Sneha Malde

Abstract:

We report the observation of electroweak single top quark production in 3.2fb⊃-1 of pp̄ collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at √s=1.96TeV. Candidate events in the W+jets topology with a leptonically decaying W boson are classified as signal-like by four parallel analyses based on likelihood functions, matrix elements, neural networks, and boosted decision trees. These results are combined using a super discriminant analysis based on genetically evolved neural networks in order to improve the sensitivity. This combined result is further combined with that of a search for a single top quark signal in an orthogonal sample of events with missing transverse energy plus jets and no charged lepton. We observe a signal consistent with the standard model prediction but inconsistent with the background-only model by 5.0 standard deviations, with a median expected sensitivity in excess of 5.9 standard deviations. We measure a production cross section of 2.3-0.5+0.6(stat+sys)pb, extract the value of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |Vtb|=0.91-0.11+0. 11(stat+sys)±0.07(theory), and set a lower limit |Vtb|>0.71 at the 95%C.L., assuming mt=175GeV/c2.

Abstract:

Decays of b hadrons into final states containing a D0 meson and a muon are used to measure the bb̄ production cross-section in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. In the pseudorapidity interval 2<η<6 and integrated over all transverse momenta we find that the average cross-section to produce b-flavoured or b̄-flavoured hadrons is (75.3±5.4±13.0) μb. © 2010 CERN.

Abstract:

We present a search for supersymmetric neutrino ν production using the Tevatron pp collision data collected with the CDF II detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 fb-1. We focus on the scenarios predicted by the R-parity violating (RPV) supersymmetric models in which sneutrinos decay to two charged leptons of different flavor. With the data consistent with the standard model expectations, we set upper limits on σ(pp→ν)×BR(ν→eμ,μτ,eτ) and use these results to constrain the RPV couplings as a function of the sneutrino mass.

Abstract:

We present results of a search for anomalous production of two photons together with an electron, muon, τ lepton, missing transverse energy, or jets using pp̄ collision data from 1.1-2.0fb-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). The event yields and kinematic distributions are examined for signs of new physics without favoring a specific model of new physics. The results are consistent with the standard model expectations. The search employs several new analysis techniques that significantly reduce instrumental backgrounds in channels with an electron and missing transverse energy. © 2010 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

We present results of a signature-based search for new physics using a dijet plus missing transverse energy (E(T)) data sample collected in 2  fb⁻¹ of pp collisions at √s=1.96  TeV with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. We observe no significant event excess with respect to the standard model prediction and extract a 95% C.L. upper limit on the cross section times acceptance for a potential contribution from a nonstandard model process. The search is made by using novel, data-driven techniques for estimating backgrounds that are applicable to first searches at the LHC.