• Energy Research

Abstract The production of Z bosons in association with a high-energy photon (Zγ production) is studied in the neutrino decay channel of the Z boson using pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s}=13 $$ s = 13 TeV. The analysis uses a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. Candidate Zγ events with invisible decays of the Z boson are selected by requiring significant transverse momentum (p T) of the dineutrino system in conjunction with a single isolated photon with large transverse energy (E T). The rate of Zγ production is measured as a function of photon E T, dineutrino system p T and jet multiplicity. Evidence of anomalous triple gauge-boson couplings is sought in Zγ production with photon E T greater than 600 GeV. No excess is observed relative to the Standard Model expectation, and upper limits are set on the strength of ZZγ and Zγγ couplings.

The production of a prompt photon in association with a $Z$ boson is studied in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The analysis uses a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC from 2015 to 2018. The production cross-section for the process $pp \rightarrow \ell^+\ell^-\gamma+X$ ($\ell = e, \mu$) is measured within a fiducial phase-space region defined by kinematic requirements on the photon and the leptons, and by isolation requirements on the photon. An experimental precision of 2.9% is achieved for the fiducial cross-section. Differential cross-sections are measured as a function of each of six kinematic variables characterising the $\ell^+\ell^-\gamma$ system. The data are compared with theoretical predictions based on next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations. The impact of next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections is also considered. Journal of high energy physics 2020(3), 54 (2020). doi:10.1007/JHEP03(2020)054 Published by SISSA, [Trieste]

Abstract The dynamics of isolated-photon plus two-jet production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1. Cross sections are measured as functions of a variety of observables, including angular correlations and invariant masses of the objects in the final state, γ + jet + jet. Measurements are also performed in phase-space regions enriched in each of the two underlying physical mechanisms, namely direct and fragmentation processes. The measurements cover the range of photon (jet) transverse momenta from 150 GeV (100 GeV) to 2 TeV. The tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from Sherpa and Pythia as well as the next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from Sherpa are compared with the measurements. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions describe the data adequately in shape and normalisation except for regions of phase space such as those with high values of the invariant mass or rapidity separation of the two jets, where the predictions overestimate the data.