A Search for Resonances Decaying to a $W$ or $Z$ Boson and a Higgs Boson in the $q\bar{q}^{(\prime)}b\bar{b}$ Final State

A search for resonances decaying to a $W$ or $Z$ boson and a Higgs boson in the $q\bar{q}^{(\prime)}b\bar{b}$ final state is described. The search uses 13.3 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The data are in agreement with the Standard Model background expectation, with the largest excess found at 3 TeV with a local significance of 3.5 $\sigma$. The global significance of this excess is 2.5 $\sigma$. The results are presented in terms of constraints on a simplified model with a Heavy Vector Triplet. Upper limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio for resonances decaying to a $W$ ($Z$) boson and a Higgs boson with values ranging between 0.12 and 0.006 pb (0.26 and 0.008 pb) at 95% confidence level for resonance masses in the range between 1 and 3.5 TeV.