Search for an axion-like particle with forward proton scattering in association with photon pairs at ATLAS


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Aad G., Abbott B., Abeling K., Abicht N., Abidi S., Aboulhorma A., ...More

JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS, vol.2023, no.7, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 2023 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/jhep07(2023)234
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, INSPEC, zbMATH, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Keywords: CP Violation, Hadron-Hadron Scattering
  • Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A search for forward proton scattering in association with light-by-light scattering mediated by an axion-like particle is presented, using the ATLAS Forward Proton spectrometer to detect scattered protons and the central ATLAS detector to detect pairs of outgoing photons. Proton-proton collision data recorded in 2017 at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13TeV were analysed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.6 fb(-1). A total of 441 candidate events were selected. A search was made for a narrow resonance in the diphoton mass distribution, corresponding to an axion-like particle (ALP) with mass in the range 150-1600 GeV. No excess is observed above a smooth background. Upper limits on the production cross section of a narrow resonance are set as a function of the mass, and are interpreted as upper limits on the ALP production coupling constant, assuming 100% decay branching ratio into a photon pair. The inferred upper limit on the coupling constant is in the range 0.04-0.09TeV-1 at 95% confidence level.