Measurement of exclusive γ γ → W + W − production and search for exclusive Higgs boson production in p p collisions at s = 8     TeV using the ATLAS detector

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Abstract
Searches for exclusively produced W boson pairs in the process p p ( γ γ ) → p W + W - p and an exclusively produced Higgs boson in the process p p ( g g ) → p H p have been performed using e ± μ ∓ final states. These measurements use 20.2 fb - 1 of p p collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at a center-of-mass energy √ s = 8 TeV at the LHC. Exclusive production of W + W - consistent with the Standard Model prediction is found with 3.0 σ significance. The exclusive W + W - production cross section is determined to be σ ( γ γ → W + W - → e ± μ ∓ X ) = 6.9 ± 2.2 ( stat ) ± 1.4 ( sys ) fb , in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings are set at 95% confidence level as - 1.7 × 10 - 6 < a W 0 / Λ 2 < 1.7 × 10 - 6 GeV - 2 and - 6.4 × 10 - 6 < a W C / Λ 2 < 6.3more » × 10 - 6 GeV - 2 . A 95% confidence-level upper limit on the total production cross section for an exclusive Higgs boson is set to 1.2 pb.« less
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