Abstract: A search is performed for the production of high-mass resonances decaying into a photon and a jet in 3.2 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Selected events have an isolated photon and a jet, each with transverse momentum above 150 GeV. No significant deviation of the gamma+jet invariant mass distribution from the background-only hypothesis is found. Limits are set at 95% confidence level on the cross sections of generic Gaussian-shaped signals and of a few benchmark phenomena beyond the Standard Model: excited quarks with vector-like couplings to the Standard Model particles, and non-thermal quantum black holes in two models of extra spatial dimensions. The minimum excluded visible cross sections for Gaussian-shaped resonances with width-to-mass ratios of 2% decrease from about 6 fb for a mass of 1.5 TeV to about 0.8 fb for a mass of 5 TeV. The minimum excluded visible cross sections for Gaussian-shaped resonances with width-to-mass ratios of 15% decrease from about 50 fb for a mass of 1.5 TeV to about 1.0 fb for a mass of 5 TeV. Excited quarks are excluded below masses of 4.4 TeV, and non-thermal quantum black holes are excluded below masses of 3.8 (6.2) TeV for Randall-Sundrum (Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulous-Dvali) models with one (six) extra dimensions.

Abstract: The production of (nS) mesons (n = 1; 2; 3) in p Pb and Pb p collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair p sNN = 8 : 16TeV is measured by the LHCb experiment, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 31.8 nb. The (nS) mesons are reconstructed through their decays into two opposite-sign muons. The measurements comprise the di ff erential production cross-sections of the (1 S) and (2 S) states, their forward-to-backward ratios and nuclear modi fi cation factors. The measurements are performed as a function of the transverse momentum pT and rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass frame y of the (nS) states, in the kinematic range pT < 25 GeV/ c and 1 : 5 < y < 4 : 0 (5 : 0 < y < 2 : 5) for p Pb (Pb p) collisions. In addition, production cross-sections for (3 S) are measured integrated over phase space and the production ratios between all three (nS) states are determined. Suppression for bottomonium in proton-lead collisions is observed, which is particularly visible in the ratios. The results are compared to theoretical models.

Abstract: We study the capabilities of a muon collider experiment to detect disappearing tracks originating when a heavy and electrically charged long-lived particle decays via X+-> Y(+)Z(0), where X+ and Z(0) are two almost mass degenerate new states and Y+ is a charged Standard Model particle. The backgrounds induced by the in-flight decays of the muon beams (BIB) can create detector hit combinations that mimic long-lived particle signatures, making the search a daunting task. We design a simple strategy to tame the BIB, based on a detector-hit-level selection exploiting timing information and hit-to-hit correlations, followed by simple requirements on the quality of reconstructed tracks. Our strategy allows us to reduce the number of tracks from BIB to an average of 0.08 per event, hence being able to design a cut-and-count analysis that shows that it is possible to cover weak doublets and triplets with masses close to root s/2 in the 0.1-10 ns range. In particular, this implies that a 10 TeV muon collider is able to probe thermal MSSM higgsinos and thermal MSSM winos, thus rivaling the FCC-hh in that respect, and further enlarging the physics program of the muon collider into the territory of WIMP dark matter and long-lived signatures. We also provide parton-to-reconstructed level efficiency maps, allowing an estimation of the coverage of disappearing tracks at muon colliders for arbitrary models.

Abstract: In this paper we explore the coupling of a light axion-like particle (ALP) to top quarks. We use high-energy LHC probes, and examine both the direct probe to this coupling in associated production of a top-pair with an ALP, and the indirect probe through loop-induced gluon fusion to an ALP leading to top pairs. Using the latest LHC Run II data, we provide the best limit on this coupling. We also compare these limits with those obtained from loop-induced couplings in diboson final states, finding that the +MET channel is the best current handle on this coupling.

Abstract: Neutral particles capable of travelling cosmic distances from a source to detectors on Earth are limited to photons and neutrinos. Examination of the Dark Matter annihilation/decay spectra for these particles reveals the presence of continuum spectra (e.g. due to fragmentation and W or Z decay) and peaks (due to direct annihilations/decays). However, when one explores extensions of the Standard Model (BSM), unexplored spectra emerge that differ significantly from those of the Standard Model (SM) for both neutrinos and photons. In this paper, we argue for the inclusion of important spectra that include peaks as well as previously largely unexplored entities such as boxes and combinations of box, peak and continuum decay spectra.