Search for nonresonant pair production of Higgs bosons in the bb¯bb¯ final state in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract

A search for nonresonant Higgs boson pair production in the Formula Presented final state is presented. The analysis uses Formula Presented of Formula Presented collision data at Formula Presented collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, and targets both the gluon-gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion production modes. No evidence of the signal is found and the observed (expected) upper limit on the cross section for nonresonant Higgs boson pair production is determined to be 5.4 (8.1) times the Standard Model predicted cross section at 95% confidence level. Constraints are placed on modifiers to the Formula Presented and Formula Presented couplings. The observed (expected) Formula Presented constraints on the Formula Presented coupling modifier, Formula Presented, are determined to be Formula Presented (Formula Presented), while the corresponding constraints for the Formula Presented coupling modifier, Formula Presented, are Formula Presented (Formula Presented). In addition, constraints on relevant coefficients are derived in the context of the Standard Model effective field theory and Higgs effective field theory, and upper limits on the Formula Presented production cross section are placed in seven Higgs effective field theory benchmark scenarios.