Probing the CP nature of the top–Higgs Yukawa coupling in tt¯H and tH events with H → bb¯ decays using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The CP properties of the coupling between the Higgs boson and the top quark are investigated using 139 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV. The CP structure of the top quark–Higgs boson Yukawa coupling is probed in events with a Higgs boson decaying into a pair of b-quarks and produced in association with either a pair of top quarks, ttH , or a single top quark, tH. Events containing one or two electrons or muons are used for the measurement. Multivariate techniques are used to select regions enriched in ttH and tH events, where dedicated CP -sensitive observables are exploited. In an extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a CP -odd admixture in the top–Higgs Yukawa coupling, the mixing angle between CP -even and CP -odd couplings is measured to be α = 11 °+52° −73°, compatible with the SM prediction corresponding to α = 0