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High-energy jets recoiling against missing transverse energy (MET) are powerful probes of dark matter at the LHC. Searches based on large MET signatures require a precise control of the \({Z(ν\overline{ν})}+\) jet background in the signal region. This can be achieved by taking accurate data in control regions dominated by \(Z(ℓ^+ℓ^−)+\) jet, \(W(ℓν)+\) jet and \(γ+\) jet production, and extrapolating to the \({Z(ν\overline{ν})}+\) jet background by means of precise theoretical predictions. In this context, recent advances in perturbative calculations open the door to significant sensitivity improvements in dark matter searches. In this spirit, we present a combination of state-of-the-art calculations for all relevant \(V+\) jets processes, including throughout NNLO QCD corrections and NLO electroweak corrections supplemented by Sudakov logarithms at two loops. Predictions at parton level are provided together with detailed recommendations for their usage in experimental analyses based on the reweighting of Monte Carlo samples. Particular attention is devoted to the estimate of theoretical uncertainties in the framework of dark matter searches, where subtle aspects such as correlations across different \(V+\) jet processes play a key role. The anticipated theoretical uncertainty in the \({Z(ν\overline{ν})}+\) jet background is at the few percent level up to the TeV range.
A measurement of the \(t\)-channel single-top-quark and single-top-antiquark production cross-sections in the lepton+jets channel is presented, using 3.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015. Events are selected by requiring one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse momentum, and two jets with high transverse momentum, exactly one of which is required to be \(b\)-tagged. Using a binned maximum-likelihood fit to the discriminant distribution of a neural network, the cross-sections are determined to be \({σ(tq)}\) = 156 ± 5 (stat.) ± 27 (syst.) ± 3 (lumi.) pb for single top-quark production and \(σ(\overline{t}q)\) = 91 ± 4 (stat.) ± 18 (syst.) ± 2 (lumi.) pb for single top-antiquark production, assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV. The cross-section ratio is measured to be \(R_{t}\) = \(σ(tq)/σ(\overline{t}q)\) = 1.72 ± 0.09 (stat.) ± 0.18 (syst.). All results are in agreement with Standard Model predictions.
We present charged-particle distributions sensitive to the underlying event, measured by the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, in low-luminosity Large Hadron Collider fills corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.6 nb\(^{−1}\). The distributions were constructed using charged particles with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.5 and with transverse momentum greater than 500 MeV, in events with at least one such charged particle with transverse momentum above 1 GeV. These distributions characterise the angular distribution of energy and particle flows with respect to the charged particle with highest transverse momentum, as a function of both that momentum and of charged-particle multiplicity. The results have been corrected for detector effects and are compared to the predictions of various Monte Carlo event generators, experimentally establishing the level of underlying-event activity at LHC Run 2 energies and providing inputs for the development of event generator modelling. The current models in use for UE modelling typically describe this data to 5% accuracy, compared with data uncertainties of less than 1%.
This article presents searches for the \({Zγ}\) decay of the Higgs boson and for narrow high-mass resonances decaying to \(Z\)γ, exploiting \(Z\) boson decays to pairs of electrons or muons. The data analysis uses 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of \({pp}\) collisions at \(\sqrt{s}=13\) recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The data are found to be consistent with the expected Standard Model background. The observed (expected — assuming Standard Model \({pp} → H → {Z}γ\) production and decay) upper limit on the production cross section times the branching ratio for \({pp} → H → {Z}γ\) is 6.6. (5.2) times the Standard Model prediction at the 95% confidence level for a Higgs boson mass of 125.09 GeV. In addition, upper limits are set on the production cross section times the branching ratio as a function of the mass of a narrow resonance between 250 GeV and 2.4 TeV, assuming spin-0 resonances produced via gluon-gluon fusion, and spin-2 resonances produced via gluon-gluon or quark-antiquark initial states. For high-mass spin-0 resonances, the observed (expected) limits vary between 88 fb (61 fb) and 2.8 fb (2.7 fb) for the mass range from 250 GeV to 2.4 TeV at the 95% confidence level.
Measurements of differential cross-sections of top-quark pair production in fiducial phase-spaces are presented as a function of top-quark and \(t\overline{t}\) system kinematic observables in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb\(^{−1}\), recorded in 2015 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Events with exactly one electron or muon and at least two jets in the final state are used for the measurement. Two separate selections are applied that each focus on different top-quark momentum regions, referred to as resolved and boosted topologies of the \(t\overline{t}\) final state. The measured spectra are corrected for detector effects and are compared to several Monte Carlo simulations by means of calculated \(χ^2\) and \(p\)-values.
A search is presented for particles that decay producing a large jet multiplicity and invisible particles. The event selection applies a veto on the presence of isolated electrons or muons and additional requirements on the number of \(b\)-tagged jets and the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets. Having explored the full ATLAS 2015-2016 dataset of LHC proton-proton collisions at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV, which corresponds to 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of integrated luminosity, no evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models inspired by R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating supersymmetry, where gluinos are pair-produced. More generic models within the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric Standard Model are also considered.
Inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections of Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions are measured in the \(H\) → \({ZZ^*}\) → \(4{ℓ}\) 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 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\). The inclusive fiducial cross section in the \(H\) → \({ZZ^*}\) → \(4{ℓ}\) decay channel is measured to be 3.62 ± 0.50(stat)\(^{+0.25}_{− 0.20}\) (sys) fb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of 2.91 ± 0.13 fb. The cross section is also extrapolated to the total phase space including all Standard Model Higgs boson decays. Several differential fiducial cross sections are measured for observables sensitive to the Higgs boson production and decay, including kinematic distributions of jets produced in association with the Higgs boson. Good agreement is found between data and Standard Model predictions. The results are used to put constraints on anomalous Higgs boson interactions with Standard Model particles, using the pseudo-observable extension to the kappa-framework.
This article presents a search for flavour-changing neutral currents in the decay of a top quark into an up-type (\({q = c, u}\)) quark and a Higgs boson, where the Higgs boson decays into two photons. The proton-proton collision data set analysed amounts to 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) at \(\sqrt{s} = 13\) TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Top quark pair events are searched for, where one top quark decays into \(qH\) and the other decays into \(bW\). Both the hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the \(W\) boson are used. No significant excess is observed and an upper limit is set on the \({t → cH}\) branching ratio of 2.2 × 10\(^{−3}\) at the 95% confidence level, while the expected limit in the absence of signal is 1.6 × 10\(^{−3}\). The corresponding limit on the \(tcH\) coupling is 0.090 at the 95% confidence level. The observed upper limit on the \({t → uH}\) branching ratio is 2.4 × 10\(^{−3}\).
A search for the supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model bottom and top quarks is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(pp\) collision data at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Direct production of pairs of bottom and top squarks (\(\overline{b}_1\) and \(\overline{t}_1\)) is searched for in final states with \(b\)-tagged jets and missing transverse momentum. Distinctive selections are defined with either no charged leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, or one charged lepton. The zero-lepton selection targets models in which the \(\overline{b}_1\) is the lightest squark and decays via \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^0_1\), where \(\overline{χ}^0_1\) is the lightest neutralino. The one-lepton final state targets models where bottom or top squarks are produced and can decay into multiple channels, \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^0_1\) and \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(t\overline{χ}^±_1\), or \(\overline{t}_1\) → \(t\overline{χ}^0_1\) and \(\overline{t}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^±_1\), where \(\overline{χ}^±_1\) is the lightest chargino and the mass difference \(m_{\overline{χ}^±_1}\) − \(m_{\overline{χ}^0_1}\) is set to 1 GeV. No excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the mass of third-generation squarks are derived in various supersymmetry-inspired simplified models.
A search for new phenomena in final states characterized by high jet multiplicity, an isolated lepton (electron or muon) and either zero or at least three \(b\)-tagged jets is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(\sqrt{s}=13\) TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The dominant sources of background are estimated using parameterized extrapolations, based on observables at medium jet multiplicity, to predict the \(b\)-tagged jet multiplicity distribution at the higher jet multiplicities used in the search. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed and 95% confidence-level limits are extracted constraining four simplified models of \(R\)-parity-violating supersymmetry that feature either gluino or top-squark pair production. The exclusion limits reach as high as 2.1 TeV in gluino mass and 1.2 TeV in top-squark mass in the models considered. In addition, an upper limit is set on the cross-section for Standard Model \(t\overline{t}t\overline{t}\) production of 60 fb (6.5 × the Standard Model prediction) at 95% confidence level. Finally, model-independent limits are set on the contribution from new phenomena to the signal-region yields.
Same- and opposite-sign charge asymmetries are measured in lepton+jets \({t\overline{t}}\) events in which a \(b\)-hadron decays semileptonically to a soft muon, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb\(^{−1}\) from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 8 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The charge asymmetries are based on the charge of the lepton from the top-quark decay and the charge of the soft muon from the semileptonic decay of a \(b\)-hadron and are measured in a fiducial region corresponding to the experimental acceptance. Four CP asymmetries (one mixing and three direct) are measured and are found to be compatible with zero and consistent with the Standard Model.
A measurement of \(b\)-hadron pair production is presented, based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 11.4 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collisions recorded at \(\sqrt{s}=8\) TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are selected in which a \(b\)-hadron is reconstructed in a decay channel containing \(J/ψ → μμ\), and a second \(b\)-hadron is reconstructed in a decay channel containing a muon. Results are presented in a fiducial volume defined by kinematic requirements on three muons based on those used in the analysis. The fiducial cross section is measured to be 17.7 ± 0.1(stat.) ± 2.0(syst.) nb. A number of normalised differential cross sections are also measured, and compared to predictions from the PHYTHIA8, HERWIG++, MADGRAPH5_AMC@NLO+PYTHIA8 and SHERPA event generators, providing new constraints on heavy flavour production.
The cross section of a top-quark pair produced in association with a photon is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s} = 8\) TeV with 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. The measurement is performed by selecting events that contain a photon with transverse momentum \(p_T\) > 15 GeV, an isolated lepton with large transverse momentum, large missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets, where at least one is identified as originating from a \(b\)-quark. The production cross section is measured in a fiducial region close to the selection requirements. It is found to be 139 ± 7 (stat.) ± 17 (syst.) fb, in good agreement with the theoretical prediction at next-to-leading order of 151 ± 24 fb. In addition, differential cross sections in the fiducial region are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of the photon.
A search for the decay of the Standard Model Higgs boson into a \({b\overline{b}}\) 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 \(Z\) → \({νν}\), \(W\) → \({ℓν}\) and \(Z\) → \({ℓℓ}\). 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 ± 0.18(stat.)\(^{+0.21}_{−0.19}\)(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.
The electroweak production and subsequent decay of single top quarks in the \(t\)-channel is determined by the properties of the \({Wtb}\) vertex, which can be described by the complex parameters of an effective Lagrangian. An analysis of a triple-differential decay rate in \(t\)-channel production is used to simultaneously determine five generalised helicity fractions and phases, as well as the polarisation of the produced top quark. The complex parameters are then constrained. This analysis is based on 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The fraction of decays containing transversely polarised \(W\) bosons is measured to be \(f_1\) = 0.30 ± 0.05. The phase between amplitudes for transversely and longitudinally polarised \(W\) bosons recoiling against left-handed \(b\)-quarks is measured to be \(\delta\)_ = 0.002\(\pi^{+0.016\pi}_{+0.017\pi}\), giving no indication of CP violation. The fractions of longitudinal or transverse \(W\) bosons accompanied by right-handed \(b\)-quarks are also constrained. Based on these measurements, limits are placed at 95% CL on the ratio of the complex coupling parameters Re [\({g_R/V_L}\) \(\in\) [−0.12, 0.17] and Im [\({g_R/V_L}\) \(\in\) [−0.07, 0.06]. Constraints are also placed on the ratios |\({V_R}/{V_L}\)| and |\({g_L}/{V_L}\)|. In addition, the polarisation of single top quarks in the \(t\)-channel is constrained to be \(P\) > 0.72 (95% CL). None of the above measurements make assumptions about the value of any of the other parameters or couplings and all of them are in agreement with the Standard Model.
To probe the \(W tb\) vertex structure, top-quark and \(W\)-boson polarisation observables are measured from \(t\)-channel single-top-quark events produced in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\), recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Selected events contain one isolated electron or muon, large missing transverse momentum and exactly two jets, with one of them identified as likely to contain a \(b\)-hadron. Stringent selection requirements are applied to discriminate \(t\)-channel single-top-quark events from background. The polarisation observables are extracted from asymmetries in angular distributions measured with respect to spin quantisation axes appropriately chosen for the top quark and the \(W\) boson. The asymmetry measurements are performed at parton level by correcting the observed angular distributions for detector effects and hadronisation after subtracting the background contributions. The measured top-quark and \(W\)-boson polarisation values are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Limits on the imaginary part of the anomalous coupling \(g_R\) are also set from model independent measurements.
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 \(\sqrt{s} = 8\) TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2012. The measurement is based on charged-particle 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.
Ratios of top-quark pair to \(Z\)-boson cross sections measured from proton-proton collisions at the LHC centre-of-mass energies of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV, 8 TeV, and 7 TeV are presented by the ATLAS Collaboration. Single ratios, at a given \(\sqrt{s}\) for the two processes and at different \(\sqrt{s}\) for each process, as well as double ratios of the two processes at different \(\sqrt{s}\), are evaluated. The ratios are constructed using previously published ATLAS measurements of the \({t\overline{t}}\) and \(Z\)-boson production cross sections, corrected to a common phase space where required, and a new analysis of \(Z\) → ℓ\(^+\)ℓ\(^-\) where ℓ = \(e, µ\) at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV performed with data collected in 2015 with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb\(^−1\). Correlations of systematic uncertainties are taken into account when evaluating the uncertainties in the ratios. The correlation model is also used to evaluate the combined cross section of the \(Z\) → \(e\)\(^+\)\(e\)\(^−\) and the \(Z\) → \(µ\)\(^+\)\(µ\)\(^−\) channels for each \(\sqrt{s}\) value. The results are compared to calculations performed at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy using recent sets of parton distribution functions. The data demonstrate significant power to constrain the gluon distribution function for the Bjorken-\(x\) values near 0.1 and the light-quark sea for \(x\) < 0.02.
The production of a \(Z\) boson and a photon in association with a high-mass dijet system is studied using 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider. Final states with a photon and a Z boson decaying into a pair of either electrons, muons, or neutrinos are analysed. Electroweak and total \(pp\) → \(Zγjj\) cross-sections are extracted in two fiducial regions with different sensitivities to electroweak production processes. Quartic couplings of vector bosons are studied in regions of phase space with an enhanced contribution from pure electroweak production, sensitive to vector-boson scattering processes \(V V → Zγ\). No deviations from Standard Model predictions are observed and constraints are placed on anomalous couplings parameterized by higher-dimensional operators using effective field theory.
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 \(\sqrt{s}=13\) 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.