Z' phenomenology: Constraints from low-energy measurements, and detailed study at TeV-scale lepton and hadron colliders

In this dissertation, I discuss the phenomenology of new massive neutral gauge bosons, or Z{prime} bosons, concentrating on experimental tests by which the properties of a Z{prime} boson could be determined. In Chapter I, I briefly review the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, and discuss the motivation for extending it. I review some of the extensions to the Standard Model that predict the existence of Z{prime} bosons, and present a general, model-independent parameterization of the Z{prime}s properties, as well as a simpler parameterization that applies to the most important class of models. In Chapter II, I discuss present-day limits on the existence of Z{prime} bosons, both from direct searches, and from indirect higher-order tests. In Chapter III, I discuss the production and discovery of a Z{prime} at a future hadron collider, such as the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Discovery of a Z{prime} at the LHC may be possible if its mass is less than 5 TeV. I also discuss the experimental tests of its properties that could be performed at such a collider, emphasizing the measurement of leptonic asymmetries. Finally, the Chapter IV, I discuss the experimental tests that could be performed at an e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} collidermore » with {radical}s = M{sub Z{prime}}. I include several higher-order effects, such as initial-state radiation and beamstrahlung, whose inclusion is necesary for a realistic description of the experimental environment at a very high energy e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} collider. The combination of leptonic and hadronic experiments permits the measurement of all of the parameters.« less