Abstract: The results presented in this thesis use the full dataset collected in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment from the LHC proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb^(−1). The first part is devoted to the search for the WWW production in the decay channel where each W boson decays leptonically (excluding leptonic tau decays). Upper limits are placed on the production cross-section in the fiducial phase space. The results are also interpreted in terms of the total cross-section when combined together with the semi-leptonic decay channel. In addition, limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings in an effective field theory approach are extracted. The second part presents a search for supersymmetry in events with multiple jets, two leptons of identical charges or three leptons (electrons or muons). The absence of any excess in the signal regions with respect to the Standard Model expectations is interpreted in terms of limits in the parameter space of 14 supersymmetric models and one mUED model

This PhD thesis documents two of the highest-profile searches for supersymmetry performed at the ATLAS experiment using up to 80/fb of proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV delivered by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) during its Run 2 (2015-2018). The signals of interest feature a high multiplicity of jets originating from the hadronisation of b-quarks and large missing transverse momentum, which constitutes one of the most promising final state signatures for discovery of new phenomena at the LHC. The first search is focused on the strong production of a pair of gluinos, with each gluino decaying into a neutralino and a top-antitop-quark pair or a bottom-antibottom-quark pair. The second search targets the pair production of higgsinos, with each higgsino decaying into a gravitino and a Higgs boson, which in turn is required to decay into a bottom-antibottom-quark pair. Both searches employ state-of-the-art experimental techniques and analysis strategies at the LHC, resulting in some of the most restrictive bounds available to date on the masses of the gluino,neutralino, and higgsino in the context of the models explored.

This thesis represents one of the most comprehensive and in-depth studies of the use of Lorentz-boosted hadronic final state systems in the search for signals of Supersymmetry conducted to date at the Large Hadron Collider. A thorough assessment is performed of the observables that provide enhanced sensitivity to new physics signals otherwise hidden under an enormous background of top quark pairs produced by Standard Model processes. This is complemented by an ingenious analysis optimization procedure that allowed for extending the reach of this analysis by hundreds of GeV in mass of these hypothetical new particles. Lastly, the combination of both deep, thoughtful physics analysis with the development of high-speed electronics for identifying and selecting these same objects is not only unique, but also revolutionary. The Global Feature Extraction system that the author played a critical role in bringing to fruition represents the first dedicated hardware device for selecting these Lorentz-boosted hadronic systems in real-time using state-of-the-art processing chips and embedded systems.

Two searches for supersymmetry in multilepton final states are presented using pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV in the ATLAS detector. First, a search for electroweak production of charginos and neutralinos in the three-lepton plus missing transverse momentum channel is detailed with an emphasis on the fake-lepton background estimation technique. No significant excess above the Standard Model prediction is observed in the signal regions. Exclusion limits are thus placed on simplified models of chargino1-neutralino2 production and decays via intermediate sleptons, SM gauge bosons, and Higgs bosons. The results are also interpreted in terms of the phenomenological MSSM. Next, a search for R-parity violating and R-parity conserving supersymmetric scenarios in the four-lepton channel is presented. No significant excess is observed, so exclusion limits are placed R-parity violating simplified models in which the lightest supersymmetric particle is the lightest neutralino, which promptly decays to leptons. Exclusion limits are also placed on R-parity conserving simplified models of neutralino2-neutralino3 production.

After an extensive overview of the Standard Model and of the theory and phenomenology of Supersymmetry, this book describes the recent development of the ATLAS Particle Flow algorithm, a hadronic reconstruction technique aiming at enhancing the sensitivity of the experiment to new physics through the combination of the information from different ATLAS sub-detectors. The first ever ATLAS strong SUSY search exploiting this technique is also described, reporting the results and exclusion limits obtained using the complete proton-proton collision dataset recorded by the ATLAS experiment during the second Run of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

After a short review of the Standard Model of Elementary Particle Physics and its minimal supersymmetric extension, the MSSM, a global analysis of two highly simplified supersymmetric models, the CMSSM and the NUHM1 is presented, with a focus on the fine-tuning of these models. A new, phenomenologically motivated measure for fine-tuning is introduced. In addition, a search for supersymmetry in final states with four leptons is presented, where a procedure for the consideration of trigger efficiencies with a focus on the calculation of uncertainties on the sum of event weights is given. Fina...

