Professor Daniela Bortoletto

Abstract:

An anomaly detection search for narrow-width resonances beyond the Standard Model that decay into a pair of jets is presented. The search is based on $139{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\mathrm{TeV}$ recorded during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is optimized without a particular signal model and aims to be sensitive to a broad range of new physics. It uses two different machine learning strategies to estimate the background in different signal regions. In each region, a weakly supervised classifier is trained to distinguish this background model from data. The analysis focuses on events with high transverse momentum jets reconstructed as large-radius jets. The mass and substructure of these jets are used as inputs to the classifiers. After a classifier-based selection, the distribution of the invariant mass of the two jets is used to search for potential local excesses. The model-independent results of both the anomaly detection methods show no signs of significant local excesses. In addition to model-independent results, a representative set of signal models is injected into the data, and the sensitivity of the methods to these scenarios is reported.

Abstract:

The MALTA monolithic active pixel detector is developed to address some of the challenges anticipated in future high-energy physics detectors. As part of its characterization, we conducted timing studies necessary to provide a figure of merit for this family of monolithic pixel detectors. MALTA has a metal layer in front-end electronics, and the conventional laser technique is not suitable for timing studies due to the reflection of the laser from the metallic surface. X-rays have been employed as a more effective alternative for penetration through these layers. The triggered X-ray set-up is designed to study timing measurements of monolithic detectors. The timing response of the X-ray set-up is characterized using an LGAD. The timing response of the MALTA and MALTA2 pixel detectors is studied, and the best response time of MALTA2 pixel detectors is measured at about 2.6 ns.

Abstract:

This Letter reports the first evidence of electroweak production of same-sign $W$ boson pairs where at least one of the $W$ bosons is longitudinally polarized and the most stringent constraint to date for the production of two longitudinally polarized same-sign $W$ bosons. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $140{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected with the ATLAS detector during run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. The study is performed in final states including two same-sign leptons (electrons or muons), missing transverse momentum, and at least two jets with a large invariant mass and a large rapidity difference. Two independent fits are performed targeting the production of same-sign $W$ bosons with at least one, or two longitudinally polarized $W$ bosons. The observed (expected) significance of the production with at least one longitudinally polarized $W$ boson is 3.3 (4.0) standard deviations. An observed (expected) 95% confidence level upper limit of 0.45 (0.70) fb is reported on the fiducial production cross section of two longitudinally polarized same-sign $W$ bosons.

Abstract:

A search is performed for dark matter particles produced in association with a resonant pair of Higgs bosons using 140 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This signature is expected in some extensions of the Standard Model predicting the production of dark matter particles, and is interpreted in terms of a dark Higgs model containing a Z′ mediator in which the dark Higgs boson s decays into a pair of Higgs bosons. The dark Higgs boson is reconstructed through final states with at least three b-tagged jets, produced by the pair of Higgs boson decays, in events with significant missing transverse momentum consistent with the presence of dark matter. The observed data are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions, constraining scenarios with dark Higgs boson masses within the range of 250 to 400 GeV and Z′ mediators up to 2.3 TeV.

Abstract:

Abstract The jet energy calibration and its uncertainties are derived from measurements of the calorimeter response to single particles in both data and Monte Carlo simulation using proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 13$$ s = 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 at the Large Hadron Collider. The jet calibration uncertainty for anti- $$k_T$$ k T jets with a jet radius parameter of R $$_\textrm{jet} = 0.4$$ jet = 0.4 and in the central jet rapidity region is about 2.5% for transverse momenta ( $$p_{\text {T}}$$ p T ) of 20 $$\text {GeV}$$ GeV , about $$0.5\%$$ 0.5 % for $$p_{\text {T}} =300$$ p T = 300 $$\text {GeV}$$ GeV and $$0.7\%$$ 0.7 % for $$p_{\text {T}} =4$$ p T = 4 $$\text {TeV}$$ TeV . Excellent agreement is found with earlier determinations obtained from $$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T -balance based in situ methods ( $$Z/\gamma $$ Z / γ +jets). The combination of these two independent methods results in the most precise jet energy measurement achieved so far with the ATLAS detector with a relative uncertainty of $$0.3\%$$ 0.3 % at $$p_\textrm{T}=300$$ p T = 300 GeV and $$0.6\%$$ 0.6 % at 4 TeV. The jet energy calibration is also derived with the single-particle calorimeter response measurements separately for quark- and gluon-induced jets and furthermore for jets with R $$_\textrm{jet}$$ jet varying from 0.2 to 1.0 retaining the correlations between these measurements. Differences between inclusive jets and jets from boosted top-quark decays, with and without grooming the soft jet constituents, are also studied.