The search potential of a Standard Model Higgs boson in the Vector Boson Fusion production mechanism with Higgs boson decaying to two leptons and two neutrinos via decay to two Z bosons with the ATLAS detector is investigated. The ATLAS detector is a general purpose detector in operation at CERN measuring proton-proton collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider. This channel has been shown to have high sensitivity at large Higgs mass, where large amounts of missing energy in the signal provide good discrimination over expected backgrounds. This work takes a first look at whether the sensitivity of this channel may be improved using the remnants of the vector boson fusion process to pro- vide extra discrimination, particularly at lower mass where sensitivity of the main analysis is reduced because of lower missing energy. Simulated data samples at centre of mass energy 7 Te V are used to derive signal significances over the mass range between 200-600 Ge V / c2. Because of varying signal properties with mass, a low and a high mass event selection were developed and optimized. A comparison between simulated and real data (collected in 2010) is made of variables used in the analysis and the effect of pileup levels corresponding to those in the 2010 data is investigated. Possible methods to estimate some of the main backgrounds to this search are described and discussed. The impact • of important theoretical and detector related systematics are taken into account. Final results are presented in the form of 95 % Confidence Level exclusion limits on the signal cross section relative to the SM prediction as a function of Higgs boson mass, based on an integrated luminosity of 33.4 pb -1 of data collected during 2010.

In this thesis we are concerned with the existence of infrared fixed points and the conformal window for gauge theories with fermions. We are particularly interested in those theories that are candidates for walking technicolor. We discuss the background of technicolor and the techniques relevant to a theoretical understanding of the conformal window. Following this we extend the ideas of metric confinement and causal analyticity to theories with fermions in non-fundamental representations. We use these techniques to, respectively, provide a lower bound on the lower end of the conformal window and to provide a measure of perturbativity. As well as analytic calculations we use lattice techniques to investigate two particular candidate theories for walking technicolor - SU(2) with two adjoint fermions and with six fundamental fermions. We use Schrodinger Functional techniques to investigate the running of the theory across a wide range of scales. We measure both the running of the coupling and an estimator for the fermion mass anomalous dimension, $gamma$. We find that both theories are consistent with an infrared fixed-point. However, paying particular attention to our error estimates, we are unable to absolutely confirm their existence. This is a not unexpected result for SU(2) with two adjoint fermions but is rather surprising for SU(2) with only six fundamental fermions. In the region where we are consistent with a fixed point we find $0.05<gamma<0.56$ for $SU(2)$ with two adjoint fermions and $0.135<gamma<1.03$ for $SU(2)$ with six fundamental fermions. The measurement of $gamma$ for $SU(2)$ with two adjoint fermions is the first determination of $gamma$ for any candidate theory of walking technicolor.

Uncertainties on the parton distribution functions (PDFs), in particular those of the valence quarks, can be constrained at LHC energies using the charge asymmetry in the production of W^&plusmn; bosons. This thesis presents a measurement of the electron channel, lepton charge asymmetry using 497 pb^-1 of data recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2011. The measurement is included in PDF fits using the machinery of HERAPDF and is found to have some constraining power beyond that of existing W charge asymmetry measurements.

Produire et faire interagir entre eux des photons optiques de façon contrôlée sont deux conditions nécessaires au développement de communications quantiques à longue distance, et plus généralement au traitement quantique d’information codée sur des photons. Cette thèse présente une étude expérimentale de solutions possibles a ces deux problèmes, en utilisant la conversion des photons en excitations collectives (polaritons) dans un nuage d’atomes froids, placé dans le mode d’une cavité optique de faible finesse (~100). Dans un premier temps, des polaritons entre états atomiques fondamentaux sont utilisés pour « mettre en mémoire » une excitation unique dans le nuage. Celle-ci est ensuite convertie efficacement en un photon unique, dont le champ est analysé par tomographie homodyne. La fonction de Wigner de l’état à un photon est reconstruite a partir des données expérimentales, et présente des valeurs négatives, démontrant que les degrés de liberté de ce photon (mode spatio-temporel et état quantique) sont complètement contrôlés. Dans un second temps, les photons sont couplés à des polaritons impliquant des états de Rydberg. Les fortes interactions dipolaires entre ces derniers se traduisent par des non-linéarités optiques dispersives très importantes, qui sont caractérisées dans un régime d’excitation classique. Ces non-linéarités peuvent être amplifiées jusqu’à ce qu’un seul photon suffise à modifier totalement la réponse du système, permettant en principe de générer des interactions effectives entre photons. / Controllably producing optical photons and making them interact are two key requirements for the development of long-distance quantum communications, and more generally for photonic quantum information processing. This thesis presents experimental studies on possible solutions to these two problems, using the conversion of the photons into collective excitations (polaritons) in a cold atomic cloud, inside the mode of a low-finesse optical cavity (~100). Firstly, ground-state polaritons are used to store a single excitation in the cloud memory. This polariton is then efficiently converted into a single photon, whose field is characterized via homodyne tomography. The single photon state’s Wigner function is reconstructed from the experimental data and exhibits negative values, demonstrating that the photon’s degrees of freedom (spatio-temporal mode and quantum state) are well controlled. Secondly, photons can be coupled to polaritons involving Rydberg states. The strong dipolar interactions between these give rise to very strong optical dispersive nonlinearities, that are characterized in a classical excitation regime. These nonlinearities can be amplified until a single photon is enough to modify the entire system’s response, allowing in principle for the generation of effective photon-photon interactions.

