Professor Chris Hays

Abstract:

This paper reports the result of a search for the standard model Higgs boson in events containing four reconstructed jets associated with quarks. For masses below 135GeV/c2, Higgs boson decays to bottom-antibottom quark pairs are dominant and result primarily in two hadronic jets. An additional two jets can be produced in the hadronic decay of a W or Z boson produced in association with the Higgs boson, or from the incoming quarks that produced the Higgs boson through the vector-boson fusion process. The search is performed using a sample of \sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV proton-antiproton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.45 fb-1 recorded by the CDF II detector. The data are in agreement with the background model and 95% credibility level upper limits on Higgs boson production are set as a function of the Higgs boson mass. The median expected (observed) limit for a 125GeV/c2 Higgs boson is 11.0 (9.0) times the predicted standard model rate.

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:

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.