Supersymmetry searches in dilepton final states with the ATLAS experiment

One of the main goals of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva is the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. In 2011, proton-proton collisions were performed at the LHC at a center of mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb^{-1} was recorded. This dataset can be tested for one of the most promising theories beyond limits achieved thus far: supersymmetry. Final states in supersymmetry events at the LHC contain highly energetic jets and sizeable missing transverse energy. The additional requirement of events with highly energetic leptons simplifies the control of the backgrounds. This work presents results of a search for supersymmetry in the inclusive dilepton channel. Special emphasis is put on the search within the Gauge-Mediated Symmetry Breaking (GMSB) scenario in which the supersymmetry breaking is mediated via gauge fields. Statistically independent Control Regionsrnfor the dominant Standard Model backgrounds as well as Signal Regions for a discovery of a possible supersymmetry signal are defined and optimized. A simultaneous fit of the background normalizations in the Control Regions via the profile likelihood method allows for a precise prediction of the backgrounds in the Signal Regions and thus increases the sensitivity to several supersymmetry models. Systematic uncertainties on the background prediction are constrained via the jet multiplicity distribution in the Control Regions driven by data. The observed data are consistent with the Standard Model expectation. New limits within the GMSB and the minimal Supergravity (mSUGRA) scenario as well as for several simplified supersymmetry models are set or extended.

Measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry of Z boson decays in electron-positron pairs with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root out s = 7TeV at the LHC

In this thesis the measurement of the effective weak mixing angle wma in proton-proton collisions is described. The results are extracted from the forward-backward asymmetry (AFB) in electron-positron final states at the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The AFB is defined upon the distribution of the polar angle between the incoming quark and outgoing lepton. The signal process used in this study is the reaction pp to zgamma + X to ee + X taking a total integrated luminosity of 4.8\,fb^(-1) of data into account. The data was recorded at a proton-proton center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=7TeV. The weak mixing angle is a central parameter of the electroweak theory of the Standard Model (SM) and relates the neutral current interactions of electromagnetism and weak force. The higher order corrections on wma are related to other SM parameters like the mass of the Higgs boson.rnrnBecause of the symmetric initial state constellation of colliding protons, there is no favoured forward or backward direction in the experimental setup. The reference axis used in the definition of the polar angle is therefore chosen with respect to the longitudinal boost of the electron-positron final state. This leads to events with low absolute rapidity have a higher chance of being assigned to the opposite direction of the reference axis. This effect called dilution is reduced when events at higher rapidities are used. It can be studied including electrons and positrons in the forward regions of the ATLAS calorimeters. Electrons and positrons are further referred to as electrons. To include the electrons from the forward region, the energy calibration for the forward calorimeters had to be redone. This calibration is performed by inter-calibrating the forward electron energy scale using pairs of a central and a forward electron and the previously derived central electron energy calibration. The uncertainty is shown to be dominated by the systematic variations.rnrnThe extraction of wma is performed using chi^2 tests, comparing the measured distribution of AFB in data to a set of template distributions with varied values of wma. The templates are built in a forward folding technique using modified generator level samples and the official fully simulated signal sample with full detector simulation and particle reconstruction and identification. The analysis is performed in two different channels: pairs of central electrons or one central and one forward electron. The results of the two channels are in good agreement and are the first measurements of wma at the Z resonance using electron final states at proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7TeV. The precision of the measurement is already systematically limited mostly by the uncertainties resulting from the knowledge of the parton distribution functions (PDF) and the systematic uncertainties of the energy calibration.rnrnThe extracted results of wma are combined and yield a value of wma_comb = 0.2288 +- 0.0004 (stat.) +- 0.0009 (syst.) = 0.2288 +- 0.0010 (tot.). The measurements are compared to the results of previous measurements at the Z boson resonance. The deviation with respect to the combined result provided by the LEP and SLC experiments is up to 2.7 standard deviations.

