Studies of high energy phenomena using muons. Final report

This report covers the activities of the NIU high energy physics group as supported by DOE contract DE-FG02-91ER40641.A000 during the period from 1992 to 1995, and is the final report for this award. The group had three main efforts. The first was the D0 experiment at the Fermilab proton-antiproton collider, with major emphasis on its muon system. The second is the involvement of a portion of the group in Fermilab Experiment 789. Finally, the authors were members of the SDC collaboration at the SSC. The group consisted of four faculty members, three research associates, and undergraduate and graduate students. The D0 experiment at Fermilab is one of two (the other is CDF) general purpose experiments operating at the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider. Starting in the Fall of 1992, the first data collection occurred at D0. Physics publications are tabulated in the Appendix, with the discovery of the top quark in 1995 being the most prominent. Members of the NIU group worked on a variety of physics topics: Hedin on B-physics and the top-quark search, Fortner on Drell-Yan and other QCD topics, Green on di-Boson production, and Markeloff on excited-quark states. Hedin was also co-coordinator of the B-physics group during this period. The primary emphasis of the NIU D0 group was the muon system. NIU had particular responsibilities for data acquisition; chamber calibration; the Level-2 trigger; and the reconstruction. Hedin also was coordinator of muon software and had the responsibility for muon identification. Work on these items is summarized in a series of D0 Notes listed in the Appendix. Willis, Sirotenko, Hedin and Fortener were also members of the SDC collaboration at the SSC. NIU was a key participant in the calculation of low-energy neutron and photon backgrounds in the SDC experiment, and in designing shielding for the proposed muon system