Abstract

This Letter describes the observation of the light-by-light scattering process, γγ→γγ, in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV. The analysis is conducted using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.73 nb^{-1}, collected in November 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy E_{T}^{γ}>3 GeV and pseudorapidity |η_{γ}|<2.4, diphoton invariant mass above 6GeV, and small diphoton transverse momentum and acoplanarity. After applying all selection criteria, 59 candidate events are observed for a background expectation of 12±3 events. The observed excess of events over the expected background has a significance of 8.2 standard deviations. The measured fiducial cross section is 78±13(stat)±7(syst)±3(lumi) nb.

Highlights

  • Pb an integrated luminosity of 1.73 nb−1, collected in November 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

  • Light-by-light scattering candidates are selected in events with two photons produced exclusively, each with transverse energy EγT > 3 GeV and pseudorapidity jηγj < 2.4, diphoton invariant mass above 6 GeV, and small diphoton transverse momentum and acoplanarity

  • Light-by-light scattering, γγ → γγ, is a quantummechanical process that is forbidden in the classical theory of electrodynamics [1,2]

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Summary

Featured in Physics

ColTlihsiiosnLseattterpdffisffieffiNffisffiNfficffi r1⁄4ibe5s.0t2heTeoVbs.eTrvhaetioannaolyfsitsheislicgohnt-dbuyc-tleigdhtussicnagttearidnagtaprsoacmespsl,e γγ → γγ, in Pb corresponding þ to. Light-by-light scattering graphs with electron loops contribute to the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron and muon [10,11] Strong evidence for this process in relativistic heavy-ion (Pb þ Pb) collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been reported by the ATLAS [12] and CMS [13] collaborations with observed significances of 4.4 and 4.1 standard deviations, respectively. The theoretical uncertainty of the cross section is mainly due to the limited knowledge of the nuclear form factors and initial photon fluxes In order to suppress the γγ → eþe− background, events are rejected if they have a charged-particle track with pT > 100 MeV, jηj < 2.5, and at least six hits in the pixel and microstrip detectors, including at least one pixel hit. According to the MC simulation, these requirements reduce the fake photon background from the dielectron final state by a factor of 104, while being 93% efficient for γγ → γγ signal events

Photon PID efficiency
Findings
The measured fiducial cross section is
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