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DOE OSTI2012

Influence of the shape of the cross section of a plasma-dielectric interface on the dispersion properties of high-frequency azimuthal surface modes

Theoretical study of the propagation of a packet of surface electromagnetic surface waves with a zero axial wavenumber in a circular-cross-section cylindrical metal waveguide within the frequency range that is higher than upper hybrid resonance is carried out. The waveguide is partially filled by plasma and immersed into axial magnetic field. The cross section of the plasma column is assumed to differ from circular shape. The effect of this shape on the dispersion properties of azimuthal surface modes is investigated by the method of successive approximations. The fields of the waves and their eigenfrequencies are determined up to terms of the second order in the deviation of the plasma cross section shape from the ring one. The correction to the eigenfrequency of azimuthal surface modes caused by this feature of the plasma column section is proved to increase with decreasing the external magnetic field and increasing the value of the dielectric constant of the dielectric, that separates the plasma from the metal wall of the waveguide. The spectral composition of the wave packet, in the form of which these modes propagate, is studied. The amplitudes of the satellite harmonics of these modes are found to increase with increasing the plasma density and decreasing the external magnetic field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

A new way to unravel the $^{12}$C($\alpha $,$\gamma $)$^{16}$O cross section components using neural networks

The $^{12}$C($\alpha $,$\gamma $)$^{16}$O reaction rate is crucial in determining the carbon-to-oxygen abundance ratio in stellar nucleosynthesis. Measuring this reaction’s cross section at stellar energies is challenging due to its extremely small value, approximately 10 -17 barn at E c.m. = 300 keV. To address this, R-matrix calculations are employed to extrapolate data to lower energies, requiring a comprehensive understanding of each contribution to the cross section. The dominant contributions to the cross section at stellar energies arise from electric dipole (E1) and electric quadrupole (E2) transitions to the ground state of 16 O, along with a significant cascade contribution. Traditionally, these contributions have been separated using the γ-ray angular distribution. In this work, we propose a novel technique using the energy distribution of the 16 O recoils at the focal plane. This method involves a neural network trained on detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the energy distribution of recoils transported through the recoil mass separator ERNA. This approach enables the simultaneous determination of all three contributions with errors around 10% in the energy range E c.m. = 1.0–2.2 MeV. In conclusion, by employing this new technique, we aim to significantly improve the accuracy of determining the cross section of the $^{12}$C($\alpha $,$\gamma $)$^{16}$O reaction at astrophysical energies.

Astrochemistry↗

DOE OSTI2012

Ratios of dijet production cross sections as a function of the absolute difference in rapidity between jets in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7\ \mathrm{TeV}$

A study of dijet production in proton-proton collisions was performed at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV for jets with pt > 35 GeV and abs(y) < 4.7 using data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2010. Events with at least one pair of jets are denoted as 'inclusive'. Events with exactly one pair of jets are called 'exclusive'. The ratio of the cross section of all pairwise combinations of jets to the exclusive dijet cross section as a function of the rapidity difference between jets abs(Delta(y)) is measured for the first time up to abs(Delta(y)) = 9.2. The ratio of the cross section for the pair consisting of the most forward and the most backward jet from the inclusive sample to the exclusive dijet cross section is also presented. The predictions of the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA6 and PYTHIA8 agree with the measurements. In both ratios the HERWIG++ generator exhibits a more pronounced rise versus abs(Delta(y)) than observed in the data. The BFKL-motivated generators CASCADE and HEJ+ARIADNE predict for these ratios a significantly stronger rise than observed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Measurement of the $W^+W^-$ cross section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV and limits on anomalous gauge couplings