Suche nach dem Higgs-Boson im Zerfallskanal H WW eny e myny my mit dem D0-Detektor

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Suche nach dem Higgs-Boson.rn Dazu wurden die Daten des D0-Experimentes am Fermi National rn Accelerator Laboratory analysiert. Diese stammen ausrn Proton-Antiproton-Kollisionen, welche vom Tevatron-Beschleuniger beirn einer Schwerpunktsenergie von sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV erzeugtrn wurden. Der Datensatz umfasst mit einer integrierten Luminosität vonrn 9.7 fb^-1 den vollen RunII, welcher von April 2002 bisrn September 2011 aufgezeichnet wurde. Die Suche wurde für dreirn unterschiedliche Modelle durchgeführt: Das Standardmodell, einrn fermiophobes Higgs-Modell und ein Modell mit einer viertenrn Fermiongeneration. Zusätzlich wurde der Wirkungsquerschnitt derrn nicht resonanten WW-Produktion gemessen.rnrn Dazu wurden Daten mit einem Elektron, einem Myon und fehlenderrn Transversalenergie im Endzustand untersucht. Dieser Endzustand wirdrn beim Zerfall eines Higgs-Bosons in zwei W-Bosonen mit anschließendemrn Zerfall in ein Elektron, ein Myon und zwei Neutrinos erwartet undrn weist die größte Sensitivität für die Suche am Tevatron auf.rnrn Weder für das Standardmodell noch für die erweiterten Modelle konntern ein Hinweis auf ein Higgs-Signal gefunden werden. Deshalb wurdenrn obere Grenzen auf den Produktionswirkungsquerschnitt für diern einzelnen Modelle bestimmt. Die oberen Grenzen für Higgs-Bosonen imrn Rahmen des Standardmodells reichen von 28*sigma_SM für einrn Higgs-Boson mit einer Masse von 100 GeV bis zu einemrn Ausschluss des Standardmodell-Higgs-Bosons im Bereich zwischen 160rn und 167 GeV mit 95% Vertrauensniveau. Damit ist der inrn dieser Arbeit beschriebene Kanal der einzige Kanal amrn D0-Experiment, welcher eine ausreichend hohe Sensitivität erreicht,rn um allein ein Higgs-Boson im hohen Massenbereich auszuschließen. Fürrn ein Higgs-Boson mit 125 GeV Masse sind die Ergebnisse sowohlrn mit der Signal+Untergrund- als auch mit der Untergrund-Hypothesern kompatibel. rn Im Rahmen des fermiophoben Higgs-Modells wurden oberen Grenzenrn zwischen 2*sigma_FHM und 4*sigma_FHM imrn Massenbereich zwischen 100 und 170 GeV bestimmt. Für diern betrachteten Modelle mit einer vierten Fermiongeneration konnte einrn Higgs-Boson in einem weiten Massenbereich zwischen 135 undrn 220 GeV mit 95% Vertrauensniveau ausgeschlossen werden.rnrn Die Messung des Wirkungsquerschnitts der nicht-resonantenrn WW-Produktion ist die genaueste Messung fürrn sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. Der gemessene Wirkungsquerschnitt beträgtrn sigma_ppbar->WW^em=11.1 +- 0.6 (stat.) +- 0.6 (syst.) pbrn und bestätigt damit die theoretische NLO-Vorhersage im Rahmen ihrerrn Unsicherheiten.rn

Theoretical analysis of hidden photon searches in high-precision experiments

Although the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) provides an extremely successful description of the ordinary matter, one knows from astronomical observations that it accounts only for around 5% of the total energy density of the Universe, whereas around 30% are contributed by the dark matter. Motivated by anomalies in cosmic ray observations and by attempts to solve questions of the SM like the (g-2)_mu discrepancy, proposed U(1) extensions of the SM gauge group have raised attention in recent years. In the considered U(1) extensions a new, light messenger particle, the hidden photon, couples to the hidden sector as well as to the electromagnetic current of the SM by kinetic mixing. This allows for a search for this particle in laboratory experiments exploring the electromagnetic interaction. Various experimental programs have been started to search for hidden photons, such as in electron-scattering experiments, which are a versatile tool to explore various physics phenomena. One approach is the dedicated search in fixed-target experiments at modest energies as performed at MAMI or at JLAB. In these experiments the scattering of an electron beam off a hadronic target e+(A,Z)->e+(A,Z)+l^+l^- is investigated and a search for a very narrow resonance in the invariant mass distribution of the lepton pair is performed. This requires an accurate understanding of the theoretical basis of the underlying processes. For this purpose it is demonstrated in the first part of this work, in which way the hidden photon can be motivated from existing puzzles encountered at the precision frontier of the SM. The main part of this thesis deals with the analysis of the theoretical framework for electron scattering fixed-target experiments searching for hidden photons. As a first step, the cross section for the bremsstrahlung emission of hidden photons in such experiments is studied. Based on these results, the applicability of the Weizsäcker-Williams approximation to calculate the signal cross section of the process, which is widely used to design such experimental setups, is investigated. In a next step, the reaction e+(A,Z)->e+(A,Z)+l^+l^- is analyzed as signal and background process in order to describe existing data obtained by the A1 experiment at MAMI with the aim to give accurate predictions of exclusion limits for the hidden photon parameter space. Finally, the derived methods are used to find predictions for future experiments, e.g., at MESA or at JLAB, allowing for a comprehensive study of the discovery potential of the complementary experiments. In the last part, a feasibility study for probing the hidden photon model by rare kaon decays is performed. For this purpose, invisible as well as visible decays of the hidden photon are considered within different classes of models. This allows one to find bounds for the parameter space from existing data and to estimate the reach of future experiments.

