Dr. Karolos Potamianos

Abstract:

We present a search for a new narrow, spin-1, high mass resonance decaying to μ+μ-+X, using a matrix-element-based likelihood and a simultaneous measurement of the resonance mass and production rate. In data with 4.6fb-1 of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF detector in pp̄ collisions at √s=1960GeV, the most likely signal cross section is consistent with zero at 16% confidence level. We therefore do not observe evidence for a high mass resonance and place limits on models predicting spin-1 resonances, including M>1071GeV/c2 at 95% confidence level for a Z′ boson with the same couplings to fermions as the Z boson. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

The differential cross section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons has been measured as a function of the photon transverse energy ETγ in pp collisions at √s=7TeV using data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9pb^-1. Photons are required to have a pseudorapidity |ηγ|<1.45 and ETγ>21GeV, covering the kinematic region 0.006T<0.086. The measured cross section is found to be in agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculations. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

The tt̄ spin correlation at production is a fundamental prediction of QCD and a potentially incisive test of new physics coupled to top quarks. We measure the tt̄ spin state in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV using 1001 candidate events in the lepton plus jets decay channel reconstructed in the CDF II detector. In the helicity basis, for a top-quark mass of 172.5GeV/c2, we find a spin correlation coefficient κ=0.60±0.50(stat)±0. 16(syst), consistent with the QCD prediction, κ 0.40. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

The collection of a large number of B-hadron decays to hadronic final states at the CDF II Detector is possible due to the presence of a trigger that selects events based on track impact parameters. However, the nature of the selection requirements of the trigger introduces a large bias in the observed proper-decay-time distribution. A lifetime measurement must correct for this bias, and the conventional approach has been to use a Monte Carlo simulation. The leading sources of systematic uncertainty in the conventional approach are due to differences between the data and the Monte Carlo simulation. In this paper, we present an analytic method for bias correction without using simulation, thereby removing any uncertainty due to the differences between data and simulation. This method is presented in the form of a measurement of the lifetime of the B^- using the mode B^-→D0π ^-. The B^- lifetime is measured as τB ^-=1.663±0.023±0.015ps, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This new method results in a smaller systematic uncertainty in comparison to methods that use simulation to correct for the trigger bias. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

We present a search for a new heavy charged vector boson W′ decaying to an electron-neutrino pair in pp̄ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the CDF II detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.3fb-1. No significant excess above the standard model expectation is observed and we set upper limits on σ•B(W′→eν). Assuming standard model couplings to fermions and the neutrino from the W′ boson decay to be light, we exclude a W′ boson with mass less than 1.12TeV/c2 at the 95% confidence level. © 2011 American Physical Society.