Search for the $HH \rightarrow b \bar{b} b \bar{b}$ process via vector-boson fusion production using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for Higgs boson pair production via vector-boson fusion (VBF) in the $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final state is carried out with the ATLAS experiment, using 126 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data delivered at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the Large Hadron Collider. This search is sensitive to VBF production of additional heavy bosons that may decay into Higgs boson pairs, and in a non-resonant topology it can constrain the quartic coupling between the Higgs bosons and vector bosons. No significant excess, relative to the background-only Standard Model expectation, is observed, and limits on the production cross-section are set at the 95% confidence level for a heavy scalar resonance in the context of an extended Higgs sector, and for non-resonant Higgs boson pair production. Interpretation in terms of the coupling between a Higgs boson pair and two vector bosons is also provided: coupling values normalised to the Standard Model expectation of $\kappa_{2V} 2.89$ are excluded at the 95% confidence level in data