Computer Simulations of High Energy Physics

TL;DR

This thesis introduces new computational tools for high energy physics, including improved simulation algorithms for collider events and a program for supersymmetric model analysis, validated against experimental data.

Contribution

Developed innovative algorithms for parton shower evolution and hadronization, and created Effective for supersymmetric mass spectrum calculations, enhancing accuracy and flexibility.

Findings

New variables improve phase space coverage and Lorentz invariance in simulations

Hadronization model better enforces isospin symmetry and meson-baryon ratios

Effective accurately computes supersymmetric mass spectra and renormalization group flows

Abstract

This thesis describes the development of two independent computer programs, Herwig++ and Effective. Both of these programs are used for phenomenological predictions of high energy physics. Herwig++ is used to simulate events as measured at particle colliders. This thesis presents a new set of variables for parton shower evolution. These new variables retain the angular ordering feature of the variables found in the original HERWIG software, while improving the Lorentz invariance of the shower and improving the coverage of the phase space. Also developed is a new model for hadronization. By changing the distribution of probabilities of cluster decays into hadron pairs this model is able to enforce desired results, such as isospin symmetry or meson-baryon ratios, more intuitively. These new developments are compared against existing LEP data. Effective is used to generate the mass spectrum of supersymmetric models. This program is able to provide the 1-loop effective potential and 1-loop mass matrices for an arbitrary N=1 supersymmetric model. This software also is able to solve the renormalization group equations at one-loop for the parameters of the model and, in turn, provide the scale dependent values of these parameters.