Search for evidence of supersymmetry in the like-sign dimuon channel at the D0 experiment
Abstract
Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a proposed symmetry between fermions and bosons. If this symmetry does exist, it is clearly broken since only half of the particle spectrum is observed. One model which provides a simple breaking mechanism is called minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) inspired SUSY. One clean final state predicted by this model is a trilepton final state from chargino and neutralino decays. In this analysis, these events are sought in 239±16 pb-1 of D0 Run II data by requiring like-sign dimuon pairs. Requiring only two muons increases the signal acceptance, and adding the like-sign requirement reduces the Standard Model background from Drell-Yan dimuon pairs and the various resonances in the dimuon spectrum. The reach into some parts of mSUGRA parameter space will be greater when searching with the like-sign dilepton final state than the trilepton final state. Combining results from a search in the like-sign dilepton channels with searches in the trilepton channels provides increased sensitivity in the search for supersymmetry. In this dissertation, the best-ever D limit on the total cross section for associated chargino and neutralino production with leptonic final states is presented.