Search for the Higgs Boson in H->WW Decays at the D0 Experiment and Precise Muon Tracking

This thesis describes the search for the Higgs boson in H->WW(*) decays in proton anti-proton collisions with data taken at the D0 experiment at the Tevatron collider. The data set was taken between April 2002 and September 2003 and has an integrated luminosity of approximately 147 pb^-1. An analysis of the di-muon decay channel of the W pairs was developed which can be scaled to higher luminosities up to the full data set to be taken until 2009 at the Tevatron collider. The number of events observed in the current data set is consistent with expectations from standard model backgrounds. Since no excess is observed, cross-section limits at 95% confidence level for H->WW(*) production have been calculated both standalone and also in combination with other lepton decay channels. The production of W pairs is one major background in the search of H->WW(*) decays. Hence a first measurement of the WW production cross-section with the D0 experiment is presented. Experience gained during this analysis has shown the precise track reconstruction is an essential tool for both measurements. This thesis closes with a contribution to precise tracking in the ATLAS experiment at the future Large Hadron Collider (LHC). An alignment system for ATLAS muon drift chambers at the cosmic ray measurement facility at LMU Munich is presented.Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Suche nach dem Higgs Boson in H->WW(*) Zerfällen in Proton-Antiproton-Kollisionen mit Daten des D0 Experiments am Tevatron Beschleuniger. Diese Daten wurden zwischen April 2002 und September 2003 aufgezeichnet und haben eine integrierte Luminosität von etwa 147 pb^-1. Es wurde eine Analyse im Zwei-Myonen Zerfallskanal der W-Paare entwickelt, die auf höhere integrierte Luminositäten und auf den bis zum Jahr 2009 aufzuzeichnenden vollen Datensatz skaliert werden kann. Die Anzahl der beobachteten Ereignisse in den vorliegenden Daten ist konsistent mit den Erwartungen des Standardmodells. Da kein Überschuss gesehen wurde, sind Grenzen auf den Wirkungsquerschnitt der H->WW(*) Produktion auch in der Kombination mit anderen Leptonzerfallskanälen im 95% Vertrauensintervall berechnet worden. Einen Hauptuntergrund zur H->WW(*) Suche stellt die direkte Produktion von W-Paaren dar. Eine erste Messung des Wirkungsquerschnitts von W-Paar-Produktion beim D0 Experiment wird im Anschluß vorgestellt. Die Messung von Spuren mit hoher Genauigkeit ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil beider Messungen. Die Arbeit schließt mit einem Beitrag zur genauen Spurmessung beim ATLAS Experiment am zukünftigen Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Hierzu wird ein Positionsüberwachungssystem für ATLAS Myondriftkammern am Höhenstrahlungsmeßstand der LMU München vorgestellt

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√ = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at s√ = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t¯ →tχ¯01 or t¯ →bχ¯±1 →bW(∗)χ¯01 , where χ¯01 (χ¯±1) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t¯ →tχ¯01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ¯01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t¯ →tχ¯01 or t¯ →bχ¯±1 , and assuming the χ¯±1 mass to be twice the χ¯01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ¯01 masses below 60 GeV

A Roadmap for HEP Software and Computing R&D for the 2020s

Particle physics has an ambitious and broad experimental programme for the coming decades. This programme requires large investments in detector hardware, either to build new facilities and experiments, or to upgrade existing ones. Similarly, it requires commensurate investment in the R&D of software to acquire, manage, process, and analyse the shear amounts of data to be recorded. In planning for the HL-LHC in particular, it is critical that all of the collaborating stakeholders agree on the software goals and priorities, and that the efforts complement each other. In this spirit, this white paper describes the R&D activities required to prepare for this software upgrade.Peer reviewe

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements