Abstract: The results of a search for vector-like top quarks using events with exactly one lepton, at least four jets, and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search is optimised for pair production of vector-like top quarks in the Z(->nu nu) t + X decay channel. LHC pp collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root S = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016 are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is seen and upper limits on the production cross-section of a vector-like T quark pair as a function of the T quark mass are derived. The observed (expected) 95% CL lower limits on the T mass are 870 GeV (890 GeV) for the weak-isospin singlet model, 1.05 TeV (1.06 TeV) for the weak-isospin doublet model and 1.16 TeV (1.17 TeV) for the pure Zt decay mode. Limits are also set on the mass as a function of the decay branching ratios, excluding large parts of the parameter space for masses below 1 TeV.

Abstract: The results of a search for direct pair production of top squarks in events with two opposite-charge leptons (electrons or muons) are reported, using 36.1 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity from proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. To cover a range of mass differences between the top squark (t) over tilde and lighter supersymmetric particles, four possible decay modes of the top squark are targeted with dedicated selections: the decay (t) over tilde -> b (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) into a b-quark and the lightest chargino with (chi) over tilde (+/-)(1) W (chi) over tilde (0)(1),the decay (t) over tilde -> t (chi) over tilde (0)(1) into an on-shell top quark and the lightest neutralino, the three-body decay (t) over tilde -> bW (chi) over tilde (0)(1) and the four-body decay (t) over tilde -> bl nu(chi) over tilde (0)(1). No significant excess of events is observed above the Standard Model background for any selection, and limits on top squarks are set as a function of the (t) over tilde and (chi) over tilde (0)(1) masses. The results exclude at 95% confidence level (t) over tilde masses up to about 720 GeV, extending the exclusion region of supersymmetric parameter space covered by previous searches.

Abstract: The rejection of forward jets originating from additional proton-proton interactions (pile-up) is crucial for a variety of physics analyses at the LHC, including Standard Model measurements and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. The identification of such jets is challenging due to the lack of track and vertex information in the pseudorapidity range vertical bar eta vertical bar > 2.5. This paper presents a novel strategy for forward pile-up jet tagging that exploits jet shapes and topological jet correlations in pile-up interactions. Measurements of the per-jet tagging efficiency are presented using a data set of 3.2 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector. The fraction of pile-up jets rejected in the range 2.5 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 4.5 is estimated in simulated events with an average of 22 interactions per bunch-crossing. It increases with jet transverse momentum and, for jets with transverse momentum between 20 and 50 GeV, it ranges between 49% and 67% with an efficiency of 85% for selecting hard-scatter jets. A case study is performed in Higgs boson production via the vector-boson fusion process, showing that these techniques mitigate the background growth due to additional proton-proton interactions, thus enhancing the reach for such signatures.