Professor Daniela Bortoletto

Abstract:

A search for anomalous production of events with three or more isolated leptons in pp collisions at √ s = 7TeV is presented. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4:98 fb-1, were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC during the 2011 run. The search is applicable to any model of new physics that enhances multiple lepton production. The observed multilepton events are categorized into exclusive search channels based on the identity and kinematics of the objects in the events. An estimate of the standard-model background rates from data is emphasized, but simulation is also used to estimate some of the background rates. The search results are interpreted in the context of supersymmetry, including both R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating models. We derive exclusion limits as a function of squark, gluino, and chargino masses.

Abstract:

A search is presented for a massive particle, generically referred to as a Z', decaying into a tt̄ pair. The search focuses on Z' resonances that are sufficiently massive to produce highly Lorentz-boosted top quarks, which yield collimated decay products that are partially or fully merged into single jets. The analysis uses new methods to analyze jet substructure, providing suppression of the non-top multijet backgrounds. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 fb-1. Upper limits in the range of 1 pb are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction for a topcolor Z' modeled for several widths, as well as for a Randall-Sundrum Kaluza-Klein gluon. In addition, the result contrain any enhancement in tt̄ production beyond expectations of the standard mode for tt invariant mass larger than 1TeV/c2.

Abstract:

A search has been made for events containing an energetic jet and an imbalance in transverse momentum using a data sample of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. This signature is common to both dark matter and extra dimensions models. The data were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb-1. The number of observed events is consistent with the standard model expectation. Constraints on the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross sections are determined for both spin-independent and spin-dependent interaction models. For the spin-independent model, these are the most constraining limits for a dark matter particle with mass below 3.5 GeV/c2, a region unexplored by direct detection experiments. For the spin-dependent model, these are the most stringent constraints over the 0.1-200 GeV/c2 mass range. The constraints on the Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali model parameter M D determined as a function of the number of extra dimensions are also an improvement over the previous results.

Abstract:

A search for a new heavy gauge boson W′ decaying to an electron or muon, plus a low mass neutrino, is presented. This study uses data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb-1, collected using the CMS detector in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. Events containing a single electron or muon and missing transverse momentum are analyzed. No significant excess of events above the standard model expectation is found in the transverse mass distribution of the lepton-neutrino system, and upper limits for cross sections above different transverse mass thresholds are presented. W′ Mass exclusion limits at 95% CL for a range of W′ models are determined, including a limit of 2.5 TeV for right-handed W bosons with standard-model-like couplings and limits W′ 2.43-2.63 TeV for left-handed W′ bosons, taking into account their interference with the standard model W boson. Exclusion limits have also been set on Kaluza-Klein WKK states in the framework of split universal extra dimensions. © 2012 SISSA.