A measurement of the W boson pair production cross section in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 8 TeV is presented. The data we collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.4 fb -1 . The W + W - candidates are selected from events with two charged leptons, electrons or muons, and large missing transverse energy. The measured W + W - cross section is 60.1 ± 0.9 (stat) ± 3.2 (exp) ± 3.1 (theo) ± 1.6 (lumi) pb = 60.1 ± 4.8 pb, consistent with the standard model prediction. The W + W - cross sections are also measured in two different fiducial phase space regions. In addition, the normalized differential cross section is measured as a function of kinematic variables of the final-state charged leptons and compared with several perturbative QCD predictions. Limits on anomalous gauge couplings associated with dimension-six operators are also given in the framework of an effective field theory. Finally, the corresponding 95% confidence level intervals are -5.7 < c WWW /Λ 2 < 5.9 TeV -2 , -11.4 < c W /Λ 2 < 5.4 TeV -2 , -29.2 < c B /Λ 2 < 23.9 TeV -2 , in the HISZ basis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Measurement of the inclusive and fiducial t t ¯ production cross-sections in the lepton+jets channel in pp collisions at s = 8   TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and fiducial t t ¯ production cross-sections are measured in the lepton+jets channel using 20.2   fb − 1 of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Major systematic uncertainties due to the modelling of the jet energy scale and b-tagging efficiency are constrained by separating selected events into three disjoint regions. In order to reduce systematic uncertainties in the most important background, the W +\,jets process is modelled using Z+ jets events in a data-driven approach. The inclusive t t ¯ cross-section is measured with a precision of 5.7% to be σ inc ( t t ¯ ) = 248.3 ± 0.7 ( s t a t . ) ± 13.4 ( s y s t . ) ± 4.7 ( l u m i . )   pb , assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV. The result is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. The cross-section is also measured in a phase space close to that of the selected data. The fiducial cross-section is σ fid ( t t ¯ ) = 48.8 ± 0.1 ( s t a t . ) ± 2.0 ( s y s t . ) ± 0.9 ( l u m i . )   pb with a precision of 4.5%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Elastic differential cross-section measurement at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV by TOTEM

The TOTEM collaboration has measured the elastic proton-proton differential cross section dσ/d t at √s = 13 TeV LHC energy using dedicated β* = 90 m beam optics. The Roman Pot detectors were inserted to 10σ distance from the LHC beam, which allowed the measurement of the range [0.04 GeV 2 ; 4 GeV 2 ] in four-momentum transfer squared | t |. The efficient data acquisition allowed to collect about 10 9 elastic events to precisely measure the differential cross-section including the diffractive minimum (dip), the subsequent maximum (bump) and the large-| t | tail. The average nuclear slope has been found to be B = (20.40 ± 0.002 stat ± 0.01syst) GeV –2 in the | t |-range 0.04–0.2 GeV 2 . The dip position is | t dip | = (0.47 ± 0.004 stat ± 0.01 syst ) GeV 2 . The differential cross section ratio at the bump vs. at the dip R = 1.77 ± 0.01 stat has been measured with high precision. The series of TOTEM elastic pp measurements show that the dip is a permanent feature of the pp differential cross-section at the TeV scale.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Measurements of production cross sections of the Higgs boson in the four-lepton final state in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13\,\text {Te}\text {V} $

Production cross sections of the Higgs boson are measured in the H $\to$ ZZ $\to$ $4\ell$ ($\ell$ $=$ e, $\mu$) decay channel. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb$^{-1}$ is used. The signal strength modifier $\mu$, defined as the ratio of the Higgs boson production rate in the $4\ell$ channel to the standard model (SM) expectation, is measured to be $\mu$ $=$ 0.94 $\pm$ 0.07 (stat) ${}^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$ (syst) at a fixed value of $m_H$ = 125.38 GeV. The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also reported. The inclusive fiducial cross section for the H $\to$ $4\ell$ process is measured to be 2.84 $^{+0.23}_{-0.22}$ (stat) ${}^{+0.26}_{-0.21}$ (syst) fb, which is compatible with the SM prediction of 2.84 $\pm$ 0.15 fb for the same fiducial region. Differential cross sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet are measured. A new set of cross section measurements in mutually exclusive categories targeted to identify production mechanisms and kinematical features of the events is presented. The results are in agreement with the SM predictions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Sensitivity analysis of homogenized cross section in AP1000 lattices

