Measurement of light-by-light scattering and search for axion-like particles with 2.2 nb−1 of Pb+Pb data with the ATLAS detector

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Contributors

  • The ATLAS collaboration - , Polytechnic University of Bucharest, iThemba Labs, University of Pretoria, University of South Africa, Cadi Ayyad University, NOVA University Lisbon, CERN (Author)
  • Chair of Experimental Particle Physics
  • Chair of Particle Physics
  • Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics
  • Aix-Marseille Université
  • University of Oklahoma
  • University of Massachusetts
  • University of Göttingen
  • Royal Holloway University of London
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Copenhagen
  • University of Sussex
  • Tel Aviv University
  • Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • National Institute for Nuclear Physics
  • Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
  • King's College London (KCL)
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
  • Université Grenoble Alpes
  • AGH University of Science and Technology
  • Northern Illinois University
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
  • Bogazici University
  • Istanbul University
  • University of Geneva
  • Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
  • University of California at Santa Cruz
  • Université Paris-Saclay
  • TUD Dresden University of Technology
  • University College London
  • University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)

Abstract

This paper describes a measurement of light-by-light scattering based on Pb+Pb collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 2 of the LHC. The study uses 2.2 nb−1 of integrated luminosity collected in 2015 and 2018 at sNN = 5.02 TeV. Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy ETγ> 2.5 GeV, pseudorapidity |ηγ| < 2.37, diphoton invariant mass mγγ> 5 GeV, and with small diphoton transverse momentum and diphoton acoplanarity. The integrated and differential fiducial cross sections are measured and compared with theoretical predictions. The diphoton invariant mass distribution is used to set limits on the production of axion-like particles. This result provides the most stringent limits to date on axion-like particle production for masses in the range 6–100 GeV. Cross sections above 2 to 70 nb are excluded at the 95% CL in that mass interval. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number243
JournalJournal of high energy physics
Volume2021
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Hadron-Hadron scattering (experiments)