaction multiplicities per bunch crossing expected with the 13 TeV collisions the inner detector trigger was redesigned during the long shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider from 2013 until 2015. An overview of these developments is provided and the performance of the tracking in the trigger for the muon, electron, tau and b-jet signatures is discussed. The high performance of the inner detector trigger with these extreme interaction multiplicities demonstrates how the inner detector tracking continues to lie at the heart of the trigger performance and is essential in enabling the ATLAS physics programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A technique is presented to measure the efficiency with which c-jets are mistagged as b-jets (mistagging efficiency) using t t ¯ events, where one of the W bosons decays into an electron or muon and a neutrino and the other decays into a quark–antiquark pair. The measurement utilises the relatively large and known W → c s branching ratio, which allows a measurement to be made in an inclusive c-jet sample. The data sample used was collected by the ATLAS detector at s = 13 TeV and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 . Events are reconstructed using a kinematic likelihood technique which selects the mapping between jets and t t ¯ decay products that yields the highest likelihood value. The distribution of the b-tagging discriminant for jets from the hadronic W decays in data is compared with that in simulation to extract the mistagging efficiency as a function of jet transverse momentum. The total uncertainties are in the range 3–17%. The measurements generally agree with those in simulation but there are some differences in the region corresponding to the most stringent b-jet tagging requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for chargino–neutralino pair production in three-lepton final states with missing transverse momentum is presented. The study is based on a dataset of s = 13 TeV pp collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 . No significant excess relative to the Standard Model predictions is found in data. The results are interpreted in simplified models of supersymmetry, and statistically combined with results from a previous ATLAS search for compressed spectra in two-lepton final states. Various scenarios for the production and decay of charginos ( χ ~ 1 ± ) and neutralinos ( χ ~ 2 0 ) are considered. For pure higgsino χ ~ 1 ± χ ~ 2 0 pair-production scenarios, exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on χ ~ 2 0 masses up to 210 GeV. Limits are also set for pure wino χ ~ 1 ± χ ~ 2 0 pair production, on χ ~ 2 0 masses up to 640 GeV for decays via on-shell W and Z bosons, up to 300 GeV for decays via off-shell W and Z bosons, and up to 190 GeV for decays via W and Standard Model Higgs bosons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for dark-matter particles in events with large missing transverse momentum and a Higgs boson candidate decaying into two photons is reported. The search uses 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data collected at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model predictions is observed. The results are interpreted by extracting limits on three simplified models that include either vector or pseudoscalar mediators and predict a final state with a pair of dark-matter candidates and a Higgs boson decaying into two photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for long-lived particles, which have come to rest within the ATLAS detector, is presented. The subsequent decays of these particles can produce high-momentum jets, resulting in large out-of-time energy deposits in the ATLAS calorimeters. These de- cays are detected using data collected during periods in the LHC bunch structure when collisions are absent. The analysed dataset is composed of events from proton-proton collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS experiment during 2017 and 2018. The dataset used for this search corresponds to a total live time of 579 hours. The results of this search are used to derive lower limits on the mass of gluino R-hadrons, assuming a branching fraction B g ~ → q q ¯ χ 1 0 = 100%, with masses of up to 1.4 TeV excluded for gluino lifetimes of 10−5 to 103 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons (electrons, muons and τ-leptons) is presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at s = 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Four-lepton signal regions with up to two hadronically decaying τ-leptons are designed to target several supersymmetric models, while a general five-lepton signal region targets any new physics phenomena leading to a final state with five charged leptons. Data yields are consistent with Standard Model expectations and results are used to set upper limits on contributions from processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level in simplified models of general gauge-mediated supersymmetry, excluding higgsino masses up to 540 GeV. In R-parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to charged leptons, lower limits of 1.6 TeV, 1.2 TeV, and 2.5 TeV are placed on wino, slepton and gluino masses, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of four-lepton differential and integrated fiducial cross-sections in events with two same-flavour, opposite-charge electron or muon pairs are presented. The data correspond to 139 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions, collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (2015–2018). The final state has contributions from a number of interesting Standard Model processes that dominate in different four-lepton invariant mass regions, including single Z boson production, Higgs boson production and on-shell ZZ production, with a complex mix of interference terms, and possible contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model. The differential cross-sections include the four-lepton invariant mass inclusively, in slices of other kinematic variables, and in different lepton flavour categories. Also measured are dilepton invariant masses, transverse momenta, and angular correlation variables, in four regions of four-lepton invariant mass, each dominated by different processes. The measurements are corrected for detector effects and