Recognition: unknown
Search for quantum black holes in lepton+jet final states using proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=13.6 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Pith reviewed 2026-05-10 01:04 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
No significant excess above expected background is observed in high-mass lepton plus jet events, setting new upper limits on quantum black hole production reaching 9.4 TeV.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
Using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 164 inverse femtobarns at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV, the search for quantum black holes in electron plus jet or muon plus jet final states with high invariant mass observes no significant excess above the Standard Model background. Consequently, upper limits at the 95 percent confidence level are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio in several benchmark models, with the mass scale excluded reaching 9.4 TeV. These limits are the strongest exclusion limits to date on quantum black hole production.
What carries the argument
The invariant mass spectrum of lepton plus jet pairs at high values, serving as the observable to test for deviations from background expectations and to set limits on quantum black hole signals.
If this is right
- Quantum black hole production is excluded at 95 percent confidence level for masses up to 9.4 TeV in the benchmark models considered.
- The higher collision energy increases the expected signal cross section by up to an order of magnitude at the highest masses.
- The non-observation provides the tightest constraints currently available on these hypothetical particles.
- These results can inform the design of future searches with additional data or different final states.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Higher energy colliders would further extend the mass reach for searching quantum black holes if they exist.
- Other experimental channels, such as those without leptons, could be used to cross-check or strengthen these limits.
- The method of using small energy upgrades to boost high-mass sensitivity could apply to searches for other heavy new particles.
Load-bearing premise
The Standard Model background must be accurately modeled in the high-mass lepton plus jet region, and the signal simulations for the quantum black hole benchmark models must correctly predict the acceptance and cross sections.
What would settle it
A clear excess of events in the highest invariant mass bins compared to the predicted background would falsify the no-excess observation and potentially indicate quantum black hole production.
read the original abstract
A search for quantum black holes in electron+jet or muon+jet final states with high invariant mass is performed. The analysis uses data from $\sqrt{s}=13.6~\textrm{TeV}$ $pp$ collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector between 2022 and 2024 during Run~3 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $164~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. This search is strongly motivated by a dramatic increase of the production cross-section by up to an order of magnitude for the highest masses considered, thanks to the small increase of $0.6~\textrm{TeV}$ in centre-of-mass energy between Run~2 and Run~3. No significant excess above the Standard Model background is observed, and 95\% CL upper limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio in several benchmark models, reaching a mass scale of $9.4~\textrm{TeV}$. These represent the strongest exclusion limits to date on quantum black hole production.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper reports a search for quantum black holes decaying into high-mass lepton+jet final states (electron+jet or muon+jet) using 164 fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at 13.6 TeV recorded by ATLAS during Run 3 (2022-2024). No significant excess above the Standard Model background is observed, and 95% CL upper limits are placed on the production cross-section times branching ratio for several benchmark quantum black hole models, reaching an excluded mass scale of 9.4 TeV. These are presented as the strongest limits to date, benefiting from the increased center-of-mass energy relative to Run 2.
Significance. If the result holds, the work delivers the tightest LHC constraints on quantum black hole production to date. The modest 0.6 TeV increase in sqrt(s) produces up to an order-of-magnitude rise in expected signal cross-section at the highest masses considered, enabling meaningfully stronger exclusions with the new dataset. This null result supplies useful guidance for models of quantum gravity and large extra dimensions.
minor comments (1)
- The abstract states the integrated luminosity as 164 fb^{-1} but does not quote the uncertainty; adding this (standard for ATLAS papers) would improve completeness.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their positive evaluation of our manuscript and their recommendation to accept the paper. No major comments were raised in the report.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity detected
full rationale
The paper reports a standard experimental search: observed data in high-mass lepton+jet events are compared directly to simulated Standard Model backgrounds and to simulated quantum black hole signals. Upper limits at 95% CL are extracted from this comparison using standard statistical procedures. No equation or step reduces a claimed prediction or limit to a parameter that was itself fitted from the same dataset; the cross-section increase with energy is an external physical input, not an internal fit. The analysis chain is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Standard Model background processes are accurately modeled by simulation and data-driven methods in the high-mass lepton+jet region.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
