This book presents the first global interpretation of measurements of jet and top quark production at the Large Hadron Collider, including a simultaneous extraction of the standard model parameters together with constraints on new physics, unbiased from the assumptions on the standard model parameters. As a long-standing problem, any hadron collider search for new physics depends on parton distribution functions, which cannot be predicted but are extracted experimentally. However, performing the extraction in the same kinematic region where physics beyond the standard model is expected to manifest causes the risk of absorbing the new physics effects into the parton distributions. In this book, the issue is addressed by extending the standard model by effective contributions from quark contact interactions describing new physics and extracting the parton distributions and standard model parameters simultaneously with setting limits on the contact interactions. In the process, the most precise single measurement of the strong coupling constant at the LHC is performed, to date. Furthermore, the book details the first investigation of the mass renormalization scale dependence of the top quark mass, highlighting the importance of a proper scale choice for obtaining robust predictions and improving the precision of experimental analyses. The initial chapters provide the reader with a succinct yet accessible introduction to the relevant theoretical and experimental topics. The presented investigations are at the edge of precision in the phenomenology of high-energy physics and serve to pave the road toward a global interpretation of LHC data.

Einstein's general theory of relativity has withstood 100 years of testing and will soon be facing one of its toughest challenges. In a few years we expect to be entering the era of the first direct observations of gravitational waves. These are tiny perturbations of space-time that are generated by accelerating matter and affect the measured distances between two points. Observations of these using the laser interferometers, which are the most sensitive length-measuring devices in the world, will allow us to test models of interactions in the strong field regime of gravity and eventually general relativity itself. I apply the tools of Bayesian inference for the examination of gravitational wave data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors. This is used for signal detection and estimation of the source parameters. I quantify the ability of a network of ground-based detectors to localise a source position on the sky for electromagnetic follow-up. Bayesian criteria are also applied to separating real signals from glitches in the detectors. These same tools and lessons can also be applied to the type of data expected from planned space-based detectors. Using simulations from the Mock LISA Data Challenges, I analyse our ability to detect and characterise both burst and continuous signals. The two seemingly different signal types will be overlapping and confused with one another for a space-based detector; my analysis shows that we will be able to separate and identify many signals present. Data sets and astrophysical models are continuously increasing in complexity. This will create an additional computational burden for performing Bayesian inference and other types of data analysis. I investigate the application of the MOPED algorithm for faster parameter estimation and data compression. I find that its shortcomings make it a less favourable candidate for further implementation. The framework of an artificial neural network is a simple model for the structure of a brain which can "learn" functional relationships between sets of inputs and outputs. I describe an algorithm developed for the training of feed-forward networks on pre-calculated data sets. The trained networks can then be used for fast prediction of outputs for new sets of inputs. After demonstrating capabilities on toy data sets, I apply the ability of the network to classifying handwritten digits from the MNIST database and measuring ellipticities of galaxies in the Mapping Dark Matter challenge. The power of neural networks for learning and rapid prediction is also useful in Bayesian inference where the likelihood function is computationally expensive. The new BAMBI algorithm is detailed, in which our network training algorithm is combined with the nested sampling algorithm MULTINEST to provide rapid Bayesian inference. Using samples from the normal inference, a network is trained on the likelihood function and eventually used in its place. This is able to provide significant increase in the speed of Bayesian inference while returning identical results. The trained networks can then be used for extremely rapid follow-up analyses with different priors, obtaining orders of magnitude of speed increase. Learning how to apply the tools of Bayesian inference for the optimal recovery of gravitational wave signals will provide the most scientific information when the first detections are made. Complementary to this, the improvement of our analysis algorithms to provide the best results in less time will make analysis of larger and more complicated models and data sets practical.

Exploring the phenomenology of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, LHC Physics focuses on the first years of data collected at the LHC as well as the experimental and theoretical tools involved. It discusses a broad spectrum of experimental and theoretical activity in particle physics, from the searches for the Higgs boson and physics beyond the Standard Model to studies of quantum chromodynamics, the B-physics sector, and the properties of dense hadronic matter in heavy-ion collisions. Covering the topics in a pedagogical manner, the book introduces the theoretical and phenomenological framework of hadron collisions and presents the current theoretical models of frontier physics. It offers overviews of the main detector components, the initial calibration procedures, and search strategies. The authors also provide explicit examples of physics analyses drawn from the recently shut down Tevatron. In the coming years, or perhaps even sooner, the LHC experiments may reveal the Higgs boson and offer insight beyond the Standard Model. Written by some of the most prominent and active researchers in particle physics, this volume equips new physicists with the theory and tools needed to understand the various LHC experiments and prepares them to make future contributions to the field.

