Search for new heavy gauge bosons and contact interactions in Drell-Yan production with Atlas'

The project covers searches for new heavy gauge bosons via lepton pairs in
the final state. This is considered as a 'golden' channel for discoveries due to
the clean signature at low background rates. The anticipated increase in the
statistics with the new LHC Run 3 will allow extending the search range
further. The student will study the fully available statistics and develop new
machine learning-based analysis tools going thus beyond the traditional cutbased analysis pursued so far. Particular emphasis will be given to the
interpretation of the Drell-Yan data at the highest masses which can be sifted
also for new contact interaction types. The student will develop a novel
method of interpreting jointly electron-proton data from the HERA collider
and Drell-Yan data from ATLAS to gain world best limits on our knowledge of
an effective quark radius.
Beyond the necessary training in the world of big ATLAS data using grid
computing resources and advanced, state-of-the art computer-based analysis
tools, the student will get practical training with muon system operation at
CERN led by MPI staff. The student will contribute to the new Run 3 data
taking as well as contributions to the analysis of simulated data. Thus, the
student will get training that may lead to a variety of career paths ranging
from a data scientist in industry or to further academic career.
The main expected outcome of the project would be a discovery of a new
heavy gauge boson. If this is not the case, then the planned new analysis
techniques are expected to be used for new kind of limits of contact
interactions and the world's best effective quark radius in particular.
DH/Feb2019
The project would open up a new link to the MPI Munich which belongs to
one of the strongest institutions in Germany