The two-step method for light water reactor simulation consists of performing lattice-level calculations to determine homogenized properties of the lattice for a variety of configurations and burnups then performing a core-level calculation which relies on those pre-calculated lattice properties. Calculating the homogenized lattice properties for the specific conditions needed in the core-level calculation relies on interpolating from the pre-calculated lattice properties. Although many studies have explored different models that can be used for this interpolation, there is a need to explore how to appropriately parameterize the lattice for those interpolation models. The present study uses linear sensitivity methods to determine the sensitivity of homogenized cross sections to both instantaneous and historical values of state variables. The results from this study can be used to inform parameterizations which more appropriately capture history effects in homogenized cross section interpolation. Two different lattices are used for this analysis from the AP1000 reactor, one includes burnable absorbers. It was found that early in the cycle, the historical values of state variables have little effect on the instantaneous value of the homogenized cross sections explored here - especially in the case of the lattice containing burnable absorbers. However, it was found that later in the cycle, the thermal fission homogenized cross section was sensitive to the historic states of the lattice. In fact, using the average of a state variable as a predictor for interpolation models may be insufficient for capturing historic effects due to more recent states having larger sensitivity measures than less recent states. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2022

POLCA8 - modelling of cross section variations inside hexagonal assemblies

This paper presents the POLCA8 approach for modelling non-constant cross section distributions inside hexagonal fuel assemblies. The multigroup diffusion equation is modified to account for intranodal cross section variations. The obtained equation is solved in a node-wise manner based on the Fourier expansion method. As a result of varying cross sections, the solution includes a particular part additionally to the homogeneous one. A method for obtaining the particular solution is derived. Numerical tests on a VVER-1000 core are presented showing the impact of cross-section variations to some key parameters for reactor operation. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

ORNL Neutron Cross Section Measurements of 90 Zr

Nuclear criticality modeling and simulations rely on the quality of the existing evaluated nuclear data libraries such as Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF)/B, the Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion (JEFF) nuclear data library, or the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (JENDL). In some cases, the cross-section evaluations of those libraries were found to be deficient in describing criticality benchmarks accurately. More than two decades ago, the US Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) established a Nuclear Data (ND) task which encompassed experiments and evaluations. In response to this, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) formed a Nuclear Criticality and Data group which performed ND experiments, data analysis, and evaluations to produce ENDF files for the ND libraries as identified in the NCSP Five-Year Plan. Before being submitted to the ENDF library, files were processed and tested for performance by running benchmark calculations. This procedure was centralized in the ORNL group and is now often referred to as the ND pipeline. NCSP collaborates with the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission in Geel, Belgium, to perform high-resolution neutron-induced cross section measurements at the Geel Linear Accelerator (GELINA). The objective is to address emerging ND problems in criticality calculations. Difficulties with ND include insufficient neutron energy range, missing covariances, and previously unrecognized inaccuracies with experiments. New neutron total and capture cross sections of 90 Zr in the neutron energy range from 100 eV to several hundred keV were recently performed. These measured data will be used, together with existing high-resolution transmission data from a metallic 90 Zr sample, to improve representation of the cross sections.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Neutron computed tomography of B12W and M8N socket sections of the Arecibo telescope

From neutron user principal investigator: We kindly request the public release of three neutron imaging datasets through ONCat. All datasets were collected from two forensic specimens, B12W and M8N, sectioned from zinc-filled steel-wire sockets recovered from the collapsed Arecibo Telescope. The dataset titled “Neutron radiographs of B12W and M8N socket sections of the Arecibo telescope” contains normalized two-dimensional (2D) neutron radiographs of the specimens, showing the geometry and spatial distribution of the steel wires embedded within the zinc matrix, as well as internal features such as voids and cracks. The dataset titled “Neutron computed tomography of B12W and M8N socket sections of the Arecibo telescope” contains normalized 2D neutron projection images acquired over a range of specimen rotation angles for one selected region of each specimen. These projection images were used to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) tomographic volumes that reveal the embedded-wire geometry and internal defects. The dataset titled “Bragg edge imaging (BEI) of B12W and M8N socket sections of the Arecibo telescope” contains six time-of-flight (TOF) neutron imaging datasets, three from each specimen, acquired at regions of interest selected based on the radiographs. The spatially resolved 2D TOF images show the zinc matrix and embedded steel wires, and the wavelength-dependent neutron transmission data were used to characterize crystallographic texture within the zinc. All components and their condition are in the public domain as they are the property of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The neutron imaging data, part geometries, and detailed forensic information have been widely published in the Arecibo Telescope Collapse Forensic Report by Thornton Tomasetti Engineers and others (NASA report and NASEM report).