Search for supersymmetry in final states with jets, missing transverse energy and one charged lepton with the ATLAS-experiment

Im Jahr 2011 wurde am Large Hadron Collider mit dem ATLAS Experiment ein Datensatz von 4.7 inversen Femtobarn bei einer Schwerpunktsenergie von 7 TeV aufgezeichnet. Teil des umfangreichen Physikprogrammes des ATLAS Experiments ist die Suche nach Physik jenseits des Standardmodells. Supersymmetrie - eine neue Symmetrie zwischen Bosonen und Fermionen - wird als aussichtsreichester Kandidat für neue Physik angesehen, und zahlreiche direkte und indirekte Suchen nach Supersymmetrie wurden in den letzten Jahrzehnten bereits durchgeführt. In der folgenden Arbeit wird eine direkte Suche nach Supersymmetrie in Endzuständen mit Jets, fehlender Transversalenergie und genau einem Elektron oder Myon durchgeführt. Der analysierte Datensatz von 4.7 inversen Femtobarn umfasst die gesamte Datenmenge, welche am ATLAS Experiment bei einer Schwerpunktsenergie von 7 TeV aufgezeichnet wurde. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse werden mit verschiedenen anderen leptonischen Suchkanälen kombiniert, um die Sensitivität auf diversen supersymmetrischen Produktions- und Zerfallsmodi zu maximieren. Die gemessenen Daten sind kompatibel mit der Standardmodellerwartung, und neue Ausschlussgrenzen in verschiedenen supersymmetrischen Modellen werden berechnet.

Hadronic matrix elements in lattice QCD

The lattice formulation of Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) has become a reliable tool providing an ab initio calculation of low-energy quantities. Despite numerous successes, systematic uncertainties, such as discretisation effects, finite-size effects, and contaminations from excited states, are inherent in any lattice calculation. Simulations with controlled systematic uncertainties and close to the physical pion mass have become state-of-the-art. We present such a calculation for various hadronic matrix elements using non-perturbatively O(a)-improved Wilson fermions with two dynamical light quark flavours. The main topics covered in this thesis are the axial charge of the nucleon, the electro-magnetic form factors of the nucleon, and the leading hadronic contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Lattice simulations typically tend to underestimate the axial charge of the nucleon by 5 − 10%. We show that including excited state contaminations using the summed operator insertion method leads to agreement with the experimentally determined value. Further studies of systematic uncertainties reveal only small discretisation effects. For the electro-magnetic form factors of the nucleon, we see a similar contamination from excited states as for the axial charge. The electro-magnetic radii, extracted from a dipole fit to the momentum dependence of the form factors, show no indication of finite-size or cutoff effects. If we include excited states using the summed operator insertion method, we achieve better agreement with the radii from phenomenology. The anomalous magnetic moment of the muon can be measured and predicted to very high precision. The theoretical prediction of the anomalous magnetic moment receives contribution from strong, weak, and electro-magnetic interactions, where the hadronic contributions dominate the uncertainties. A persistent 3σ tension between the experimental determination and the theoretical calculation is found, which is considered to be an indication for physics beyond the Standard Model. We present a calculation of the connected part of the hadronic vacuum polarisation using lattice QCD. Partially twisted boundary conditions lead to a significant improvement of the vacuum polarisation in the region of small momentum transfer, which is crucial in the extraction of the hadronic vacuum polarisation.

