Evidence for light-by-light scattering in heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

ATLAS Collaboration

doi:10.1038/nphys4208

Evidence for light-by-light scattering in heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

ATLAS Collaboration

iThemba Labs
Department of Physics
University of South Africa
Cadi Ayyad University
Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science Innovation and Research (MAScIR)
Dep Física and CEFITEC of Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
NOVA University Lisbon
CERN
Mohamed I University
Aix-Marseille Université
University of Oklahoma
University of Texas at Arlington
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences
IN2P3/CNRS
University of Toronto
University of California at Santa Cruz
University of Sussex
Tel Aviv University
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
University of Oregon
Stockholm University
Oskar Klein Centre
National Institute for Nuclear Physics
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The University of Tokyo
AGH University of Krakow
Northern Illinois University
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
University of Belgrade
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi
Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas
University of Granada
Boston University
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Kyoto University
Lund University
P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
University of Bologna
University of Victoria BC
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
National Technical University of Athens
Czech Technical University in Prague
University of Salento
The University of Chicago

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

350 Scopus citations

Abstract

Light-by-light scattering (γγ → γγ) is a quantum-mechanical process that is forbidden in the classical theory of electrodynamics. This reaction is accessible at the Large Hadron Collider thanks to the large electromagnetic field strengths generated by ultra-relativistic colliding lead ions. Using 480 μ¹ of lead-lead collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the ATLAS detector, here we report evidence for light-by-light scattering. A total of 13 candidate events were observed with an expected background of 2.6 ± 0.7 events. After background subtraction and analysis corrections, the fiducial cross-section of the process Pb + Pb (γγ) → Pb^(∗) + Pb^(∗) _γγ,for photon transverse energy E_T > 3GeV, photon absolute pseudorapidity |η| <2.4, diphoton invariant mass greater than 6GeV, diphoton transverse momentum lower than 2GeV and diphoton acoplanarity below 0.01, is measured to be 70 ± 24 (stat.) ±17 (syst.) nb, which is in agreement with the standard model predictions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	852-858
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nature Physics
Volume	13
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys4208
State	Published - Sep 5 2017

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10.1038/nphys4208

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@article{f6499a1ba06a46e1a60858326e1714e1,

title = "Evidence for light-by-light scattering in heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC",

abstract = "Light-by-light scattering (γγ → γγ) is a quantum-mechanical process that is forbidden in the classical theory of electrodynamics. This reaction is accessible at the Large Hadron Collider thanks to the large electromagnetic field strengths generated by ultra-relativistic colliding lead ions. Using 480 μ1 of lead-lead collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the ATLAS detector, here we report evidence for light-by-light scattering. A total of 13 candidate events were observed with an expected background of 2.6 ± 0.7 events. After background subtraction and analysis corrections, the fiducial cross-section of the process Pb + Pb (γγ) → Pb(∗) + Pb(∗) γγ,for photon transverse energy ET > 3GeV, photon absolute pseudorapidity |η| <2.4, diphoton invariant mass greater than 6GeV, diphoton transverse momentum lower than 2GeV and diphoton acoplanarity below 0.01, is measured to be 70 ± 24 (stat.) ±17 (syst.) nb, which is in agreement with the standard model predictions.",

author = "\{ATLAS Collaboration\} and M. Aaboud and G. Aad and B. Abbott and J. Abdallah and O. Abdinov and B. Abeloos and Abidi, \{S. H.\} and AbouZeid, \{O. S.\} and Abraham, \{N. L.\} and H. Abramowicz and H. Abreu and R. Abreu and Y. Abulaiti and Acharya, \{B. S.\} and S. Adachi and L. Adamczyk and J. Adelman and M. Adersberger and T. Adye and Affolder, \{A. A.\} and T. Agatonovic-Jovin and C. Agheorghiesei and Aguilar-Saavedra, \{J. A.\} and Ahlen, \{S. P.\} and F. Ahmadov and G. Aielli and S. Akatsuka and H. Akerstedt and {\AA}kesson, \{T. P.A.\} and Akimov, \{A. V.\} and Alberghi, \{G. L.\} and J. Albert and \{Alconada Verzini\}, \{M. J.\} and M. Aleksa and Aleksandrov, \{I. N.\} and C. Alexa and G. Alexander and T. Alexopoulos and M. Alhroob and B. Ali and M. Aliev and G. Alimonti and J. Alison and H. Arnold and \{Da Via\}, C. and V. Dao and J. Hobbs and J. Jia and G. Piacquadio and D. Tsybychev",

year = "2017",

month = sep,

day = "5",

doi = "10.1038/nphys4208",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

pages = "852--858",

journal = "Nature Physics",

issn = "1745-2473",

number = "9",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Evidence for light-by-light scattering in heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

AU - ATLAS Collaboration

AU - Aaboud, M.