Bilheux, Hassina↗

DOE OSTI2018

Effective Elastic and Neutron Capture Cross Section Calculations Corresponding to Simulated Fluid Properties from CO2 Push-Pull Simulations

The submission contains a .xls files consisting of 10 excel sheets, which contain combined list of pressure, saturation, salinity, temperature profiles from the simulation of CO2 push-pull using Brady reservoir model and the corresponding effective compressional and shear velocity, bulk density, and fluid and time-lapse neutron capture cross section profiles of rock at times 0 day (baseline) through 14 days. First 9 sheets (each named after the corresponding CO2 push-pull simulation time) contains simulated pressure, saturation, temperature, salinity profiles and the corresponding effective elastic and neutron capture cross section profiles of rock matrix at the time of CO2 injection. Each sheet contains two sets of effective compressional velocity profiles of the rock, one based on Gassmann and the other based on Patchy saturation model. Effective neutron capture cross section calculations are done using a proprietary neutron cross-section simulator (SNUPAR) whereas for the thermodynamic properties of CO2 and bulk density of rock matrix filled with fluid, a standalone fluid substitution tool by Schlumberger is used. Last sheet in the file contains the bulk modulus of solid rock, which is inverted from the rock properties (porosity, sound speed etc) based on Gassmann model. Bulk modulus of solid rock in turn is used in the fluid substitution.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Spatially Averaged Ice Contents of Ice-Wedge Polygon Cross-Sections to 3-m Depth, July 2013, Utqiagvik, Alaska

This dataset contains spatially averaged estimates of ice content (volume percent) for two-dimensional cross-sectional profiles (from trough center to trough center to a depth of 3 meters) of low- and flat-centered ice-wedge polygons (three of each type) located near Utqiagvik, Alaska. A combination of soil pits, trenches, and cores were used to describe, sample, and map the cross-section stratigraphy of soil horizons and ice wedges for each polygon at 6 depth intervals. Observed soil horizons were assigned to four types with increasing amounts of organic components (mineral, mineral/organic, organic/mineral, and organic). The average ice contents of each soil horizon type below the permafrost boundary and wedge ice were weighted by their cross-sectional area fractions to calculate spatially averaged estimates of ice content for each polygon. In the active layer, spatially averaged estimates of volumetric water contents were similarly determined and reported here as “ice” content to enable estimates of the soil’s structurally competent porosity and excess ice in permafrost layers. In this dataset, the file AK13_ice_contents.csv includes cross-sectional area fractions and spatially averaged ice contents for soil layers and horizon types at the six depth intervals. The file AK13_permafrost_ice_fractions.csv contains the calculated partitioning of ice contents into pore ice and excess ice fractions for the three permafrost-dominated depth intervals. In addition, there is a data dictionary file for each of these data files and a file-level metadata file. These data were generated by the Department of Energy’s Soil Carbon Response to Environmental Change Scientific Focus Area and were used as inputs to model simulations examining the consequences of thaw-affected subsidence and microtopography change on active layer thickness of low-relief polygonal tundra landscapes in a warming Arctic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Measurements of top quark pair relative differential cross-sections with ATLAS in p p collisions at s = 7 TeV

