Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This thesis presents two studies of charged charm meson decays using proton- proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb⁻¹, recorded by the LHCb experiment. A search for D_(s)^+ → π^+μ^+μ^- decays is performed. Rare decays of charged charm mesons have not previously been observed unlike their counterpart B meson and kaon decays. Such decays are c → u quark transitions and take place via loop diagrams within the Standard Model. Measurements of their branching fractions are an indirect test of New Physics, whose virtual contributions may enhance such quantities. No signals are observed and the 90% (95%) CL limits on the branching fractions, the most stringent to date, are found to be, B(D^+ → π^+μ^+μ^-) < 2.9 (3.3) × 10^-8, B(D_s^+ → π^+μ^+μ^-) < 1.76 (1.91) × 10^-7. The charge asymmetry measurement of D+ → π+π0 using π0 → e^+e^-γ decays is also described. Charge asymmetry in the Standard Model is expected to be small for charm meson decays. Any measured deviation from zero would be evidence of New Physics. This decay has not previously been observed at a hadron collider and the measurement acts as a 'proof of principle' study allowing a future analysis to examine the decay mode. No evidence of CP violation is found.

Using data equivalent to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb⁻¹ collected by the LHCb experiment during Run I (2011-2012), studies of beauty mesons decaying to a final state containing open charm are performed, concluding with a number of new results. Direct CP-violation is explored in <i>B</i>^± → <i>Dh</i>^± decays through several measurements of CP violating observables, where the charmed meson <i>D</i> is reconstructed in both 2-track and 4-track final states. A measurement of the <i>B</i>^± production asymmetry at LHCb is reported using <i>B</i>^± → <i>D</i>π^± decays, and a complementary measurement of the CP asymmetry in <i>B</i>^± → <i>J</i>/ψ<i>K</i>^± decays made. A search for the rare <i>B</i>_c− → <i>D</i>(*)π⁻ and B_c− → <i>D</i> (*)<i>K</i>⁻ decays concludes this work.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / For written word to reach the public in hardcopy form, a manuscript is submitted to a publisher. After numerous review and modification cycles, the document is printed and distributed, often through intermediaries. Finally, it reaches the hands and eyes of perhaps thousands. This contrasts dramatically with the Internet where, within minutes of completion, text can be seen by millions. The Internet offers enormous research power. With a PC and a phone line, one can locate a recipe for delicious meringue or deadly ricin; can research a thesis or the step-by-step fabrication of a thermonuclear device. Recognizing the potential for misuse as well as for informing the public, the Department of Defense charged each of its agencies with the responsibility of policing content and form of that agency's publicly accessible websites. As the United States Navy command responsible for this daunting assignment, FIWC faces a job that grows in complexity and size by the day. Taking on this problem manually would result, at best, in unitary growth of dedicated resources and a similar increase in potential for error, both of oversight and of inappropriate action. This thesis provides one approach to automating FIWC's website monitoring and enforcement activities. The approach it advocates is focused on reducing manpower and increasing accuracy. This architecture - a generic model with a GUI database frontend - is presented, not as an ultimate solution, but rather as a solid first step. / Civilian, Department of Defense

This thesis documents searches for direct CP violation in the Cabibbo-suppressed D+ to K-K+pi+ decay at the LHCb experiment. Two complementary analyses are described. Direct CP-violating asymmetries are predicted to exist in singly Cabibbo-suppressed charm decays with magnitudes of up to O(0.001) in the Standard Model, and can be enhanced to the percent level by contributions from new physics. No such asymmetry has yet been observed. The LHCb detector is a forward spectrometer with a precise vertex detector and powerful particle identification capabilities, designed to collect large, pure samples of charm and $B$ decays. Data collected at LHCb in 2010 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35pb^-1 are used to perform a model-independent search for direct CP violation in the D+ to K-K+pi+ decay. The Dalitz plot is divided into bins and a chi^2 test of the compatibility of the dataset with no CP violation is performed. No evidence of CP violation is found. A second search for CP violation in the region of the D+ to K-K+pi+ Dalitz plot around the phi resonance is described. The charge asymmetry in this decay is calculated and compared to that in the control channel D+ to Ks(pi+pi-)pi+. The 1.0fb^-1 of data collected at LHCb in 2011 are used. The CP-violating asymmetry is found to be (-0.04+/-0.14+/-0.14)% where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. A new observable sensitive to CP violation that varies across the phi resonance is defined and measured, and is consistent with no CP violation at the current level of sensitivity. In addition, the CP-violating asymmetry in the decay Ds+ to Ks pi+ is determined to be (0.61+/-0.83+/-0.14)%. There is no evidence for CP violation in either channel. The prospects for new results using data collected in 2012 are very promising and a significant improvement in our understanding of these decays is anticipated.

Magister Legum - LLM / This thesis examines the sexual rights violation in Eastern DRC, which has been described as the worst in the world. The sexual violence against women and children in this country is systematic and widespread and perpetrated by armed groups, and increasingly also by civilians. The prosecution of sexual offences should contribute to the reduction of these offences, but the Congolese state prosecutes very few cases. The resulting impunity became an obstacle to the state to stop sexual violence, which become unable to overcome the obstacles to prosecutorial action. The successful prosecution of sexual offenders in Eastern DRC faces many obstacles and requires an exceptional jurisdiction which must provide a minimum of better freely conditions to the prosecutors and better unrestrained justice access to the victims. The enforcement of the international instruments of justice will be possible only by this jurisdiction. The victims of sexual violence need more confidence in the jurisdiction which is really working for them to attain justice.

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This thesis describes two pieces of work. The first is a study of the resolution of the LHCb vertex locator throughout Run 1. The second comprises analyses to measure the charm mixing and CP violation observables A_{Gamma} and y_{CP}.An estimate of the resolution of the LHCb vertex locator is required for use in the track fits. A method to measure the resolution with collision data has been developed and tested. The performance of the sub-detector throughout Run 1 of the LHC has been assessed. A significant degrading of the resolution has been seen. The effects of this on the track reconstruction has been examined with little change in the measured quantities being observed. The measurement of indirect CP violation in neutral D meson transitions has been measured through the observables A_{Gamma} and y_{CP}, using 1fb^{-1} of pp collisions with a centre of mass energy 7TeV, collected by the LHCb detector in 2011.A_{Gamma} describes the CP asymmetry of the lifetime of the D^0 decaying to a CP eigenstate (KK or pipi). The analysis documented here yields A_{Gamma} = (-0.17+-0.54)x10^{-3} when the measurements are combined. This is the world's best measurement and represented a factor of four improvement over the previous best result. The observable y_{CP} compares the effective lifetimes of the Cabibbo favoured decay D^0→Kpi and the transition to a CP eigenstate (KK or pipi). The unblinded result obtained in this document, averaged over both final states is y_{CP} = (5.61+-1.56)x10^{-3}. This result is commensurate with the world average central value within 1.25 standard deviations and has significance of 3.6 standard deviations relative to zero.