Konzeption, Entwicklung und Test einer Apparatur zur Messung der elektrischen Ladung des Neutrons

Die elektrische Ladung des Neutrons ist eng mit der Frage nach der Existenz der Ladungsquantisierung verknüpft: Sollte das Neutron eine Ladung tragen, kann die Ladung nicht in Einheiten der Elementarladung e quantisiert sein.rnrnIm Rahmen der Elektrodynamik und des minimalen Standardmodells ist die Quantisierung der Ladung nicht enthalten. Eine mögliche Neutronenladung würde ihnen also nicht widersprechen. Allerdings geht sie aus den Weiterentwicklungen dieser Modelle hervor. Die sogenannten Grand Unified Theories sagen die Möglichkeit des Protonenzerfalls vorher. Dieser ist nur möglich, wenn die Ladung quantisiert ist.rnrnDurch die Messung einer elektrischen Ladung des Neutrons können die verschiedenen Theorien überprüft werden.rnrnIm Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde eine Apparatur entwickelt, mit der die elektrische Ladung des Neutrons gemessen werden kann. Als Grundlage diente das Prinzip einer Messung von 1988. Mit einem flüssigen Neutronenspiegel aus Fomblin ist es zum ersten mal überhaupt gelungen, einen flüssigen Spiegel für Neutronen einzusetzen. Durch diese und andere Verbesserungen konnte die Sensitivität der Apparatur um einen Faktor 5 im Vergleich zum Experimentrnvon 1988 verbessert werden. Eine mögliche Ladung des Neutrons kann mit δq_n = 2,15·10^(−20)·e/√day gemessen werden. rnrnDie Messung der elektrischen Ladung soll im Winter 2014 durchgeführt werden. Bis dahin soll die Präzision aufrnδq_n = 1,4·10^(−21)·e/√day erhöht werden.

Hunting for warped extra dimensions via loop-induced processes

This thesis is on loop-induced processes in theories with warped extra dimensions where the fermions and gauge bosons are allowed to propagate in the bulk, while the Higgs sector is localized on or near the infra-red brane. These so-called Randall-Sundrum (RS) models have the potential to simultaneously explain the hierarchy problem and address the question of what causes the large hierarchies in the fermion sector of the Standard Model (SM). The Kaluza-Klein (KK) excitations of the bulk fields can significantly affect the loop-level processes considered in this thesis and, hence, could indirectly indicate the existence of warped extra dimensions. The analytical part of this thesis deals with the detailed calculation of three loop-induced processes in the RS models in question: the Higgs production process via gluon fusion, the Higgs decay into two photons, and the flavor-changing neutral current b → sγ. A comprehensive, five-dimensional (5D) analysis will show that the amplitudes of the Higgs processes can be expressed in terms of integrals over 5D propagators with the Higgs-boson profile along the extra dimension, which can be used for arbitrary models with a compact extra dimension. To this end, both the boson and fermion propagators in a warped 5D background are derived. It will be shown that the seemingly contradictory results for the gluon fusion amplitude in the literature can be traced back to two distinguishable, not smoothly-connected incarnations of the RS model. The investigation of the b → sγ transition is performed in the KK decomposed theory. It will be argued that summing up the entire KK tower leads to a finite result, which can be well approximated by a closed, analytical expression.rnIn the phenomenological part of this thesis, the analytic results of all relevant Higgs couplings in the RS models in question are compared with current and in particular future sensitivities of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the planned International Linear Collider. The latest LHC Higgs data is then used to exclude significant portions of the parameter space of each RS scenario. The analysis will demonstrate that especially the loop-induced Higgs couplings are sensitive to KK particles of the custodial RS model with masses in the multi tera-electronvolt range. Finally, the effect of the RS model on three flavor observables associated with the b → sγ transition are examined. In particular, we study the branching ratio of the inclusive decay B → X_s γ

High-mass Drell-Yan cross-section and search for new phenomena in multi-electron/positron final states with the ATLAS detector

The Standard Model of particle physics is a very successful theory which describes nearly all known processes of particle physics very precisely. Nevertheless, there are several observations which cannot be explained within the existing theory. In this thesis, two analyses with high energy electrons and positrons using data of the ATLAS detector are presented. One, probing the Standard Model of particle physics and another searching for phenomena beyond the Standard Model.rnThe production of an electron-positron pair via the Drell-Yan process leads to a very clean signature in the detector with low background contributions. This allows for a very precise measurement of the cross-section and can be used as a precision test of perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) where this process has been calculated at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). The invariant mass spectrum mee is sensitive to parton distribution functions (PFDs), in particular to the poorly known distribution of antiquarks at large momentum fraction (Bjoerken x). The measurementrnof the high-mass Drell-Yan cross-section in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is performed on a dataset collected with the ATLAS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1. The differential cross-section of pp -> Z/gamma + X -> e+e- + X is measured as a function of the invariant mass in the range 116 GeV < mee < 1500 GeV. The background is estimated using a data driven method and Monte Carlo simulations. The final cross-section is corrected for detector effects and different levels of final state radiation corrections. A comparison isrnmade to various event generators and to predictions of pQCD calculations at NNLO. A good agreement within the uncertainties between measured cross-sections and Standard Model predictions is observed.rnExamples of observed phenomena which can not be explained by the Standard Model are the amount of dark matter in the universe and neutrino oscillations. To explain these phenomena several extensions of the Standard Model are proposed, some of them leading to new processes with a high multiplicity of electrons and/or positrons in the final state. A model independent search in multi-object final states, with objects defined as electrons and positrons, is performed to search for these phenomenas. Therndataset collected at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb-1 is used. The events are separated in different categories using the object multiplicity. The data-driven background method, already used for the cross-section measurement was developed further for up to five objects to get an estimation of the number of events including fake contributions. Within the uncertainties the comparison between data and Standard Model predictions shows no significant deviations.

