Search For Squarks And Gluinos In Final States With Jets And Missing Transverse Momentum Using 36 Fbminus1 Of Square Roots PDF Download

This thesis reports on two searches for the production of squarks and gluinos, supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model (SM) quarks and gluons, using the CDF detector at the Tevatron (square root)s = 1.96 TeV p{bar p} collider. An inclusive search for squarks and gluinos pair production is performed in events with large E{sub T} and multiple jets in the final state, based on 2 fb−1 of CDF Run II data. The analysis is performed within the framework of minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) and assumes R-parity conservation where sparticles are produced in pairs. The expected signal is characterized by the production of multiple jets of hadrons from the cascade decays of squarks and gluinos and large missing transverse energy E{sub T} from the lightest supersymmetric particles (LSP). The measurements are in good agreement with SM predictions for backgrounds. The results are translated into 95% confidence level (CL) upper limits on production cross sections and squark and gluino masses in a given mSUGRA scenario. An upper limit on the production cross section is placed in the range between 1 pb and 0.1 pb, depending on the gluino and squark masses considered. The result of the search is negative for gluino and squark masses up to 392 GeV/c2 in the region where gluino and squark masses are close to each other, gluino masses up to 280 GeV/c2 regardless of the squark mass, and gluino masses up to 423 GeV=c2 for squark masses below 378 GeV/c2. These results are compatible with the latest limits on squark/gluino production obtained by the D0 Collaboration and considerably improve the previous exclusion limits from direct and indirect searches at LEP and the Tevatron. The inclusive search is then extended to a scenario where the pair production of sbottom squarks is dominant. The new search is performed in a generic MSSM scenario with R-parity conservation. A specific SUSY particle mass hierarchy is assumed such that the sbottom decays exclusively as {tilde b}1 --> b{sub {tilde {chi}}1°}. The expected signal for direct sbottom pair production is characterized by the presence of two jets of hadrons from the hadronization of the bottom quarks and E=T from the two LSPs in the final state. The events are selected with large E{sub T} and two energetic jets in the final state, and at least one jet is required to be associated with a b quark. The measurements are in good agreement with SM predictions for backgrounds. The results are translated into 95% CL exclusion limits on production cross sections and sbottom and neutralino masses in the given MSSM scenario. Cross sections down to 0.1 pb are excluded for the sbottom mass range considered. Sbottom masses up to 230 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% CL for neutralino masses below 70 GeV/c2. This analysis increases the previous CDF limit by more than 40 GeV/c2. The sensitivity of both the inclusive and the exclusive search is dominated by systematic effects and the results of the two analyses can be considered as conclusive for CDF Run II. With the new energy frontier of the newly commissioned Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, the experience from Tevatron will be of crucial importance in the developing of effective strategies to search for SUSY in the next era of particle physics experiments.