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

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 $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV were analysed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.6 fb${}^{-1}$. A total of 441 candidate signal 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 0.04-0.09 TeV${}^{-1}$ at 95%confidence level.

arXiv comment36 pages in total, author list starting page 19, 8 figures, 1 tables, published by JHEP. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/EXOT-2019-28/

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Searches for axion-like particles via $\gamma \gamma$ fusion at future ${\mathrm{e}}^{+}{\mathrm{e}}^{-}$ colliders
• Search for high-mass exclusive diphoton production with tagged protons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV
• Leptophilic Axion-like Particles at Forward Detectors
• Strategy to measure tau $g-2$ via photon fusion in LHC proton collisions
• The LHC as an Axion-Photon Collider
• Constraints on Axion Dark Matter by Spin-Dependent Macroscopic Force