This Letter analyzes the sensitivity of event geometry estimators to the initial-state kinematics of hard scattering in proton–lead collisions. This analysis uses dijets as a proxy for the parton–parton scattering configuration, correlating it with event geometry estimators, namely the energy deposited in the Zero-Degree Calorimeter and the transverse energy recorded in the Forward Calorimeter in the Pb-going direction. The analysis uses data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider with a nucleon–nucleon center-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 56 nb⁻¹. The jets are measured within the pseudorapidity interval −2.8  <  η  <  4.5, where positive η values correspond to the direction of the proton beam. Results are presented as a function of the Bjorken-x of the parton originating from the proton, x_p. Both event geometry estimators are found to be dependent on x_p, with the energy deposited in the Zero-Degree Calorimeter about six times less sensitive to x_p compared with the transverse energy deposited in the Forward Calorimeter.

A combination of measurements sensitive to anomalous quartic electroweak gauge boson couplings is presented using proton–proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at √𝑠 = 13 TeV at the LHC. Contributing analyses include measurements of vector-boson scattering in numerous final states as well as a tri-boson measurement. The combined measurement is used to constrain anomalous electroweak boson quartic self-couplings that result from dimension-8 operators in the Éboli model using an effective field theory. Results are presented as 68% and 95% confidence level intervals parameterised by one or two Wilson coefficients, both with and without unitarity constraints applied. Theoretical bounds from unitarity and positivity are overlaid where relevant. Confidence intervals obtained from simultaneous profiled fits to all Wilson coefficients are also presented.

Events with t-channel single top quarks are used to probe effective field theory operators in s=13 TeV proton–proton collision data corresponding to 140 fb−1 recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. To extract a maximum amount of information from these events, the joint fourfold probability distribution for four kinematic angles is simultaneously analysed. A method leveraging Fourier techniques to handle the challenges arising from this approach is employed. The relevant effective field theory operators are those sensitive to top-quark decay and t-channel production vertices. Their Wilson coefficients are tightly constrained, with results compatible with Standard Model predictions.

This paper presents differential cross-section measurements of events containing a charged lepton, missing transverse momentum, two b-jets, and two light jets, consistent with the W+W−bb¯ final state. The analysis is based on 140 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at s=13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider (2015–2018). Differential cross-sections are unfolded at particle level for a range of kinematic observables and in three kinematic regions. Both regions and observables are optimised for sensitivity to the interference between W+W−bb¯ produced with singly and doubly resonant top quarks. Results are compared with various theoretical predictions and deviations are observed in regions sensitive to the interference between singly and doubly resonant top-quark production. The unfolded results provide new information about the modelling of interference and off-shell effects of the W+W−bb¯ final state, improving the understanding of top-quark production mechanisms and providing new inputs for future Monte Carlo generator development.

This paper reports the observation of electroweak diboson (WW/WZ/ZZ) production in association with a high-mass dijet system, in which final states with one boson decaying leptonically and the other boson decaying hadronically are studied. The hadronically decaying W/Z boson is reconstructed as either two small-radius jets or one large-radius jet with jet substructure requirements. The data analyzed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector during the 2015-2018 data taking at the Large Hadron Collider. The electroweak production of WW/WZ/ZZ in association with two jets is observed in a phase space dominated by vector-boson scattering with a significance of 7.4σ (expected 6.1σ) and the signal strength is determined to be 1.28+0.23−0.21. The corresponding production cross section in a fiducial phase space is measured in addition. The signal strengths of both electroweak and QCD associated diboson productions are furthermore measured in a two-dimensional fit, the result of which agrees with the Standard Model prediction. The data are interpreted in the context of a dimension-8 effective field theory to probe anomalous quartic gauge couplings resulting in the first set of exclusion limits on the Wilson coefficients in the semileptonic channel reported by the ATLAS Collaboration. The observed limits for the S02, T0 and M0 operators are (−3.96<fS02/Λ4<3.96) TeV−4, (−0.25<fT0/Λ4<0.22) TeV−4, (−1.26<fM0/Λ4<1.25) TeV−4.

Anisotropic flow and radial flow are two key probes of the expansion dynamics and properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). While anisotropic flow has been extensively studied, radial flow, which governs the system’s radial expansion, has received less attention. Notably, direct experimental evidence for the global and collective nature of radial flow fluctuations has been lacking. This Letter presents the first measurement of transverse momentum (𝑝T) dependence of radial flow fluctuations (𝑣0⁡(𝑝T)) over 0.5 <𝑝T <10  GeV and demonstrates its collective nature using a two-particle correlation method in Pb+Pb collisions at √𝑠NN=5.02  TeV. The data reveal three key features supporting the collective nature of radial flow: long-range correlation in pseudorapidity, factorization in 𝑝T, and centrality-independent shape in 𝑝T. The comparison with a hydrodynamic model demonstrates the sensitivity of 𝑣0⁡(𝑝T) to bulk viscosity, a crucial transport property of the QGP. These findings establish a new, powerful tool for probing collective dynamics and properties of the QGP.

The ATLAS experiment has performed a measurement of coherent exclusive J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ production in ultraperipheral Pb+Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.36 TeV. The data was recorded at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) during 2023, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 79 μb⁻¹. Exclusive J/ψ candidates were selected with a dedicated track-sensitive trigger based on the ATLAS transition radiation tracker. The analysis involves reconstruction of the dimuon invariant mass based on muon tracks from the inner detector, as the muon transverse momentum range of interest precludes the use of the standard muon reconstruction and identification algorithms. Differential cross sections are measured as a function of J/ψ rapidity and are compared with theoretical predictions. After extrapolation to sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV, they are also compared with previous measurements performed by other experiments using data from LHC Run 2. While the results agree reasonably well with theoretical predictions, they are in tension with previous Run-2 results for the central rapidity region.

The production of single top quarks and top antiquarks via the t-channel exchange of a virtual W boson is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The full Run 2 data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector in the years 2015–2018 is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The absolute and normalised production cross-sections are measured differentially as a function of the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity of the top quark and top antiquark. In addition, the ratio of top quark to top antiquark production cross-sections is measured. The measured distributions are compared with next-to-leading-order quantum chromodynamics predictions obtained with different combinations of matrix-element generators, parton-shower programs and proton parton distribution functions, as well as to next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations. Overall, good agreement is observed between the measurements and the theoretical predictions. For most measured distributions, the sensitivity to differences between the predictions is limited by the systematic uncertainties in the measurement. The measured differential distributions are also interpreted in an effective field theory approach to constrain the Wilson-Coefficient CQq3,1 associated with a four-quark operator. The interpretation accounts for the effect of the selection efficiency, which is altered significantly by non-zero contributions from CQq3,1.

A measurement of the associated production of a top-quark pair with the Higgs boson (tt¯H) in multilepton final states is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. Six final states defined by the number and flavour of reconstructed charged leptons are combined in a simultaneous likelihood fit to extract the tt¯H signal and constrain the most relevant backgrounds. The measured tt¯H cross-section normalised to Standard Model (SM) prediction is σtt¯H/σSM=0.63−0.19+0.20. This result corresponds to an observed (expected) significance of 3.3σ (5.3σ). Additionally, two other fits are used to measure the tt¯H cross-section differentially in bins of the Higgs boson transverse momentum in the simplified template cross-section framework, and to extract the associated production cross-section of a single top-quark with the Higgs boson (tH) together with the tt¯H one. The CP structure of the top quark-Higgs boson Yukawa coupling is probed through an analysis of tt¯H and tH events. The results are compatible with the SM hypothesis, and values of the mixing angle between CP-even and CP-odd top-Higgs Yukawa couplings of |α| > 62° are excluded at 68% confidence level.

The top-quark mass is measured using top-quark decays producing an isolated lepton and J/ψ meson reconstructed in its μ⁺μ⁻ decay mode. The data sample was recorded with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=13 TeV during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb⁻¹. The measurement is based on the invariant mass m(ℓμ⁺μ⁻) of the system made of the isolated lepton ℓ from the W boson decay and the non-isolated μ⁺μ⁻ pair from a J/ψ decay of a b-hadron, exploiting its sensitivity to the top-quark mass. An unbinned maximum-likelihood fit to the m(ℓμ⁺μ⁻) distribution is performed to extract the top-quark mass. The top-quark mass is measured to be m_top = 172.17 ± 0.80 (stat) ± 0.81 (syst) ± 1.07 (recoil) GeV, with a total uncertainty of 1.56 GeV. The third uncertainty arises from changing the dipole parton shower gluon-recoil scheme used in top-quark decays.