Measurement of the ZZ production cross section and limits to the anomalous triple gauge couplings with forward electrons with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of the self coupling between bosons are important to test the electroweak sector of the Standard Model (SM). The production of pairs of Z bosons through the s-channel is forbidden in the SM. The presence of physics, beyond the SM, could lead to a deviation of the expected production cross section of pairs of Z bosons due to the so called anomalous Triple Gauge Couplings (aTGC). Proton-proton data collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) recorded by the ATLAS detector at a center of mass energy of 8 TeV were analyzed corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb-1. Pairs of Z bosons decaying into two electron-positron pairs are searched for in the data sample. The effect of the inclusion of detector regions corresponding to high values of the pseudorapidity was studied to enlarge the phase space available for the measurement of the ZZ production. The number of ZZ candidates was determined and the ZZ production cross section was measured to be: rn7.3±1.0(Stat.)±0.4(Sys.)±0.2(lumi.)pb, which is consistent with the SM expectation value of 7.2±0.3pb. Limits on the aTGCs were derived using the observed yield, which are twice as stringent as previous limits obtained by ATLAS at a center of mass energy of 7 TeV.

Hadronic correlation functions with quark-disconnected contributions in lattice QCD

One of the fundamental interactions in the Standard Model of particle physicsrnis the strong force, which can be formulated as a non-abelian gauge theoryrncalled Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). rnIn the low-energy regime, where the QCD coupling becomes strong and quarksrnand gluons are confined to hadrons, a perturbativernexpansion in the coupling constant is not possible.rnHowever, the introduction of a four-dimensional Euclidean space-timernlattice allows for an textit{ab initio} treatment of QCD and provides arnpowerful tool to study the low-energy dynamics of hadrons.rnSome hadronic matrix elements of interest receive contributionsrnfrom diagrams including quark-disconnected loops, i.e. disconnected quarkrnlines from one lattice point back to the same point. The calculation of suchrnquark loops is computationally very demanding, because it requires knowledge ofrnthe all-to-all propagator. In this thesis we use stochastic sources and arnhopping parameter expansion to estimate such propagators.rnWe apply this technique to study two problems which relay crucially on therncalculation of quark-disconnected diagrams, namely the scalar form factor ofrnthe pion and the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the anomalousrnmagnet moment of the muon.rnThe scalar form factor of the pion describes the coupling of a charged pion torna scalar particle. We calculate the connected and the disconnected contributionrnto the scalar form factor for three different momentum transfers. The scalarrnradius of the pion is extracted from the momentum dependence of the form factor.rnThe use ofrnseveral different pion masses and lattice spacings allows for an extrapolationrnto the physical point. The chiral extrapolation is done using chiralrnperturbation theory ($chi$PT). We find that our pion mass dependence of thernscalar radius is consistent with $chi$PT at next-to-leading order.rnAdditionally, we are able to extract the low energy constant $ell_4$ from thernextrapolation, and ourrnresult is in agreement with results from other lattice determinations.rnFurthermore, our result for the scalar pion radius at the physical point isrnconsistent with a value that was extracted from $pipi$-scattering data. rnThe hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) is the leading-order hadronicrncontribution to the anomalous magnetic moment $a_mu$ of the muon. The HVP canrnbe estimated from the correlation of two vector currents in the time-momentumrnrepresentation. We explicitly calculate the corresponding disconnectedrncontribution to the vector correlator. We find that the disconnectedrncontribution is consistent with zero within its statistical errors. This resultrncan be converted into an upper limit for the maximum contribution of therndisconnected diagram to $a_mu$ by using the expected time-dependence of therncorrelator and comparing it to the corresponding connected contribution. Wernfind the disconnected contribution to be smaller than $approx5%$ of thernconnected one. This value can be used as an estimate for a systematic errorrnthat arises from neglecting the disconnected contribution.rn

