<p>This thesis reports on searches for supersymmetric particles, in particular neutralinos, conducted with the DELPHI detector at the LEP accelerator at CERN. The searches were performed within the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), with<i> R</i>-parity conserved and gravity mediated supersymmetry breaking.</p><p>The neutralino search covered both <i>Χ</i>0₂<i>Χ</i>0₁ and<i> </i><i>Χ</i>0<i>jΧ</i>_i0<i>i</i> (<i>j </i>=3,4 and <i>i </i>=1,2) production channels. Data collected in 1999 and 2000 were used, in total about 451 pb^-1 at centre-of-mass energies from 192 to 208 GeV. No signal was found in any of the search channels, and the results were interpreted as model independent limits on the production cross-sections of the different topologies. For deriving these limits the data analysed here were combined with those collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV (∾ 158 pb^-1). The obtained upper limits of the cross-section for ~<i>Χ</i>0₂<i>Χ</i>0₁ production, when <i>Χ</i>0₂→ <i>Z</i>*<i>Χ</i>0₁, vary with masses of the neutralinos involved and typically range between 0.05 pb and 0.8 pb.</p><p>The negative results from all sparticle searches were used to exclude regions in the parameter space within a constrained MSSM, with gaugino and sfermion mass unification at the GUT scale, and to set limits on the sparticle masses. The mass of the lightest neutralino is constrained to be larger than 45.5 GeV/<i>c</i>² for any <i>m</i>₀, for tan <i>β ≤ </i>40 and without sfermion mixing. An interpretation of the results was also performed within the Anomaly Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking model, and the lower mass limit of the lightest neutralino is 68 GeV/<i>c</i>². All limits are given at 95% confidence level.</p><p>In the ATLAS combined testbeam 2004, a full slice of the ATLAS detector was tested. The SPS accelerator at CERN was used to create particle beams with energies from 1 to 350 GeV. The beamline instrumentation, such as scintillators, beam chambers and Cherenkov detectors, and extra detectors, are described in this thesis. The data from the testbeam were used to investigate the performance of the hadronic calorimeter for pions at various pseudorapidities and energies. The energy resolutions and linearities obtained were found to be comparable with results from earlier hadronic standalone testbeams. The obtained resolutions were about σ/<i>E</i> = 52 % / sqrt <i>E </i>[<i>GeV</i>] ⊕ 5 %.</p>

<p>This Master  thesis considers certain aspects of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics in the context of Path integral approach. First we state all the basic mathematical structure involved, and carry out some basic Gaussian integrals for both commutative and non-commutative variables. Later in the thesis these simple results obtained are generalized to study the Supersymmetric sigma models on flat and curved space. And we will recover the beautiful relationship between the supersymmetric sigma  model and the geometry of the  target manifold in the form of topological invariants of the manifold, for the models on curved space.</p>

This thesis reports on searches for supersymmetric particles, in particular neutralinos, conducted with the DELPHI detector at the LEP accelerator at CERN. The searches were performed within the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), with R-parity conserved and gravity mediated supersymmetry breaking. The neutralino search covered both Χ02Χ01 and Χ0jΧi0i (j =3,4 and i =1,2) production channels. Data collected in 1999 and 2000 were used, in total about 451 pb-1 at centre-of-mass energies from 192 to 208 GeV. No signal was found in any of the search channels, and the results were interpreted as model independent limits on the production cross-sections of the different topologies. For deriving these limits the data analysed here were combined with those collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV (∾ 158 pb-1). The obtained upper limits of the cross-section for ~Χ02Χ01 production, when Χ02→ Z*Χ01, vary with masses of the neutralinos involved and typically range between 0.05 pb and 0.8 pb. The negative results from all sparticle searches were used to exclude regions in the parameter space within a constrained MSSM, with gaugino and sfermion mass unification at the GUT scale, and to set limits on the sparticle masses. The mass of the lightest neutralino is constrained to be larger than 45.5 GeV/c2 for any m0, for tan β ≤ 40 and without sfermion mixing. An interpretation of the results was also performed within the Anomaly Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking model, and the lower mass limit of the lightest neutralino is 68 GeV/c2. All limits are given at 95% confidence level. In the ATLAS combined testbeam 2004, a full slice of the ATLAS detector was tested. The SPS accelerator at CERN was used to create particle beams with energies from 1 to 350 GeV. The beamline instrumentation, such as scintillators, beam chambers and Cherenkov detectors, and extra detectors, are described in this thesis. The data from the testbeam were used to investigate the performance of the hadronic calorimeter for pions at various pseudorapidities and energies. The energy resolutions and linearities obtained were found to be comparable with results from earlier hadronic standalone testbeams. The obtained resolutions were about σ/E = 52 % / sqrt E [GeV] ⊕ 5 %.

