Search for bottom-squark pair production with the ATLAS detector in final states containing Higgs bosons, $b$-jets and missing transverse momentum in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13\,\mathrm{TeV}$

The result of a search for the production of the supersymmetric partner of the bottom-quark ($\tilde{b}_{1}$) using $79.8\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ of data collected at $\sqrt{s} = 13\,\mathrm{TeV}$ by the ATLAS detector in Run 2 is reported. In the supersymmetric scenarios considered the bottom-squarks decay to a $b$-quark and the second lightest neutralino, $\tilde{b}_{1} \rightarrow b + \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$. The $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ is assumed to subsequently decay with $100\%$ branching ratio to the Standard-Model-like Higgs boson ($h$) and the lightest neutralino: $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2} \rightarrow h + \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$. The $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and is stable. Two signal mass configurations are targeted: the first has a constant LSP mass of $60\,\mathrm{GeV}$; and the second has a constant mass difference between the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ and $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ of $130\,\mathrm{GeV}$. The final states considered contain zero leptons, three or more $b$-jets, and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model background expectation is observed in any of the signal regions considered. Limits at the $95\%$ confidence level are placed in the simplified models considered, and bottom-squarks with mass up to $1400\,\mathrm{GeV}$ are excluded.