AU - Aad, G.

AU - Abbott, B.

AU - Abdallah, J.

AU - Abdinov, O.

AU - Abeloos, B.

AU - Abidi, S. H.

AU - AbouZeid, O. S.

AU - Abraham, N. L.

AU - Abramowicz, H.

AU - Abreu, H.

AU - Abreu, R.

AU - Abulaiti, Y.

AU - Acharya, B. S.

AU - Adachi, S.

AU - Adamczyk, L.

AU - Adelman, J.

AU - Adersberger, M.

AU - Adye, T.

AU - Affolder, A. A.

AU - Agatonovic-Jovin, T.

AU - Agheorghiesei, C.

AU - Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.

AU - Ahlen, S. P.

AU - Ahmadov, F.

AU - Aielli, G.

AU - Akatsuka, S.

AU - Akerstedt, H.

AU - Åkesson, T. P.A.

AU - Akimov, A. V.

AU - Alberghi, G. L.

AU - Albert, J.

AU - Alconada Verzini, M. J.

AU - Aleksa, M.

AU - Aleksandrov, I. N.

AU - Alexa, C.

AU - Alexander, G.

AU - Alexopoulos, T.

AU - Alhroob, M.

AU - Ali, B.

AU - Aliev, M.

AU - Alimonti, G.

AU - Alison, J.

AU - Arnold, H.

AU - Da Via, C.

AU - Dao, V.

AU - Hobbs, J.

AU - Jia, J.

AU - Piacquadio, G.

AU - Tsybychev, D.

PY - 2017/9/5

Y1 - 2017/9/5

N2 - Light-by-light scattering (γγ → γγ) is a quantum-mechanical process that is forbidden in the classical theory of electrodynamics. This reaction is accessible at the Large Hadron Collider thanks to the large electromagnetic field strengths generated by ultra-relativistic colliding lead ions. Using 480 μ1 of lead-lead collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the ATLAS detector, here we report evidence for light-by-light scattering. A total of 13 candidate events were observed with an expected background of 2.6 ± 0.7 events. After background subtraction and analysis corrections, the fiducial cross-section of the process Pb + Pb (γγ) → Pb(∗) + Pb(∗) γγ,for photon transverse energy ET > 3GeV, photon absolute pseudorapidity |η| <2.4, diphoton invariant mass greater than 6GeV, diphoton transverse momentum lower than 2GeV and diphoton acoplanarity below 0.01, is measured to be 70 ± 24 (stat.) ±17 (syst.) nb, which is in agreement with the standard model predictions.

AB - Light-by-light scattering (γγ → γγ) is a quantum-mechanical process that is forbidden in the classical theory of electrodynamics. This reaction is accessible at the Large Hadron Collider thanks to the large electromagnetic field strengths generated by ultra-relativistic colliding lead ions. Using 480 μ1 of lead-lead collision data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV by the ATLAS detector, here we report evidence for light-by-light scattering. A total of 13 candidate events were observed with an expected background of 2.6 ± 0.7 events. After background subtraction and analysis corrections, the fiducial cross-section of the process Pb + Pb (γγ) → Pb(∗) + Pb(∗) γγ,for photon transverse energy ET > 3GeV, photon absolute pseudorapidity |η| <2.4, diphoton invariant mass greater than 6GeV, diphoton transverse momentum lower than 2GeV and diphoton acoplanarity below 0.01, is measured to be 70 ± 24 (stat.) ±17 (syst.) nb, which is in agreement with the standard model predictions.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85028933316

U2 - 10.1038/nphys4208

DO - 10.1038/nphys4208

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85028933316

SN - 1745-2473

VL - 13

SP - 852

EP - 858

JO - Nature Physics

JF - Nature Physics

IS - 9

ER -

Evidence for light-by-light scattering in heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

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