Il est désormais possible, en utilisant le modèle de densité électronique résolue en spin (CRM2), de combiner les diffractions des rayons X et des neutrons (polarisés) pour déterminer les distributions électroniques de charge et de spin de matériaux magnétiques cristallins. Cette méthode permet la mise en évidence des chemins d’interactions rendant compte de l’ordre magnétique. Le modèle résolu en spin a été appliqué aux complexes de coordination avec un métal de transition portant la majorité du moment magnétique, il a été ensuite utilisé pour étudier les radicaux purs organiques contenant des électrons non appariés délocalisés sur un groupement chimique et les matériaux inorganiques. Dans le radical Nit(SMe)Ph, la modélisation des densités de charge et de spin a permis, en accord avec les résultats antérieurs, de montrer que le spin est délocalisé sur le groupe O-N-C-N-O (fonction nitronyle nitroxyde). Elle a également permis de montrer l’implication des liaisons hydrogène dans les interactions magnétiques ferromagnétique observé en dessous de 0.6K. Cette étude a mis en évidence une répartition dissymétrique de la population de spin sur les deux groupes N—O dont seuls les calculs CASSCF permettent de reproduire l’amplitude. Cette dissymétrie proviendrait d’une combinaison d’effets moléculaires et cristallins. Dans le radical p-O2NC6F4CNSSN de la famille des dithiadiazolyles, la modélisation par affinement joint montre que la majorité du spin est porté par le groupement –CNSSN en accord avec les travaux antérieurs. Grace aux propriétés topologiques de la densité de charge, des interactions halogène, chalcogène et π ont été mis en évidence. Certaines de ces interactions favorisent des couplages magnétiques, notamment les contacts S…N2 entre molécules voisines pouvant contribuer à l’ordre ferromagnétique observé à très basse température (1.3K). Quant au matériau inorganique, YTiO3, les densités de charge en phases paramagnétique et ferromagnétique ont été déterminées ainsi que la densité de spin dans la phase ferromagnétique. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les orbitales d les plus peuplées en électrons de l’atome de Ti sont dxz et dyz.. L’ordre orbital présent dans ce matériau est observé à 100 et à 20 K suggérant que l’ordre orbitalaire est lié à la distorsion des octaèdres. La fonction d’onde de l’électron non apparié est une combinaison linéaire de ces orbitales t2g / X-ray and neutron diffraction methods can be combined to determine simultaneously electron charge and spin densities in crystals based on spin resolved electron density model developed at CRM2. This method enables to carry out the study of interaction paths leading to the observed ferromagnetic order. First applications of this model were to coordination complexes, where the unpaired electron is mainly located on the transition metal, then generalized to explore organic radicals and to inorganic materials. In radical Nit(SMe)Ph, the modeling of the experimental charge and spin densities showed localization of spin density on O-N-C-N-O group (nitronyl -nitroxyde function), in agreement with previous works. It is also evidenced the involvement of the hydrogen bonds in the magnetic interactions leading to the ferromagnetic transition at very low temperature (0.6K). This study revealed dissymmetrical spin population of the two N-O groups that only CASSCF-type calculations can reproduce in amplitude (not DFT). This dissymmetry originates from both molecular and crystal effects. In radical p-O2NC6F4CNSSN belonging to the family of dithiadiazolyl, the joint refinement showed that the majority of the spin is distributed on -CNSSN group in agreement with the previous works. From topological properties of the charge density, halogen, chalcogen and π interactions have been highlighted. The most important magnetic interactions are observed through the network formed by contacts S ... N2 between neighboring molecules leading to the ferromagnetic order below 1.23K. Concerning the inorganic material, YTiO3, the charge densities in both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic phases and spin density were modelled. The results show that the most populated d orbitals of Ti atom are dxz and dyz. The orbital ordering evidenced in this material is observed at 100 and 20 K due to the orthorhombic distorsion. The wave function of the unpaired electron is a linear combination of these particularly populated t2g orbitals