In this thesis we present a new technique to analyze events containing two highly energetic leptons, as a probe of the Standard Model. The philosophy is to consider the data in a more global way, as opposed to the more traditional process dependent approach of extracting a given signal over the expected backgrounds by using various kinematical requirements. We use our global technique to simultaneously measure the cross sections of the main Standard Model processes; the t{bar t}, WW and Z → [tau][tau] production from p{bar p} collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV in the CDF detector at Fermilab. We select events by requiring they contain two highly energetic leptons (e[mu], ee, or [mu][mu]), and make no other kinematic requirements, except for the ee and [mu][mu] channels. We then use a likelihood fit of the data in the two-dimensional phase space defined by the missing transverse energy (E{sub T}) and the number of jets in the event (N{sub jet}), to the expected Standard Model distributions, to simultaneously extract the production cross-sections of the main process contributing to our dilepton sample.

The top-quark pair production cross section is measured in final states with one electron or muon and one hadronically decaying [tau] lepton from the process $t\bar{t}$ to (l[nu]l) ([tau][nu][tau]) $b\bar{b}$, where l = e, [mu]. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb-1 collected with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ =8 TeV. The measured cross section [sigma]$t\bar{t}$ = 257 ± 3 (stat) ± 24 (syst) ± 7 (lumi) pb, assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV, is consistent with the standard model prediction.

Measurements of inclusive W and Z boson production cross sections in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV are presented, based on 2.9 inverse picobarns of data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurements, performed in the electron and muon decay channels, are combined to give sigma(pp to WX) times B(W to muon or electron + neutrino) = 9.95 \pm 0.07(stat.) \pm 0.28(syst.) \pm 1.09(lumi.) nb and sigma(pp to ZX) times B(Z to oppositely charged muon or electron pairs) = 0.931 \pm 0.026(stat.) \pm 0.023(syst.) \pm 0.102(lumi.) nb. Theoretical predictions, calculated at the next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD using recent parton distribution functions, are in agreement with the measured cross sections. Ratios of cross sections, which incur an experimental systematic uncertainty of less than 4%, are also reported.

The WZ production cross section is measured by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collision data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of 4.9 fb$^{-1}$ collected at $ \sqrt{s} = $ 7 TeV, and 19.6 fb$^{-1}$ at $ \sqrt{s} = $ 8 TeV. The measurements are performed using the fully-leptonic WZ decay modes with electrons and muons in the final state. The measured cross sections for 71 $