Untersuchung der Ladung des Neutrons

Die Quantisierung der elektrischen Ladung ist eine der größten Fragestellungen der Physik, die bis heute nicht verstanden ist. Im Standardmodell der Teilchenphysik ist sie beispielsweise nicht mathematisch inhärent erklärbar. Dadurch wäre es möglich, dass das Neutron eine winzige Ladung tragen kann. In dieser Arbeit wurde eine Apparatur auf Grundlage eines Vorgängerexperiments entwickelt, mit der eine Untersuchung der Ladung des Neutrons mit höchster Präzision durchgeführt werden kann. Dabei werden ultrakalte Neutronen in einem optischen System einem elektrischen Feld zwischen zwei Elektrodenplatten ausgesetzt. In der ersten Ladungsmessung mit dieser Apparatur konnte eine statistische Sensitivität von δq≈2,4∙10⁻²⁰ e/√d erreicht werden. Diese Sensitivität ist die höchste, die bisher mit ultrakalten Neutronen für eine Ladungsmessung erreicht werden konnte. In dieser Arbeit wurde das Konzept des Vorgängerexperiments grundlegend überarbeitet, um die Sensitivität der Apparatur zu erhöhen. Es wurden detaillierte Untersuchungen der Systematik der Apparatur durchgeführt und das theoretische Potential der Sensitivität von derzeit δq≈10⁻²¹ e/√d ermittelt. Mit dieser Apparatur wurde der Grundstein für die Messung einer neuen niedrigeren oberen Grenze der elektrischen Ladung des Neutrons gelegt. In nächster Zeit kann dadurch eine niedrigere obere Grenze für die Ladung des Neutrons von q≈10⁻²² e erzielt werden.

Measurement of the e + e - pi + pi - cross section using initial state radiation at BESIII

The future goal of modern physics is the discovery of physics beyond the Standard Model. One of the most significant hints for New Physics can be seen in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon - one of the most precise measured variables in modern physics and the main motivation of this work. This variable is associated with the coupling of the muon, an elementary particle, to an external electromagnetic field and is defined as a = (g - 2)/2, whereas g is the gyromagnetic factor of the muon. The muon anomaly has been measured with a relative accuracy of 0.5·10-6. However, a difference between the direct measurement and the Standard Model prediction of 3.6 standard deviations can be observed. This could be a hint for the existence of New Physics. Unfortunately, it is, yet, not significant enough to claim an observation and, thus, more precise measurements and calculations have to be performed.rnThe muon anomaly has three contributions, whereas the ones from quantum electrodynamics and weak interaction can be determined from perturbative calculations. This cannot be done in case of the hadronic contributions at low energies. The leading order contribution - the hadronic vacuum polarization - can be computed via a dispersion integral, which needs as input hadronic cross section measurements from electron-positron annihilations. Hence, it is essential for a precise prediction of the muon anomaly to measure these hadronic cross sections, σ(e+e-→hadrons), with high accuracy. With a contribution of more than 70%, the final state containing two charged pions is the most important one in this context.rnIn this thesis, a new measurement of the σ(e+e-→π+π-) cross section and the pion form factor is performed with an accuracy of 0.9% in the dominant ρ(770) resonance region between 600 and rn900 MeV at the BESIII experiment. The two-pion contribution to the leading-order (LO) hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to (g - 2) from the BESIII result, obtained in this work, is computed to be a(ππ,LO,600-900 MeV) = (368.2±2.5stat±3.3sys)·10-10. With the result presented in this thesis, we make an important contribution on the way to solve the (g - 2) puzzle.

Comparison of porcine and human coagulation by thrombelastometry

Although the pig is a standard model for the evaluation of various diseases in humans, including coagulopathy, it is not clear whether results in animals can be extrapolated to man.

Measurement of the W+ W- cross section in sqrt(s) = 7 TeV pp collisions with ATLAS

This Letter presents a measurement of the W+ W- production cross section in sqrt(s) = 7  TeV pp collisions by the ATLAS experiment, using 34  pb(-1) of integrated luminosity produced by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Selecting events with two isolated leptons, each either an electron or a muon, 8 candidate events are observed with an expected background of 1.7 ± 0.6 events. The measured cross section is 41(-16)(+20)(stat) ± 5(syst)±1(lumi)  pb, which is consistent with the standard model prediction of 44 ± 3  pb calculated at next-to-leading order in QCD.