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operates at the highest energy scales ever artificially created in particle collision experiments with a center-of-mass energy √s = 13 TeV. In addition, the high luminosity allows the unique opportunity to probe the Standard Model at the electroweak scale and explore for rare signs of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The coupling of the third-generation top quark to the Higgs boson introduces large, quadratic, radiative corrections to the Higgs mass, requiring a significant amount of fine-tuning that results in a nearly perfect correction of the Higgs mass from the Planck scale to the observable electroweak scale. A possible solution to the naturalness problem proposes a collection of supersymmetric partners to the Standard Model particles with the mass of lightest particles at the electroweak scale: the gluino, the stop squarks, and the lightest supersymmetric particle. This thesis presents the results of a search for gluino pair production decaying via stop squarks to the lightest neutralino in hadronic final states using a total integrated luminosity 36.1 fb‒1 of data collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. This analysis considers a simplified supersymmetry model targeting extreme regions of the phase space with large missing transverse momentum, multiple b-tagged jets, and several energetic jets. No excess is observed and limits on the gluino mass are set at the 95% CL, greatly extending the previous results in 2012 from 1.4 TeV to 1.9 TeV. The increase of the LHC luminosity also poses challenges to the current trigger system in the ATLAS detector necessitating planned upgrades. One of the upgrades for the trigger system is the Global Feature Extractor (gFEX) which aims to recover lost efficiency in boosted hadronic final states by identifying large radius jets produced by top quarks, Higgs, Z and W bosons which are critical for future ATLAS physics programs. This module is a unique board with 3 processor FPGAs for data processing and an embedded multi-processor system-on-chip for slow-control and monitoring. This thesis will also describe the work on developing this hardware and several physics upgrade studies on the trigger performance.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its experiments were built to explore fundamental questions of particle physics via proton-proton collisions at unprecedented center-of-mass energies, thus providing a unique environment for testing the Standard Model (SM) at the electroweak scale and searching for signs of new physics beyond the SM (BSM). The discovery of a SM-like 125 GeV Higgs boson by ATLAS and CMS hints of new physics at the electroweak scale-possibly within reach of the LHC-in order to mitigate divergent radiative corrections to the Higgs squared mass. This can systematically be accomplished by the introduction of supersymmetry (SUSY). For the experimentalist, SUSY provides a set of simplified benchmark models, with explicit and testable predictions, which are useful when searching for BSM physics. A large number of BSM searches has been carried out at the LHC. However, no evidence for SUSY has been found. It is therefore important to expand the scope. This thesis presents two ATLAS analyses for SUSY, both utilizing fully hadronic final states. The first analysis searches for the pair production of top squarks (stops), each with R-parity-violating decays into a b- and an s-quark. This analysis was performed using proton-proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 17.4 fb-1 at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The second analysis searches for electroweak production of a chargino-neutralino pair, decaying into SM-quarks via a W boson and a SM-like 125 GeV Higgs boson, performed using an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb-1 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No evidence of an excess beyond the SM background prediction is observed in either search, thus exclusion limits are set at 95% CL. Stops decaying directly to hadronic final states are excluded for masses in the range 100 to 315 GeV. Charginos and neutralinos decaying via Wh to hadronic final states are excluded up to 680 GeV, by far the strongest limits on electroweak SUSY with Wh decays to date. The tools and strategies developed in the searches for SUSY with hadronic final states in this thesis should prove useful in future searches for BSM physics at the LHC.

This thesis discusses searches for electroweakly produced supersymmetric partners of the gauge and the Higgs bosons (gauginos and higgsinos) decaying to multiple leptons, using pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV. The thesis presents an in-depth study of multiple searches, as well as the first 13 TeV cross section measurement for the dominant background in these searches, WZ production. Two searches were performed using 36.1/fb of data: the gaugino search, which makes use of a novel kinematic variable, and the higgsino search, which produced the first higgsino limits at the LHC. A search using 139/fb of data makes use of a new technique developed in this thesis to cross check an excess of data above the background expectation in a search using a Recursive Jigsaw Reconstruction technique. None of the searches showed a significant excess of data, and limits were expanded with respect to previous results. These searches will benefit from the addition of luminosity during HL-LHC; however, the current detector will not be able to withstand the increase in radiation. Electronics for the detector upgrade are tested and irradiated to ensure their performance.