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In this thesis, the first measurement of the running of the top quark mass is presented. This is a fundamental quantum effect that had never been studied before. Any deviation from the expected behaviour can be interpreted as a hint of the presence of physics beyond the Standard Model. All relevant aspects of the analysis are extensively described and documented. This thesis also describes a simultaneous measurement of the inclusive top quark-antiquark production cross section and the top quark mass in the simulation. The measured cross section is also used to precisely determine the values of the top quark mass and the strong coupling constant by comparing to state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. All the theoretical and experimental aspects relevant to the results presented in this thesis are discussed in the initial chapters in a concise but complete way, which makes the material accessible to a wider audience.
List of contents
Introduction.- The Standard Model of Particle Physics and the Top Quark.- The LHC and the CMS Detector.- Event Reconstruction in CMS.- Appendices.
About the author
I studied Physics at the University of Milano-Bicocca, where I obtained my Bachelor and Master degrees. I conducted my research for my Master thesis at the Fermilab laboratories in Chicago (USA), and then moved to the DESY laboratories in Hamburg to work on my PhD topic. My PhD research on the running of the top quark mass is documented in this thesis which was nominated by CERN for publication with Springer; my doctoral title was issued by the University of Hamburg. I am currently working as a Senior Research Fellow at the CERN laboratories in Geneva, conducting research on related topics.
