Early Searches with Jets with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC

We summarize the analysis of high-pT jets in early pp collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector. Two searches for new physics are presented: One for dijet resonances, and one for quark contact interactions. The first search sets the most stringent current limit on the mass of a hypothetical excited quark.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of the 35th International Conference of High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2010), Paris, France, July 22-28, 201

How to Use Experimental Data to Compute the Probability of Your Theory

This article is geared towards theorists interested in estimating parameters of their theoretical models, and computing their own limits using available experimental data and elementary Mathematica code. The examples given can be useful also to experimentalists who wish to learn how to use Bayesian methods. A thorough introduction precedes the practical part, to make clear the advantages and shortcomings of the method, and to prevent its abuse. The goal of this article is to help bridge the gap between theory and experiment.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figure

Model Independent Search For New Physics At The Tevatron

This thesis is a global, model-independent search for new physics, performed with CDF Run II data. The Standard Model prediction is implemented in all final states simultaneously, and an array of statistical probes is employed to search for significant discrepancies between data and prediction. The probes (also known as "Vista", "Sleuth" and "Bump Hunter") are sensitive to population discrepancies, shape disagreements in distributions of kinematic variables, excesses of events of high total transverse momentum, and local excesses of data suggesting resonant production of new massive particles. The result of this search, first in 1 fb-1 and then in 2 fb-1, is null, namely no considerable evidence of new physics was found.Comment: 242 pages, MIT Ph.D. Thesi

Vista at CDF: Results of a model-independent search for new physics in 927 pb**-1 at CDF

A global, model-independent search for high-pT exotic phenomena is presented using 927 pb{sup -1} of CDF II data. The search algorithms employed in this analysis are Vista and Sleuth. These proceedings focus on Vista, including a description of the method and a summary of results

Sleuth at CDF: A Quasi-model-independent search for new electroweak scale physics

These proceedings describe Sleuth, a quasi-model-independent search strategy targeting new electroweak scale physics, and its application to 927 pb{sup -1} of CDF II data. Exclusive final states are analyzed for an excess of data beyond the Standard Model prediction at large summed scalar transverse momentum. This analysis of high-pT data represents one of the most encompassing searches so far conducted for new physics at the energy frontier

Measurement of the Top-Quark Mass with Dilepton Events Selected Using Neuroevolution at CDF

We report a measurement of the top-quark mass Mt in the dilepton decay channel tt̄→bl′+νl′b̄l-ν̄l. Events are selected with a neural network which has been directly optimized for statistical precision in top-quark mass using neuroevolution, a technique modeled on biological evolution. The top-quark mass is extracted from per-event probability densities that are formed by the convolution of leading order matrix elements and detector resolution functions. The joint probability is the product of the probability densities from 344 candidate events in 2.0fb-1 of pp̄ collisions collected with the CDF II detector, yielding a measurement of Mt=171.2±2.7(stat)±2.9(syst)GeV/c2