Reviews the current state of knowledge of neutrino masses and the related question of neutrino oscillations. After an overview of the theory of neutrino masses and mixings, detailed accounts are given of the laboratory limits on neutrino masses, astrophysical and cosmological constraints on those masses, experimental results on neutrino oscillations, the theoretical interpretation of those results, and theoretical models of neutrino masses and mixings. The book concludes with an examination of the potential of long-baseline experiments. This is an essential reference text for workers in elementary-particle physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics.

Many high-energy collider experiments (including the current Large Hadron Collider at CERN) involve the collision of hadrons. Hadrons are composite particles consisting of partons (quarks and gluons), and this means that in any hadron-hadron collision there will typically be multiple collisions of the constituents — i.e. multiple parton interactions (MPI). Understanding the nature of the MPI is important in terms of searching for new physics in the products of the scatters, and also in its own right to gain a greater understanding of hadron structure. This book aims at providing a pedagogical introduction and a comprehensive review of different research lines linked by an involvement of MPI phenomena. It is written by pioneers as well as young leading scientists, and reviews both experimental findings and theoretical developments, discussing also the remaining open issues.

This 2nd edition is an extensive update of "B Decays?. The revisions are necessary because of the extensive amount of new data and new theoretical ideas. This book reviews what is known about b-quark decays and also looks at what can be learned in the future.The importance of this research area is increasing, as evidenced by the approval of the luminosity upgrade for CESR and the asymmetric B factories at SLAC and KEK, and the possibility of experiments at hadron colliders.The key experimental observations made thus far, measurement of the lifetimes of the different B species, B0-B0 mixing, the discovery of ?Penguin? mediated decays, and the extraction of the CKM matrix elements Vub and Vcb from semileptonic decays, as well as more mundane results, are described in great detail by the experimentalists who have been closely involved with making the measurements. Theoretical progress in understanding b-quark decays using HQET and lattice gauge techniques are described by theorists who have developed and used these techniques.Synthesizing the experimental and theoretical information, several articles discuss the implications for the ?Standard Model? and how further tests can be done using measurements of CP violation in the B system.

A core principle of physics is knowledge gained from data. Thus, deep learning has instantly entered physics and may become a new paradigm in basic and applied research.This textbook addresses physics students and physicists who want to understand what deep learning actually means, and what is the potential for their own scientific projects. Being familiar with linear algebra and parameter optimization is sufficient to jump-start deep learning. Adopting a pragmatic approach, basic and advanced applications in physics research are described. Also offered are simple hands-on exercises for implementing deep networks for which python code and training data can be downloaded.

Recent advances in stem cell biology, nanotechnology and gene therapy have opened new avenues for therapeutics. The availability of molecular therapeutics that rely on the delivery of DNA, RNA or proteins, harnessing enhanced delivery with nanoparticles, and the regenerative potential of stem cells (adult, embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells) has had a tremendous impact on translational medicine. The chapters in this book cover a range of strategies for molecular and cellular therapies for human disease, their advantages, and central challenges to their widespread application. Potential solutions to these issues are also discussed in detail. Further, the book addresses numerous advances in the field of molecular therapeutics that will be of interest to the general scientific community. Lastly, the book provides specific examples of disease conditions for which these strategies have been transferred to the clinic. As such, it will be extremely useful for all students, researchers and clinicians working in the field of translational medicine and molecular therapeutics.

In an epoch when particle physics is awaiting a major step forward, the Large Hydron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva will soon be operational. It will collide a beam of high energy protons with another similar beam circulation in the same 27 km tunnel but in the opposite direction, resulting in the production of many elementary particles some never created in the laboratory before. It is widely expected that the LHC will discover the Higgs boson, the particle which supposedly lends masses to all other fundamental particles. In addition, the question as to whether there is some new law of physics at such high energy is likely to be answered through this experiment. The present volume contains a collection of articles written by international experts, both theoreticians and experimentalists, from India and abroad, which aims to acquaint a non-specialist with some basic issues related to the LHC. At the same time, it is expected to be a useful, rudimentary companion of introductory exposition and technical expertise alike, and it is hoped to become unique in its kind. The fact that there is substantial Indian involvement in the entire LHC endeavour, at all levels including fabrication, physics analysis procedures as well as theoretical studies, is also amply brought out in the collection.