Search for the Standard Model Higgs -> gamma gamma decays with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC

International audienceA light Standard Model Higgs boson, with mass between 114 and ~150 GeV, is favored by precise measurements of electroweak radiative corrections and other theory predictions. One of the most important channels to search for this particle in the above mass region is the decay H-->gamma-gamma. This talk reviews the ATLAS discovery potential of a light Higgs boson in the two photon decay. In addition to the inclusive analysis we consider also the reconstruction of diphoton systems produced in association with jets. The studies are based on a realistic detector simulation of Monte Carlo signal and background events

Image compression using noncausal prediction

Image compression commonly is achieved using prediction of the value of pixels from surrounding pixels. Normally the choice of pixels used in the prediction is restricted to previously scanned pixels. A better prediction can be achieved if pixels on all sides of the pixel to be predicted are used. A prediction and decoding method is proposed that is independent of scanning order of the image. The decoding process makes use of an iterative decoder. A sequence of images is generated that converges to a final image that is identical to the original image. The theory underlying noncausal prediction and iterative decoding is developed. Convergence properties of the decoding algorithm are studied and conditions for convergence are presented. Distortions to the prediction residual after encoding can be caused by storage requirements, such as quantization and compression and also by errors in transmission. Effects of distortions of the residual on the final decoded image are investigated by introducing several types of distortion of the residual, including (1) alteration of randomly selected bits in the residual, (2) addition of a sinusoidal signal to the residual, (3) quantization of the residual and (4) compression of the residual using lossy Haar wavelet coding. The resulting distortion in the decoded images was generally less for noncausal prediction than for causal prediction, both in terms of PSNR and visual quality. Most noticeably, the streaks found in the decoded Image after causal encoding were absent with noncausal encoding

Simple model for post seismic ionospheric disturbances above an earthquake epicentre and along connecting magnetic field lines

The detection of ionospheric disturbances associated with seismic activity is one of the main objectives of the DEMETER micro-satellite. Its scientific payload provides a comprehensive set of electron and ion measurements. The present work describes a simple model of post-seismic disturbances in the ionosphere above the epicentre. Following a major seism, the neutral atmosphere is assumed to be subject to an acoustic pulse propagating upward, to high altitudes. By coupling this perturbation to the two-dimensional ionospheric model SAMI2 it is then possible to calculate the variations in a number of plasma parameters in the plume region and along connecting magnetic field lines, for an event of representative magnitude. The feasibility of identifying the signature of seismic events from satellite observations is then assessed in view of representative DEMETER measurements and of their natural variability