Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Measurement of the Higgs boson coupling properties in the H → ZZ∗ → 4ℓ decay channel at s√=13s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The coupling properties of the Higgs boson are studied in the four-lepton (e, μ) decay channel using 36.1 fb −1 of pp collision data from the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are measured for the main production modes in several exclusive regions of the Higgs boson production phase space and are interpreted in terms of coupling modifiers. The inclusive cross section times branching ratio for H → ZZ ∗ decay and for a Higgs boson absolute rapidity below 2.5 is measured to be 1. 73 − 0.23 + 0.24 (stat.) − 0.08 + 0.10 (exp.) ± 0.04(th.) pb compared to the Standard Model prediction of 1.34±0.09 pb. In addition, the tensor structure of the Higgs boson couplings is studied using an effective Lagrangian approach for the description of interactions beyond the Standard Model. Constraints are placed on the non-Standard-Model CP-even and CP-odd couplings to Z bosons and on the CP-odd coupling to gluons

Measurement of the kt splitting scales in Z → `` events in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the splitting scales occuring in the k t jet-clustering algorithm is presented for final states containing a Z boson. The measurement is done using 20.2 fb −1 of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of s=8 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2012. The measurement is based on chargedparticle track information, which is measured with excellent precision in the p T region relevant for the transition between the perturbative and the non-perturbative regimes. The data distributions are corrected for detector effects, and are found to deviate from state-of-the-art predictions in various regions of the observables.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Search for pair production of heavy vector-like quarks decaying to high-pTW bosons and b quarks in the lepton-plus-jets final state in pp collisions at s√=13s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for the pair production of heavy vector-like T quarks, primarily targeting the T quark decays to a W boson and a b-quark. The search is based on 36.1 fb −1 of pp collisions at s=13 TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Data are analysed in the lepton-plus-jets final state, including at least one b-tagged jet and a large-radius jet identified as originating from the hadronic decay of a high-momentum W boson. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed in the reconstructed T mass distribution. The observed 95% confidence level lower limit on the T mass are 1350 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to Wb. In the SU(2) singlet scenario, the lower mass limit is 1170 GeV. This search is also sensitive to a heavy vector-like B quark decaying to Wt and other final states. The results are thus reinterpreted to provide a 95% confidence level lower limit on the B quark mass at 1250 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to Wt; in the SU(2) singlet scenario, the limit is 1080 GeV. Mass limits on both T and B production are also set as a function of the decay branching ratios. The 100% branching ratio limits are found to be applicable to heavy vector-like Y and X production that decay to Wb and Wt, respectively

Search for heavy ZZ resonances in the +−+− and +−νν¯ final states using proton–proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy resonances decaying into a pair of Z bosons leading to +−+− and +−νν¯ final states, where stands for either an electron or a muon, is presented. The search uses proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 collected with the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 at the Large Hadron Collider. Different mass ranges for the hypothetical resonances are considered, depending on the final state and model. The different ranges span between 200 and 2000 GeV. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the production cross section of a spin-0 or spin-2 resonance. The upper limits for the spin-0 resonance are translated to exclusion contours in the context of Type-I and Type-II two-Higgs-doublet models, while those for the spin-2 resonance are used to constrain the Randall–Sundrum model with an extra dimension giving rise to spin-2 graviton excitations

Search for long-lived, massive particles in events with displaced vertices and missing transverse momentum in s =13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for long-lived, massive particles predicted by many theories beyond the Standard Model is presented. The search targets final states with large missing transverse momentum and at least one high-mass displaced vertex with five or more tracks, and uses 32.8 fb-1 of s=13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observed yield is consistent with the expected background. The results are used to extract 95% C.L. exclusion limits on the production of long-lived gluinos with masses up to 2.37 TeV and lifetimes of O(10-2)-O(10) ns in a simplified model inspired by split supersymmetry

Evidence for the H → bb decay with the ATLAS detector

A search for the decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson into a $b\bar{b}$ pair when produced in association with a $W$ or $Z$ boson is performed with the ATLAS detector. The analysed data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$, were collected in proton-proton collisions in Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Final states containing zero, one and two charged leptons (electrons or muons) are considered, targeting the decays $Z\to\nu\nu$, $W\to\ell\nu$ and $Z\to\ell\ell$. For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV, an excess of events over the expected background from other Standard Model processes is found with an observed significance of 3.5 standard deviations, compared to an expectation of 3.0 standard deviations. This excess provides evidence for the Higgs boson decay into $b$-quarks and for its production in association with a vector boson. The combination of this result with that of the Run 1 analysis yields a ratio of the measured signal events to the Standard Model expectation equal to $0.90 \pm 0.18 \rm{(stat.)} ^{+0.21}_{-0.19} \rm{(syst.)}$. Assuming the Standard Model production cross-section, the results are consistent with the value of the Yukawa coupling to $b$-quarks in the Standard Model

Measurement of the production cross-section of a single top quark in association with a Z boson in proton–proton collisions at 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a top quark in association with a Z boson is investigated. The proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb −1 . Events containing three identified leptons (electrons and/or muons) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds are diboson, tt¯ and Z+jets production. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance is 4.2σ in the data and the expected significance is 5.4σ. The measured cross-section for tZq production is 600±170(stat.)±140(syst.)fb