Briefings

ATLAS measures Higgs width

In a highlight result presented at the Higgs 2022 conference, the ATLAS Collaboration studied the production of off-shell Higgs bosons with a high invariant mass decaying into two on-shell Z bosons using the data collected during LHC Run 2 (2015-2018). For their new search, ATLAS physicists focused on events where the two Z bosons decay into four charged leptons (ZZ→4l channel) or two charged leptons plus two neutrinos (ZZ→ 2l2v channel), as they offered the highest signal sensitivity.

Physics Briefing |

Using the Higgs boson to search for dark photons

The ATLAS Collaboration has been looking for signs of dark photons in data collected by the experiment during LHC Run 2 (2015-2018). Their newest search targets, for the first time in ATLAS, the production of a Higgs boson in association with a Z boson, with subsequent decay of the Higgs into a photon and a dark photon.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS observes potential four-charm tetraquark

In a new analysis presented at the ICHEP 2022 conference, ATLAS physicists found evidence of a four-charm-quark excess. Like the LHCb Collaboration, ATLAS sees both the X(6900) particle and a broad structure at threshold.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS measures quantum interference when protons bounce off each other

In a new result presented at ICHEP 2022, ATLAS physicists set out to measure proton scattering at microradian angles and study this quantum interference.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS measures joint polarisation of W and Z bosons

In a new result presented at the ICHEP 2022 conference, ATLAS physicists have been able to observe events with both a W and Z boson simultaneously polarised longitudinally for the very first time.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS explores the self-interaction of the Higgs boson

In the most recent effort to constrain the Higgs self-coupling constant, ATLAS physicists used the full Run 2 dataset (collected during 2015-2018) to perform a combined study on the production of a single Higgs boson and two Higgs bosons. This single-Higgs analysis was featured in a paper released in Nature today, looking back on 10 years of Higgs boson research at the ATLAS Experiment

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS Pixel detector in Run 3

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is on the eve of a new data harvest with the restart of the LHC for Run 3. The upcoming four-year run will provide a dataset nearly twice the size of what was collected in Run 2 (2015–2018).

Physics Briefing |

Harnessing a supercomputer for ATLAS

ATLAS researchers are exploring the potential of High Performance Computing (HPC). HPC harnesses the power of purpose-built supercomputers constructed from specialised hardware, and is used widely in other scientific disciplines.

Experiment Briefing |

ATLAS measures symmetry of Higgs boson decays to tau leptons

The ATLAS Collaboration has just released a new measurement of the CP properties of H→ττ interactions. The study of H→ττ allows researchers to understand the CP-nature of Higgs boson interactions.

Physics Briefing |

Searches united

The ATLAS Collaboration has released a new combined search for heavy vector bosons, which includes 13 individual searches studying different final states. The new combination includes, for the first time, a dedicated search for heavy particles decaying to third-generation leptons (taus).

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS looks for top quarks going against the current

Using the full Run-2 dataset, the ATLAS Collaboration has published four analyses searching for flavour-changing neutral currents in the production and decay of the top quark. The results study top-quark processes involving all four neutral bosons: the photon, gluon, Z boson and Higgs boson.

Physics Briefing |

Mass matters – but it isn't the only thing!

The ATLAS Collaboration finds evidence of parton mass, colour-charge and radiation-pattern dependence in quark-gluon-plasma induced energy loss.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS gives new insight into dijet suppression in heavy-ion collisions

At the recent Quark Matter 2022 conference in Krakow, Poland, members of the ATLAS Collaboration presented a new study of “jets” of particles travelling through the QGP. The result provides new insight into dijet suppression due to interactions with the nuclear medium.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS observes pairs of tau particles in heavy-ion collisions

Today at the Quark Matter 2022 Conference, the ATLAS Collaboration announced the observation of tau-lepton pairs created when particles of light – or photons – interact during lead-ion collisions. The result opens a new avenue for measuring how magnetic the tau lepton is – a property sensitive to new particles beyond the Standard Model.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS strengthens its search for supersymmetry

Where is all the new physics? Could it be sneaking past the standard searches? ATLAS researchers have developed innovative ways to search for new particles, improving their search programme to ensure they have the best chance of discovering new physics in Run 3 of the LHC.

Physics Briefing |

Search for new physics in Higgs boson decays with displaced photons

The ATLAS Collaboration performed a new search for exotic Higgs-boson decays using the full dataset of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC between 2015 and 2018.

Physics Briefing |

One Higgs boson found – could there be more?

Many theories suggest that the Higgs boson discovered in 2012 by the ATLAS Experiment is but the first to be observed from a larger Higgs family. A new ATLAS analysis searches for the presence of a new singly-charged Higgs boson.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS reports first observation of single top-photon production

The ATLAS Collaboration announces the first observation of “tqγ production”: the associated production of a single top quark and a photon in proton-proton collisions at the LHC.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS seeks out unusual signatures of long-lived particles

The ATLAS Collaboration has devised a range of new strategies to look for long-lived particles with various possible characteristics. Four new results from this effort were presented at the recent Lepton-Photon and La Thuile conferences.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS event selection system readies for LHC Run 3

The ATLAS trigger system operated extremely successfully during Run 1 (2009–2013) and Run 2 (2015–2018) of the LHC. It is now undergoing various upgrades in preparation for the upcoming Run-3 data-taking period, which will see a moderate increase in the rate of collisions inside the experiment.

Experiment Briefing |

Looking for the invisible with the Higgs boson

According to the Standard Model, most particles get their mass through an interaction with the Higgs field. If dark-matter particles acquire their mass in the same way, a Higgs boson created in an LHC collision might sometimes decay into a pair of “invisible” dark-matter particles. The ATLAS Collaboration has released a new search for invisible Higgs-boson decays using the full Run-2 dataset.

Physics Briefing |

ATLAS sees a difference between beauty and charm decays of the Higgs boson

Physicists from the ATLAS Collaboration have combined two measurements of the interaction strength of the Higgs boson with two different pairs of quarks. This allows physicists to test a hypothesis that the Higgs boson interacts with charm quarks (which are second-generation quarks) in the same way it interacts with beauty quarks (third-generation quarks).

Physics Briefing |

Upgraded ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter ready for next LHC operation

The ATLAS Collaboration has completed the installation of “Phase-I” upgrades of the Liquid Argon Calorimeter (LAr). The upgrades improve the read-out speed of the calorimeter’s electronics and provide more efficient event-selection capabilities. These improvements will be pivotal for data-taking during the coming high-intensity runs of the LHC.

Experiment Briefing |

ATLAS gives new insight into the internal structure of the proton

The ATLAS Collaboration has just released a new paper combining LHC and HERA data to determine Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), which describe what fraction of a proton’s momentum is taken by its constituent quarks and gluons.

Physics Briefing |

Discovery channels join forces for detailed investigation of the Higgs boson

The ATLAS Collaboration has released updated measurements of the Higgs boson properties using the full LHC Run-2 dataset (recorded 2015-2018).

Physics Briefing |