General Searches for New Physics

TL;DR

This paper reports on comprehensive, model-independent searches for new physics at CDF and HERA II, analyzing numerous final states and mass variables to identify potential deviations from the Standard Model predictions.

Contribution

It introduces a broad, systematic approach combining population, shape, and bump-hunting analyses across multiple experiments to detect signs of new physics.

Findings

No significant deviations found from the Standard Model

Identified potential anomalies in specific final states

Established limits on new physics scenarios

Abstract

A model-independent global search for new physics has been performed at the CDF experiment. This search examines nearly 400 final states, looking for discrepancies between the observed data and the standard model expectation in populations, kinematic shapes, and the tails of the summed transverse momentum distributions. A new approach also searches in approximately 5000 mass variables looking for `bumps' that may indicate resonant production of new particles. The results of this global search for new physics in 2/fb are presented. In addition, a model-independent search for deviations from the Standard Model prediction is performed in e+p and e-p collisions at HERA II using all H1 data recorded during the second running phase. This corresponds to integrated luminosities of 178/pb and 159/pb for e+p and e-p collisions, respectively. A statistical algorithm is used to search for deviations in the distributions of the scalar sum of transverse momenta or invariant mass of final state particles, and to quantify their significance.