Abstract: The plethora of increasingly precise experiments which hunt for axion-like particles (ALPs), as well as their widely different energy reach, call for the theoretical understanding of ALP couplings at loop-level. We derive the one-loop contributions to ALP-SM effective couplings, including finite corrections. The complete leading-order – dimension five – effective linear Lagrangian is considered. The ALP is left off-shell, which is of particular impact on LHC and accelerator searches of ALP couplings to gamma gamma, ZZ, WW, Z gamma gluons and fermions. All results are obtained in the covariant Rg gauge. A few phenomenological consequences are also explored as illustration, with flavour diagonal channels in the case of fermions: in particular, we explore constraints on the coupling of the ALP to top quarks, that can be extracted from LHC data, from astrophysical sources and from Dark Matter direct detection experiments such as PandaX, LUX and XENONIT. Furthermore, we clarify the relation between alternative ALP bases, the role of gauge anomalous couplings and their interface with chirality-conserving and chirality-flip fermion interactions, and we briefly discuss renormalization group aspects.

Abstract: A search for new heavy scalars with flavour-violating decays in final states with multiple leptons and b-tagged jets is presented. The results are interpreted in terms of a general two-Higgs-doublet model involving an additional scalar with couplings to the top-quark and the three up-type quarks (rho(tt),rho(tc), and rho(tu)). The targeted signals lead to final states with either a same-sign top-quark pair, three top-quarks, or four top-quarks. The search is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). Events are categorised depending on the multiplicity of light charged leptons (electrons or muons), total lepton charge, and a deep-neural-network output to enhance the purity of each of the signals. Masses of an additional scalar boson mH between 200- 630 GeV with couplings rho(tt) = 0.4, rho(tc) = 0.2, and rho(tu) = 0.2 are excluded at 95% confidence level. Additional interpretations are provided in models of R-parity violating supersymmetry, motivated by the recent flavour and ( g – 2) (mu) anomalies.

Abstract: A search for pair production of third-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying into a top quark and a tau-lepton is presented. The search is based on a dataset of pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). Events are selected if they have one light lepton (electron or muon) and at least one hadronically decaying tau-lepton, or at least two light leptons. In addition, two or more jets, at least one of which must be identified as containing b-hadrons, are required. Six final states, defined by the multiplicity and flavour of lepton candidates, are considered in the analysis. Each of them is split into multiple event categories to simultaneously search for the signal and constrain several leading backgrounds. The signal-rich event categories require at least one hadronically decaying tau-lepton candidate and exploit the presence of energetic final-state objects, which is characteristic of signal events. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed in any of the considered event categories, and 95% CL upper limits are set on the production cross section as a function of the leptoquark mass, for different assumptions about the branching fractions into t tau and b nu. Scalar leptoquarks decaying exclusively into t tau are excluded up to masses of 1.43 TeV while, for a branching fraction of 50% into t tau, the lower mass limit is 1.22 TeV.

Abstract: This paper presents a search for hypothetical massive, charged, long-lived particles with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. These particles are expected to move significantly slower than the speed of light and should be identifiable by their high transverse momenta and anomalously large specific ionisation losses, dE/dx. Trajectories reconstructed solely by the inner tracking system and a dE/dx measurement in the pixel detector layers provide sensitivity to particles with lifetimes down to O(1) ns with a mass, measured using the Bethe-Bloch relation, ranging from 100 GeV to 3 TeV. Interpretations for pair-production of R-hadrons, charginos and staus in scenarios of supersymmetry compatible with these particles being long-lived are presented, with mass limits extending considerably beyond those from previous searches in broad ranges of lifetime.

Abstract: The signatures of dark matter at the LHC commonly involve, in simplified scenarios, the production of a single particle plus large missing energy, from the undetected dark matter. However, in Z ' -portal scenarios anomaly cancellation requires the presence of extra dark leptons in the dark sector. We investigate the signatures of the minimal scenarios of this kind, which involve cascade decays of the extra Z ' boson into the dark leptons, identifying a four-lepton signal as the most promising one. We estimate the sensitivity to this signal at the LHC, the high-luminosity LHC upgrade, a possible high-energy upgrade, as well as a future circular collider. For Z ' couplings compatible with current dijet constraints the multilepton signals can reach the 5 sigma level already at Run 2 of the LHC. At future colliders, couplings two orders of magnitude smaller than the electroweak coupling can be probed with 5 sigma sensitivity.