Abstract: This Letter presents a search for the production of a long-lived neutral particle (Z(d)) decaying within the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter, in association with a standard model (SM) Z boson produced via an intermediate scalar boson, where Z -> l(+) l(-) (l = e, mu). The data used were collected by the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 pp collisions with a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 +/- 0.8 fb(-1). No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. Limits on the production cross section of the scalar boson times its decay branching fraction into the long-lived neutral particle are derived as a function of the mass of the intermediate scalar boson, the mass of the long-lived neutral particle, and its c tau from a few centimeters to one hundred meters. In the case that the intermediate scalar boson is the SM Higgs boson, its decay branching fraction to a long-lived neutral particle with a c tau approximately between 0.1 and 7 m is excluded with a 95% confidence level up to 10% for m(zd) between 5 and 15 GeV.

Abstract: We have studied the meson-baryon S-wave interaction in the isoscalar hidden-charm strange sector with the coupled-channels, eta(c)Lambda, J/psi Lambda, (D) over bar Xi(c), (D) over bar (s)Lambda(c), (D) over bar Xi(c)', (D) over bar*Lambda(c), (D) over bar*Xi(c)', (D) over bar*Xi*(c) in J(p) = 1/2(-), J/psi Lambda, (D) over bar*Xi(c), (D) over bar (s)*Lambda(c), (D) over bar*Xi(c)', (D) over bar Xi(c)*, (D) over bar*Xi(c)* in 3/2(-) and (D) over bar*Xi(c)* in 5/2(-). We impose constraints of heavy quark spin symmetry in the interaction and obtain the non vanishing matrix elements from an extension of the local hidden gauge approach to the charm sector. The ultraviolet divergences are renormalized using the same meson-baryon-loops regulator previously employed in the non-strange hidden charm sector, where a good reproduction of the properties of the newly discovered pentaquark states is obtained. We obtain five states of 1/2(-), four of 3/2(-) and one of 5/2(-), which could be compared in the near future with forthcoming LHCb experiments. The 5/2(-), three of the 3/2(-) and another three of the 1/2(-) resonances are originated from isoscalar (D) over bar (()*())Xi(c)' and (D) over bar (()*()) Xi(c)* interactions. They should be located just few MeV below the corresponding thresholds (4446, 4513, 4588 and 4655 MeV), and would be SU(3)-siblings of the isospin 1/2 (D) over bar (()*())Sigma(()(c)*()) quasi-bound states previously found, and that provided a robust theoretical description of the P-c(4440), P-c(4457) and P-c(4312) LHCb exotic states. The another two 1/2(-) and 3/2(-) states obtained in this work are result of the (D) over bar (()*())Xi(c)- D-s(()*()) Lambda(c) coupled-channels isoscalar interaction, are significantly broader than the others, with widths of the order of 15 MeV, being (D) over bar (()(s)*())Lambda(c) the dominant decay channel.

Abstract: A measurement of the Higgs boson production cross sections via associated WH and ZH production using H -> WW* -> l nu l nu decays, where l stands for either an electron or a muon, is presented. Results for combined WH and ZH production are also presented. The analysis uses events produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The products of the H -> WW* branching fraction times the WH and ZH cross sections are measured to be 0.67(-0.27)(+0.31)(stat.)(-0.14)(+0.18)(syst.) pb and 0.54(-0.24)(+0.31)(stat.)(-0.07)(+0.15)(syst.) pb respectively, in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.