ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., Cabrera Urban, S., et al. (2023). Observation of gauge boson joint-polarisation states in W± Z production from pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Lett. B, 843, 137895–27pp.
Abstract: Measurements of joint-polarisation states of Wand Zgauge bosons in W +/- Z production are presented. The data set used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The W +/- Z candidate events are reconstructed using leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons into electrons and muons. The simultaneous pair-production of longitudinally polarised vector bosons is measured for the first time with a significance of 7.1 standard deviations. The measured joint helicity fractions integrated over the fiducial region are f(00)= 0.067 +/- 0.010, f(0T) = 0.110 +/- 0.029, f(T0) = 0.179 +/- 0.023 and f(TT) = 0.644 +/- 0.032, in agreement with the next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions. Individual helicity fractions of the Wand Zbosons are also measured and found to be consistent with joint helicity fractions within the expected amounts of correlation. Both the joint and individual helicity fractions are also measured separately in W+Z and W-Z events. Inclusive and differential cross sections for several kinematic observables sensitive to polarisation are presented.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., Cabrera Urban, S., et al. (2023). Measurement of Z γ γ production in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 83(6), 539–30pp.
Abstract: Cross-sections for the production of a Z boson in association with two photons are measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 2 of the LHC. The measurements use the electron and muon decay channels of the Z boson, and a fiducial phase-space region where the photons are not radiated from the leptons. The integrated Z(-> ll)gamma gamma cross-section is measured with a precision of 12% and differential cross-sections are measured as a function of six kinematic variables of the Z gamma gamma system. The data are compared with predictions from MC event generators which are accurate to up to next-to-leading order in QCD. The cross-section measurements are used to set limits on the coupling strengths of dimension-8 operators in the framework of an effective field theory.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., Cabrera Urban, S., et al. (2023). Measurement of exclusive pion pair production in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 83(7), 627–28pp.
Abstract: The exclusive production of pion pairs in the process pp -> pp pi(+)pi(-) has been measured at root s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using 80 μb(-1) of low-luminosity data. The pion pairs were detected in the ATLAS central detector while outgoing protons were measured in the forwardATLASALFAdetector system. This represents the first use of proton tagging to measure an exclusive hadronic final state at the LHC. Across-sectionmeasurement is performed in two kinematic regions defined by the proton momenta, the pion rapidities and transverse momenta, and the pion-pion invariant mass. Cross-section values of 4.8 +/- 1.0 (stat)(-0.2) (+0.3)(syst) μb and 9 +/- 6 (stat)(-2)(+2) (syst) μb are obtained in the two regions; they are compared with theoretical models and provide a demonstration of the feasibility of measurements of this type.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cantero, J., et al. (2023). Observation of Single-Top-Quark Production in Association with a Photon Using the ATLAS Detector. Phys. Rev. Lett., 131(18), 181901–22pp.
Abstract: This Letter reports the observation of single top quarks produced together with a photon, which directly probes the electroweak coupling of the top quark. The analysis uses 139 fb(-1) of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Requiring a photon with transverse momentum larger than 20 GeV and within the detector acceptance, the fiducial cross section is measured to be 688 +/- 23(stat)(-71)(+75) (syst) fb, to be compared with the standard model prediction of 515(-42)(+36) fb at next-to-leading order in QCD.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cantero, J., et al. (2023). Observation of the γγ → ττ Process in Pb plus Pb Collisions and Constraints on the τ-Lepton Anomalous Magnetic Moment with the ATLAS Detector. Phys. Rev. Lett., 131(15), 151802–23pp.
Abstract: This Letter reports the observation of tau-lepton-pair production in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions Pb + Pb -> Pb(gamma gamma -> tau tau)Pb and constraints on the tau-lepton anomalous magnetic moment a(tau). The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.44 nb(-1) of LHC Pb + Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-s = 5.02 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment in 2018. Selected events contain one muon from a t-lepton decay, an electron or charged-particle track(s) from the other tau-lepton decay, little additional central-detector activity, and no forward neutrons. The gamma gamma -> tau tau process is observed in Pb + Pb collisions with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations and a signal strength of mu(tau tau) = 1.03(-0.05)(+0.06) assuming the standard model value for a(tau). To measure a(tau), a template fit to the muon transverse-momentum distribution from tau-lepton candidates is performed, using a dimuon (gamma gamma -> μmu) control sample to constrain systematic uncertainties. The observed 95% confidence-level interval for a(tau) is -0.057 < a(tau) < 0.024.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cardillo, F., et al. (2023). Search for the charged-lepton-flavor-violating decay Z → eμ in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 108(3), 032015–22pp.