N. Arkani-Hamed, S. Dimopoulos and G. Dvali, The hierarchy problem and new dimensions at a millimeter, Phys. Lett. B429(1998) 263, arXiv:hep-ph/9803315
-
[2]
I. Antoniadis, N. Arkani-Hamed, S. Dimopoulos and G. Dvali, New dimensions at a millimeter to a Fermi and superstrings at a TeV, Phys. Lett. B436(1998) 257, arXiv:hep-ph/9804398
-
[3]
A Large Mass Hierarchy from a Small Extra Dimension
L. Randall and R. Sundrum,Large mass hierarchy from a small extra dimension, Phys. Rev. Lett.83(1999) 3370, arXiv:hep-ph/9905221
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 1999
- [4]
-
[5]
P. Meade and L. Randall,Black Holes and Quantum Gravity at the LHC, JHEP05(2008) 003, arXiv:0708.3017 [hep-ph]
- [6]
- [7]
- [8]
- [9]
- [10]
- [11]
- [12]
- [13]
- [14]
- [15]
- [16]
- [17]
- [18]
- [19]
- [20]
- [21]
- [22]
- [23]
- [24]
- [25]
- [26]
-
[27]
ATLAS Collaboration,The ATLAS Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, JINST3(2008) S08003
2008
- [28]
-
[29]
Avoni et al.,The new LUCID-2 detector for luminosity measurement and monitoring in ATLAS, JINST13(2018) P07017
G. Avoni et al.,The new LUCID-2 detector for luminosity measurement and monitoring in ATLAS, JINST13(2018) P07017
2018
-
[30]
ATLAS Collaboration,Performance of the ATLAS trigger system in 2015, Eur. Phys. J. C77(2017) 317, arXiv:1611.09661 [hep-ex]. 15
work page Pith review arXiv 2015
- [31]
- [32]
- [33]
-
[34]
A comprehensive guide to the physics and usage of PYTHIA 8.3
C. Bierlich et al.,A comprehensive guide to the physics and usage of PYTHIA 8.3, SciPost Phys. Codebases (2022) 8, arXiv:2203.11601 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2022
-
[35]
J. Pumplin et al., New Generation of Parton Distributions with Uncertainties from Global QCD Analysis, JHEP07(2002) 012, arXiv:hep-ph/0201195
-
[36]
E. Bothmann et al.,Event generation with Sherpa 2.2, SciPost Phys.7(2019) 034, arXiv:1905.09127 [hep-ph]
-
[37]
NNPDF Collaboration, R. D. Ball et al.,Parton distributions for the LHC run II, JHEP04(2015) 040, arXiv:1410.8849 [hep-ph]
work page Pith review arXiv 2015
-
[38]
A Positive-Weight Next-to-Leading-Order Monte Carlo for Heavy Flavour Hadroproduction
S. Frixione, G. Ridolfi and P. Nason, A positive-weight next-to-leading-order Monte Carlo for heavy flavour hadroproduction, JHEP09(2007) 126, arXiv:0707.3088 [hep-ph]
work page Pith review arXiv 2007
-
[39]
A New Method for Combining NLO QCD with Shower Monte Carlo Algorithms
P. Nason,A new method for combining NLO QCD with shower Monte Carlo algorithms, JHEP11(2004) 040, arXiv:hep-ph/0409146
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2004
-
[40]
Matching NLO QCD computations with Parton Shower simulations: the POWHEG method
S. Frixione, P. Nason and C. Oleari, Matching NLO QCD computations with parton shower simulations: the POWHEG method, JHEP11(2007) 070, arXiv:0709.2092 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2007
-
[41]
A general framework for implementing NLO calculations in shower Monte Carlo programs: the POWHEG BOX
S. Alioli, P. Nason, C. Oleari and E. Re,A general framework for implementing NLO calculations in shower Monte Carlo programs: the POWHEG BOX, JHEP06(2010) 043, arXiv:1002.2581 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2010
-
[42]
J. Alwall et al.,The automated computation of tree-level and next-to-leading order differential cross sections, and their matching to parton shower simulations, JHEP07(2014) 079, arXiv:1405.0301 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2014
-
[43]
T. Sjöstrand et al.,An introduction to PYTHIA 8.2, Comput. Phys. Commun.191(2015) 159, arXiv:1410.3012 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2015
-
[44]
D. J. Lange,The EvtGen particle decay simulation package, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A462(2001) 152
2001
-
[45]
ATLAS Collaboration,The ATLAS Simulation Infrastructure, Eur. Phys. J. C70(2010) 823, arXiv:1005.4568 [physics.ins-det]
work page Pith review arXiv 2010
-
[46]
Agostinelli et al.,Geant4– a simulation toolkit, Nucl
S. Agostinelli et al.,Geant4– a simulation toolkit, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A506(2003) 250
2003
- [47]
-
[48]
K. Werner, F.-M. Liu and T. Pierog, Parton ladder splitting and the rapidity dependence of transverse momentum spectra in deuteron–gold collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, Phys. Rev. C74(2006) 044902, arXiv:hep-ph/0506232
work page Pith review arXiv 2006
- [49]
- [50]
- [51]
-
[52]
ATLAS Collaboration, Jet reconstruction and performance using particle flow with the ATLAS Detector, Eur. Phys. J. C77(2017) 466, arXiv:1703.10485 [hep-ex]
work page Pith review arXiv 2017
-
[53]
The anti-k_t jet clustering algorithm
M. Cacciari, G. P. Salam and G. Soyez,The anti-𝑘𝑡 jet clustering algorithm, JHEP04(2008) 063, arXiv:0802.1189 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2008
-
[54]
M. Cacciari, G. P. Salam and G. Soyez,FastJet user manual, Eur. Phys. J. C72(2012) 1896, arXiv:1111.6097 [hep-ph]
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2012
- [55]
-
[56]
ATLAS Collaboration,Performance of pile-up mitigation techniques for jets in𝑝 𝑝collisions at√𝑠=8TeV using the ATLAS detector, Eur. Phys. J. C76(2016) 581, arXiv:1510.03823 [hep-ex]
work page Pith review arXiv 2016
- [57]
- [58]
- [59]
- [60]
- [61]
-
[62]
Asymptotic formulae for likelihood-based tests of new physics
G. Cowan, K. Cranmer, E. Gross and O. Vitells, Asymptotic formulae for likelihood-based tests of new physics, Eur. Phys. J. C71(2011) 1554, arXiv:1007.1727 [physics.data-an], Erratum: Eur. Phys. J. C73(2013) 2501. 17
work page internal anchor Pith review arXiv 2011
-
[63]
ATLAS Collaboration,ATLAS Computing Acknowledgements, ATL-SOFT-PUB-2026-001, 2026, url:https://cds.cern.ch/record/2952666. 18 The ATLAS Collaboration G. Aad 102, E. Aakvaag 17, B. Abbott 121, S. Abdelhameed 83b, K. Abeling 54, N.J. Abicht 48, S.H. Abidi 30, M. Aboelela 44, A. Aboulhorma 36e, H. Abramowicz 154, B.S. Acharya 68a,68b,m, A. Ackermann 62a, C. ...
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.