Quasi-model-independent search for new physics at large transverse momentum

Abstract

We apply a quasi-model-independent strategy (``SLEUTH'') to search for new high ${p}_{T}$ physics in \ensuremath{\approx}100 ${\mathrm{pb}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ of $p\overline{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.8\mathrm{TeV}$ collected by the D\O{} experiment during 1992--1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. Over 32 $e\ensuremath{\mu}X,$ $W+\mathrm{j}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{s}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{k}\mathrm{e},$ $Z+\mathrm{j}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{s}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{k}\mathrm{e},$ and $(l/\ensuremath{\gamma})(l/\ensuremath{\gamma})(l/\ensuremath{\gamma})X$ exclusive final states are systematically analyzed for hints of physics beyond the standard model. Simultaneous sensitivity to a variety of models predicting new phenomena at the electroweak scale is demonstrated by testing the method on a particular signature in each set of final states. No evidence of new high ${p}_{T}$ physics is observed in the course of this search, and we find that 89% of an ensemble of hypothetical similar experimental runs would have produced a final state with a candidate signal more interesting than the most interesting observed in these data.