| Abstract |
Results of a search for new phenomena in events with at least three photons are reported. Data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1), were collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observed data are well described by the Standard Model. Limits at the 95 % confidence level on new phenomena are presented based on the rate of events in an inclusive signal region and a restricted signal region targeting the rare decay Z -> 3 gamma, as well as di-photon and tri-photon resonance searches. For a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying to four photons via a pair of intermediate pseudoscalar particles ( a), limits are found to be sigma xBR( h -> aa) xBR(a -> gamma gamma) 2 < 10(-3) sigma(SM) for 10 GeV < m(a) < 62 GeV. Limits are also presented for Higgs boson-like scalars (H) for m(H) > 125 GeV, and for a Z' decaying to three photons via Z' -> a + gamma -> 3 gamma. Additionally, the observed limit on the branching ratio of the Z boson decay to three photons is found to be BR( Z -> 3 gamma) < 2.2 x 10(-6), a result five times stronger than the previous result from LEP. |
| Address |
[Gonzalez, B. Alvarez; Armbruster, A. J.; Boveia, A.; Catinaccio, A.; Cattai, A.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Di Girolamo, A.; Di Girolamo, B.; Dudarev, A.; Gorini, B.; Correia, A. M. Henriques; Hoecker, A.; Jenni, P.; Krasznahorkay, A.; Lapoire, C.; Lenzi, B.; Mandelli, B.; Marzin, A.; Milic, A.; Nairz, A. M.; Nicquevert, B.; Petersen, B. A.; Poppleton, A.; Rembser, C.; Ruiz-Martinez, A.; Salzburger, A.; Serfon, C.; Sfyrla, A.; Tricoli, A.; ATLAS Collaboration] CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland |
