Search for heavy Majorana neutrinos in $e^{\pm} e^{\pm}$ and $e^{\pm} \mu^{\pm}$ final states via WW scattering in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

A search for heavy Majorana neutrinos in scattering of same-sign $W$ boson pairs in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 13$ TeV at the LHC is reported. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the ATLAS detector during 2015-2018. The search is performed in final states including a same-sign $ee$ or $e\mu$ pair and at least two jets with large invariant mass and a large rapidity difference. No significant excess of events with respect to the Standard Model background predictions is observed. The results are interpreted in a benchmark scenario of the Phenomenological Type-I Seesaw model. New constraints are set on the values of the $\vert V_{e N} \vert^{2}$ and $\vert V_{e N} V^{*}_{\mu N} \vert$ parameters for heavy Majorana neutrino masses between 50 GeV and 20 TeV, where $V_{\ell N}$ is the matrix element describing the mixing of the heavy Majorana neutrino mass eigenstate with the Standard Model neutrino of flavour $\ell = e, \mu$. The sensitivity to the Weinberg operator is investigated and constraints on the effective $ee$ and $e\mu$ Majorana neutrino masses are reported. The statistical combination of the $ee$ and $e\mu$ channels with the previously published $\mu\mu$ channel is performed.