PhD defense Priscilla Pani @ UvA

10 september 2014

Promotiebericht
Nikhef, 28-8-2014

"To the bottom of the stop – Calibration of bottom-quark jets identification algorithms and search for scalar top-quarks and dark matter with the Run I ATLAS data" 

Priscilla Pani, promovenda aan het Nikhef, verdedigt haar proefschrift woensdag 10 september 2014 aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam.

In the first part of this thesis, the results of a calibration of bottom quark jets identification algorithms are reported. The analysis is performed with 5 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. A b-jet enriched sample from fully reconstructed B±→J/ψ K± was used to validate the Monte Carlo simulation of b-jets properties and identification algorithms to the experimental data. In the second part of the thesis, the results of a search for top squark pair production in final states with one isolated lepton, jets, and missing transverse momentum are reported. The search is based on 20fb-1 of pp collisions at 8 TeV centre-of-mass energy recorded by the ATLAS detector. No significant excess over the Standard Model prediction is observed. The results were interpreted in terms of exclusion limits on a wide range of scenarios with different decay modes of the top squark and mass assumptions for the top squark and the other particles considered in the decay chain. Finally, the search was interpreted in terms of dark matter plus toppairs associate production. Limits were derived on dark matter nucleon scattering cross section for two contact operators (D1 and C1) in the context of dark matter effective field theory.

"To the bottom of the stop – Calibration of bottom-quark jets identification algorithms and search for scalar top-quarks and dark matter with the Run I ATLAS data"  (pdf)

De promotie vindt plaats op woensdag 10 september, om 11.00 in de Aula van de Universiteit (Oude Lutherse kerk), Singel 411, Amsterdam.

Promotor: prof. dr. ir. P.J. de Jong
Co-Promotor: dr. A.P. Colijn

Voor een interview met Priscilla op de UvA website, klik hier.

Contact: Priscilla Pani