The production of η mesons in proton-proton collisions has been studied with the WASA detector using internal pellet targets in the CELSIUS storage ring at the The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala. Data were taken at two beam energies, 1360 MeV and 1445 MeV, corresponding to CM excess energies of 40 and 72 MeV, respectively. The η was detected via its 2γ decay in a near-4π electromagnetic calorimeter, whereas the protons were measured by a combination of straw chambers and plastic scintillator planes in the forward direction. The measurements were kinematically complete. The analysis yielded 69·103 events at 1360 MeV and 93·103 events at 1445 MeV, with a background contribution of less than 5%. Data were acceptance-corrected using a parametrization of a matrix element which includes all states up to two units of total angular momentum. The final state interaction between protons in the 1S0 state was included by a momentum-dependent enhancement factor in the relevant amplitudes. Angular distributions of the final state, invariant mass spectra and Dalitz plots are presented. The cos θη-distribution is found to be anisotropic with its maximum at 90° at both energies. From the parametrization it is inferred that this is due to interference between the Ss and Sd final states. A significant contribution from the Pp final state is also needed to describe data. / CELSIUS/WASA

This Master  thesis considers certain aspects of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics in the context of Path integral approach. First we state all the basic mathematical structure involved, and carry out some basic Gaussian integrals for both commutative and non-commutative variables. Later in the thesis these simple results obtained are generalized to study the Supersymmetric sigma models on flat and curved space. And we will recover the beautiful relationship between the supersymmetric sigma  model and the geometry of the  target manifold in the form of topological invariants of the manifold, for the models on curved space.

<p>This thesis is based on work done in two different experimental projects. </p><p>The first project, the Tau RICH, is a previously proposed τ-neutrino appearance experiment for the CERN neutrino beam at the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. The proposed experimental concept is based on the use of focusing RICH detectors with liquid radiator (C₆F₁₄). Simulations made with a Geant4 code show that in the proposed experimental set-up, Cherenkov light from delta electrons will constitute a severe background that in practice would render the experiment unfeasible.</p><p>The second project, ATLAS, is a general purpose detector at the CERN 14 TeV proton-proton collider LHC which will start operation in 2007. To make the reconstruction and selection of the events in ATLAS more accurate, complete and up-to-date information on the interaction of the produced particles with the detector is needed. A service program code, the Material Integration Service (MIS), has been developed which makes use of the detector descriptions already available in a Geant4 code and which uses a novel algorithm, based on line integrals evaluated within small volume elements that build up the detector. This code is demonstrated to constitute a practically useful tool of satisfactory performance and accuracy.</p><p>The charged Higgs boson production in the gluon-bottom quark mode, gb → tH^±, followed by charged Higgs decays into a chargino and a neutralino, is studied for a specific choice of values for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) parameters. It is shown, using a Monte Carlo code to simulate the ATLAS detector and the assumed MSSM physics model, that for an integrated luminosity of 300 fb^-1, in the intermediate region 4 < tanβ < 10 where H^± decays to SM particles cannot be used for H^± discovery, charged Higgs decays to non-SM particles can be used for Higgs discovery at the 5 σ significance level.</p>

This thesis is based on work done in two different experimental projects. The first project, the Tau RICH, is a previously proposed τ-neutrino appearance experiment for the CERN neutrino beam at the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. The proposed experimental concept is based on the use of focusing RICH detectors with liquid radiator (C6F14). Simulations made with a Geant4 code show that in the proposed experimental set-up, Cherenkov light from delta electrons will constitute a severe background that in practice would render the experiment unfeasible. The second project, ATLAS, is a general purpose detector at the CERN 14 TeV proton-proton collider LHC which will start operation in 2007. To make the reconstruction and selection of the events in ATLAS more accurate, complete and up-to-date information on the interaction of the produced particles with the detector is needed. A service program code, the Material Integration Service (MIS), has been developed which makes use of the detector descriptions already available in a Geant4 code and which uses a novel algorithm, based on line integrals evaluated within small volume elements that build up the detector. This code is demonstrated to constitute a practically useful tool of satisfactory performance and accuracy. The charged Higgs boson production in the gluon-bottom quark mode, gb → tH±, followed by charged Higgs decays into a chargino and a neutralino, is studied for a specific choice of values for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) parameters. It is shown, using a Monte Carlo code to simulate the ATLAS detector and the assumed MSSM physics model, that for an integrated luminosity of 300 fb-1, in the intermediate region 4 &lt; tanβ &lt; 10 where H± decays to SM particles cannot be used for H± discovery, charged Higgs decays to non-SM particles can be used for Higgs discovery at the 5 σ significance level.