Abstract: A search for the charged-lepton-flavor-violating process Z -> e μis presented, using 139 fb(-1) of root s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. An excess in the e μinvariant mass spectrum near the Z boson mass would be a striking signature of new physics. No excess is observed, and an upper limit B(Z -> e mu) < 2.62 x 10(-7) is placed on the branching fraction at 95% confidence level, which is the most stringent limit to date.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cardillo, F., et al. (2023). Search for flavor-changing neutral-current couplings between the top quark and the Z boson with proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 108(3), 032019–34pp.
Abstract: A search for flavor-changing neutral-current couplings between a top quark, an up or charm quark, and a Z boson is presented, using proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1). The search targets both single-top- quark events produced as gq -> tZ (with q = u, c) and top-quark-pair events, with one top quark decaying through the t -> Zq channel. The analysis considers events with three leptons (electrons or muons), a b-tagged jet, possible additional jets, and missing transverse momentum. The data are found to be consistent with the background-only hypothesis and 95% confidence-level limits on the t -> Zq branching ratios, assuming only tensor operators of the Standard Model effective field theory framework contribute to the tZq vertices. These are 6.2 x 10(-5) (13 x 10(-5)) for t -> Zu (t -> Zc) for a left-handed tZq coupling, and 6.6 x 10(-5) (12 x 10(-5)) in the case of a right-handed coupling. These results are interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the strength of the corresponding couplings, yielding limits for |C-uW((13))*| and |C-uB((13))*| (|C-uW((31))| and |C-uB((31))|) of 0.15 (0.16), and limits for |C-uW((23))*| and |C-uB((23))*| (|C-uW((32))| and |C-uB((32))|) of 0.22 (0.21), assuming a new-physics energy scale Lambda(NP) of 1 TeV.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Bouchhar, N., Cabrera Urban, S., et al. (2023). Tools for estimating fake/non-prompt lepton backgrounds with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. J. Instrum., 18(11), T11004–61pp.
Abstract: Measurements and searches performed with the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC often involve signatures with one or more prompt leptons. Such analyses are subject to 'fake/non-prompt' lepton backgrounds, where either a hadron or a lepton from a hadron decay or an electron from a photon conversion satisfies the prompt-lepton selection criteria. These backgrounds often arise within a hadronic jet because of particle decays in the showering process, particle misidentification or particle interactions with the detector material. As it is challenging to model these processes with high accuracy in simulation, their estimation typically uses data-driven methods. Three methods for carrying out this estimation are described, along with their implementation in ATLAS and their performance.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amos, K. R., Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cantero, J., et al. (2023). Measurement of the total cross section and ρ-parameter from elastic scattering in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Eur. Phys. J. C, 83(5), 441–49pp.
Abstract: In a special run of the LHC with beta star=2.5 km, proton-proton elastic-scattering events were recorded at root s=13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 340 μb(-1) using the ALFA subdetector of ATLAS in 2016. The elastic cross section was measured differentially in the Mandelstam t variable in the range from -t=2.5 center dot 10(-4) GeV2 to -t=0.46 GeV2 using 6.9 million elastic-scattering candidates. This paper presents measurements of the total cross section sigma(tot), parameters of the nuclear slope, and the rho-parameter defined as the ratio of the real part to the imaginary part of the elastic-scattering amplitude in the limit t -> 0. These parameters are determined from a fit to the differential elastic cross section using the optical theorem and different parameterizations of the t-dependence. The results for sigma(tot) and rho are sigma(tot) (PP -> X ) =104.7 +/- 1.1 mob , rho=0.098 +/- 0.011. The uncertainty in sigma(tot) is dominated by the luminosity measurement, and in rho by imperfect knowledge of the detector alignment and by modelling of the nuclear amplitude.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cardillo, F., Castillo Gimenez, V., et al. (2023). Search for single vector-like B quark production and decay via B → bH(b(b)over-bar) in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 11(11), 168–52pp.
Abstract: A search is presented for single production of a vector-like B quark decaying into a Standard Model b-quark and a Standard Model Higgs boson, which decays into a b (b) over bar pair. The search is carried out in 139 fb(-1) of root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant deviation from the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and mass-dependent exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the resonance production cross-section in several theoretical scenarios determined by the couplings c(W), c(Z) and c(H) between the B quark and the Standard Model W, Z and Higgs bosons, respectively. For a vector-like B occurring as an isospin singlet, the search excludes values of c(W) greater than 0.45 for a B resonance mass (m(B)) between 1.0 and 1.2 TeV. For 1.2 TeV < m(B)< 2.0 TeV, c(W) values larger than 0.50-0.65 are excluded. If the B occurs as part of a (B, Y) doublet, the smallest excluded c(Z) coupling values range between 0.3 and 0.5 across the investigated resonance mass range 1.0 TeV < m(B)< 2.0 TeV.
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