are compared with state-of-the-art Standard Model calculations, which are found to be consistent with the data. The Z → 4ℓ branching fraction is extracted, giving a value of (4.41 ± 0.30) × 10−6. Constraints on effective field theory parameters and a model based on a spontaneously broken B − L gauge symmetry are also evaluated. Further reinterpretations can be performed with the provided information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a search for gluino and squark pair production with the pairs decaying via the lightest charginos into a final state consisting of two W bosons, the lightest neutralinos ( χ ~ 1 0 ), and quarks, are presented: the signal is characterised by the presence of a single charged lepton ( e ± or μ ± ) from a W boson decay, jets, and missing transverse momentum. The analysis is performed using 139 fb - 1 of proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS experiment. No statistically significant excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is found. Limits are set on the direct production of squarks and gluinos in simplified models. Masses of gluino (squark) up to 2.2 (1.4) are excluded at 95% confidence level for a light χ ~ 1 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiducial and differential cross-section measurements of W+W− production in association with at least one hadronic jet are presented. These measurements are sensitive to the properties of electroweak-boson self-interactions and provide a test of perturbative quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak theory. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data collected at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. Events are selected with exactly one oppositely charged electron-muon pair and at least one hadronic jet with a transverse momentum of pT> 30 GeV and a pseudorapidity of |η| < 4.5. After subtracting the background contributions and correcting for detector effects, the jet-inclusive W+W−+ ≥ 1 jet fiducial cross-section and W+W−+ jets differential cross-sections with respect to several kinematic variables are measured. These measurements include leptonic quantities, such as the lepton transverse momenta and the transverse mass of the W+W− system, as well as jet-related observables such as the leading jet transverse momentum and the jet multiplicity. Limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings are obtained in a phase space where interference between the Standard Model amplitude and the anomalous amplitude is enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One correction is noted for the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a search for new phenomena in final states with b-jets and missing transverse momentum using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton data collected at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The analysis targets final states produced by the decay of a pair-produced supersymmetric bottom squark into a bottom quark and a stable neutralino. The analysis also seeks evidence for models of pair production of dark matter particles produced through the decay of a generic scalar or pseudoscalar mediator state in association with a pair of bottom quarks, and models of pair production of scalar third-generation down-type leptoquarks. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model background expectation is observed in any of the signal regions considered by the analysis. Bottom squark masses below 1270 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level if the neutralino is massless. In the case of nearly mass-degenerate bottom squarks and neutralinos, the use of dedicated secondary-vertex identification techniques permits the exclusion of bottom squarks with masses up to 660 GeV for mass splittings between the squark and the neutralino of 10 GeV. These limits extend substantially beyond the regions of parameter space excluded by similar ATLAS searches performed previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for a heavy neutral Higgs boson, A, decaying into a Z boson and another heavy Higgs boson, H, is performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 from proton–proton collisions at s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The search considers the Z boson decaying into electrons or muons and the H boson into a pair of b-quarks or W bosons. The mass range considered is 230–800 GeV for the A boson and 130–700 GeV for the H boson. The data are in good agreement with the background predicted by the Standard Model, and therefore 95% confidence-level upper limits for σ × B (A → Z H) × B (H → b b or H → W W) are set. The upper limits are in the range 0.0062–0.380 pb for the H → b b channel and in the range 0.023–8.9 pb for the H → W W channel. An interpretation of the results in the context of two-Higgs-doublet models is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8227-9 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a search for direct pair production of top squarks and for dark matter in events with two opposite-charge leptons (electrons or muons), jets and missing transverse momentum are reported, using 139 fb−1 of integrated luminosity from proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV, collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during Run 2 (2015–2018). This search considers the pair production of top squarks and is sensitive across a wide range of mass differences between the top squark and the lightest neutralino. Additionally, spin-0 mediator dark-matter models are considered, in which the mediator is produced in association with a pair of top quarks. The mediator subsequently decays to a pair of dark-matter particles. No significant excess of events is observed above the Standard Model background, and limits are set at 95% confidence level. The results exclude top squark masses up to about 1 TeV, and masses of the lightest neutralino up to about 500 GeV. Limits on dark-matter production are set for scalar (pseudoscalar) mediator masses up to about 250 (300) GeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lagrangian in eq. (2.1) of JHEP11 (2020) 005 has an erroneous factor of 1/2. The analysis code used for the results reported in the paper does not have this factor. The results remain unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]