<p>This thesis treats two different projects, both aiming at experimental tests at hadron colliders of some specific predictions of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics and of its Minimal Supersymmetric extension (MSSM). The thesis is based on four papers.</p><p>Papers I-III study the discovery potential for a heavy charged Higgs boson of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Charged Higgs bosons are part of the Higgs sector in many extensions to the SM and their detection would be an unambiguous sign of new physics.</p><p>If the charged Higgs boson is heavier than the top quark, its dominant decay mode is into a top and a bottom quark. Searches in this decay channel at ATLAS are difficult mainly due to the large top-quark pair-production background. The possible gain obtained when requiring 4 b-tagged jets for the signal events is studied, but no significant improvement compared to an analysis requiring 3 b-tagged jets is found.</p><p>If the masses of supersymmetric particles are sufficiently small, heavy charged Higgs bosons can decay into a chargino-neutralino pair. We show that in this decay channel charged Higgs bosons can be detected, given a favourable choice of parameters governing the MSSM.</p><p>In a large-mass-splitting MSSM scenario, the charged Higgs decay into a W boson and a neutral Higgs can have a large branching fraction. We conclude, however, that charged Higgs searches in this decay channel are made difficult by a large, irreducible SM background.</p><p>Paper IV describes a measurement of the top-quark pair production cross-section performed with the DØ detector at the Tevatron collider. Signal events in the muon+jets decay channel are selected using topological event characteristics and a preliminary result of σ(ttbar)=3.8 +1.1-1.1(stat) +0.9-0.8(syst) +0.3-0.2(lumi) pb is obtained using an integrated luminosity of 363/pb.</p>

This thesis treats two different projects, both aiming at experimental tests at hadron colliders of some specific predictions of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics and of its Minimal Supersymmetric extension (MSSM). The thesis is based on four papers. Papers I-III study the discovery potential for a heavy charged Higgs boson of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Charged Higgs bosons are part of the Higgs sector in many extensions to the SM and their detection would be an unambiguous sign of new physics. If the charged Higgs boson is heavier than the top quark, its dominant decay mode is into a top and a bottom quark. Searches in this decay channel at ATLAS are difficult mainly due to the large top-quark pair-production background. The possible gain obtained when requiring 4 b-tagged jets for the signal events is studied, but no significant improvement compared to an analysis requiring 3 b-tagged jets is found. If the masses of supersymmetric particles are sufficiently small, heavy charged Higgs bosons can decay into a chargino-neutralino pair. We show that in this decay channel charged Higgs bosons can be detected, given a favourable choice of parameters governing the MSSM. In a large-mass-splitting MSSM scenario, the charged Higgs decay into a W boson and a neutral Higgs can have a large branching fraction. We conclude, however, that charged Higgs searches in this decay channel are made difficult by a large, irreducible SM background. Paper IV describes a measurement of the top-quark pair production cross-section performed with the DØ detector at the Tevatron collider. Signal events in the muon+jets decay channel are selected using topological event characteristics and a preliminary result of σ(ttbar)=3.8 +1.1-1.1(stat) +0.9-0.8(syst) +0.3-0.2(lumi) pb is obtained using an integrated luminosity of 363/pb.

<p>Next-to-minimal super-symmetric extensions of the Standard Model (SM) predict the existence of several non-SM like Higgs bosons. The process pp→a₁h^±→4b+W involves the production and the decay of a spin-0 charged Higgs boson and a CP-odd Higgs boson a₁ which can have a sizable cross section in the NMSSM. The invariant masses of these intermediate bosons can be reconstructed from the four momenta of the final state particles using mass minimization algorithms. This thesis presents a cut-based analysis of two mass scenarios and specialized algorithms that are capable of recovering the signal in a large background arising from Standard Model processes such as ttbar. The analysis is tested with a realistic ATLAS detector simulation investigating trigger efficiencies and probing several jet reconstruction algorithms.</p>