Professor Daniela Bortoletto

Abstract:

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a Z boson, using up to 7.9 fb -1 of integrated luminosity from pp- collisions collected with the CDF II detector. We utilize several novel techniques, including multivariate lepton selection, multivariate trigger parametrization, and a multi-stage signal discriminant consisting of specialized functions trained to distinguish individual backgrounds. By increasing acceptance and enhancing signal discrimination, these techniques have significantly improved the sensitivity of the analysis above what was expected from a larger dataset alone. We observe no significant evidence for a signal, and we set limits on the ZH production cross section. For a Higgs boson with mass 115 GeV/c 2, we expect (observe) a limit of 3.9 (4.8) times the standard model predicted value, at the 95% credibility level. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Abstract:

A measurement is presented of W-boson production in PbPb collisions carried out at a nucleon-nucleon (NN) centre-of-mass energy sNN of 2.76 TeV at the LHC using the CMS detector. In data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.3 μb-1, the number of W→μνμ decays is extracted in the region of muon pseudorapidity |ημ|<2.1 and transverse momentum pTμ>25 GeV/c. Yields of muons found per unit of pseudorapidity correspond to (159±10(stat.)±12(syst.))×10-8 W+ and (154±10(stat.)±12(syst.))×10-8 W- bosons per minimum-bias PbPb collision. The dependence of W production on the centrality of PbPb collisions is consistent with a scaling of the yield by the number of incoherent NN collisions. The yield of W bosons is also studied in a sample of pp interactions at s=2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 231 nb-1. The individual W+ and W- yields in PbPb and pp collisions are found to agree, once the neutron and proton content in Pb nuclei is taken into account. Likewise, the difference observed in the dependence of the positive and negative muon production on pseudorapidity is consistent with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations. © 2012 CERN.

Abstract:

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a W ± boson. This search uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.5fb -1 collected by the CDF detector at the Tevatron. We select WH→νbb̄ candidate events with two jets, large missing transverse energy, and exactly one charged lepton. We further require that at least one jet be identified to originate from a bottom quark. Discrimination between the signal and the large background is achieved through the use of a Bayesian artificial neural network. The number of tagged events and their distributions are consistent with the standard model expectations. We observe no evidence for a Higgs boson signal and set 95% C.L. upper limits on the WH production cross section times the branching ratio to decay to bb̄ pairs, σ(pp̄→W ±H) ×B(H→bb̄), relative to the rate predicted by the standard model. For the Higgs boson mass range of 100 to 150GeV/c2 we set observed (expected) upper limits from 1.34 (1.83) to 38.8 (23.4). For 115GeV/c2 the upper limit is 3.64 (2.78). The combination of the present search with an independent analysis that selects events with three jets yields more stringent limits ranging from 1.12 (1.79) to 34.4 (21.6) in the same mass range. For 115 and 125GeV/c2 the upper limits are 2.65 (2.60) and 4.36 (3.69), respectively. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

We report on a study of diffractive dijet production in p̄p collisions at √s=1.96TeV using the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron p̄p collider. A data sample from 310pb -1 of integrated luminosity collected by triggering on a high transverse energy jet, ETjet, in coincidence with a recoil antiproton detected in a Roman pot spectrometer is used to measure the ratio of single-diffractive to inclusive-dijet event rates as a function of xp ̄ of the interacting parton in the antiproton, the Bjorken-x, xBjp̄, and a Q2(ETjet)2 in the ranges 10 -3-4GeV2. The t p̄ dependence is measured as a function of Q2 and xBjp̄ and compared with that of inclusive single diffraction dissociation. We find weak xBjp̄ and Q2 dependencies in the ratio of single diffractive to inclusive event rates, and no significant Q2 dependence in the diffractive t p̄ distributions. © 2012 American Physical Society.