CERN-LHC. Measurements are presented of differential cross sections for top quark pair production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV relative to the total inclusive top quark pair production cross section. A data sample of 2.05 fb^-1 recorded by the ATLAS detector between March and August 2011 at the Large Hadron Collider is used. Relative differential cross sections are derived as a function of the invariant mass, the transverse momentum and the rapidity of the top quark pair system. Events are selected in the lepton (electron or muon) + jets channel. The background-subtracted differential distributions are corrected for detector effects and normalized to the total inclusive top quark pair production cross section. The measurement uncertainties range typically between 10% and 20% and are generally dominated by systematic effects.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Measurement of fiducial differential cross sections of gluon-fusion production of Higgs bosons decaying to W W ∗ → e ν μ ν with the ATLAS detector at s = 8 TeV

CERN-LHC. This paper describes a measurement of fiducial and differential cross sections of gluon-fusion Higgs boson production in the H->WW*->e nu mu nu channel, using 20.3 fb^{-1} of proton--proton collision data. The data were produced at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 8 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2012. Cross sections are measured from the observed H->WW*->e nu mu nu signal yield in categories distinguished by the number of associated jets. The total cross section is measured in a fiducial region defined by the kinematic properties of the charged leptons and neutrinos. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of the number of jets, the Higgs boson transverse momentum, the dilepton rapidity, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The jet-veto efficiency, or fraction of events with no jets above a given transverse momentum threshold, is also reported. All measurements are compared to QCD predictions from Monte Carlo generators and fixed-order calculations, and are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2012

SCWR Once-Through Calculations for Transmutation and Cross Sections

It is the purpose of this report to document the calculation of (1) the isotopic evolution and of (2) the 1-group cross sections as a function of burnup of the reference Super Critical Water Reactor (SCWR), in a format suitable for the Fuel Cycle Option Campaign Transmutation Data Library. The reference SCWR design was chosen to be that described in [McDonald, 2005]. Super Critical Water Reactors (SCWR) are intended to operate with super-critical water (i.e. H2O at a pressure above 22 MPa and a temperature above 373oC) as a cooling – and possibly also moderating – fluid. The main mission of the SCWR is to generate lower cost electricity, as compared to current standard Light Water Reactors (LWR). Because of the high operating pressure and temperature, SCWR feature a substantially higher thermal conversion efficiency than standard LWR – i.e. about 45% versus 33%, mostly due to an increase in the exit water temperature from ~300oC to ~500oC – potentially resulting in a lower cost of generated electricity. The coolant remains single phase throughout the reactor and the energy conversion system, thus eliminating the need for pressurizers, steam generators, steam separators and dryers, further potentially reducing the reactor construction capital cost. The SCWR concept presented here is based on existing LWR technology and on a large number of existing fossil-fired supercritical boilers. However, it was concluded in [McDonald, 2005], that: “Based on the results of this study, it appears that the reference SCWR design is not feasible.” This conclusion appears based on the strong sensitivity of the design to small deviations in nominal conditions leading to small effects having a potentially large impact on the peak cladding temperature of some fuel rods. “This was considered a major feasibility issue for the SCWR” [McDonald, 2005]. After a description of the reference SCWR design, the Keno V 3-D single assembly model used for this analysis, as well as the calculated results, are presented. Additionally, the follwing information, presented in the appendixes, is intended to provide enough guidance that a researcher repeating the same task in the future should be able to obtain a vector of nuclei and cross sections ready for insertion into the transmutation library without any need for further instructions: (1) Complete TRITON/KENO-V input used for the analysis; (2) Inputs and detailed description of the usage of the OPUS utility, used to postproces and to extract the nuclei concentrations for the transmutation library; (3) Inputs and detailed description of the usage of the XSECLIST utility, used to postproces and to extract the 1-group cross sections for the transmutation library; (4) Details of an ad-hoc utility program developed to sort the nuclei and cross sections for the transmutation library.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Measurement of the photon electroproduction cross section at JLAB with the goal of performing a Rosenbluth separation of the DVCS contribution

The study of the inner structure of hadrons allows us to understand the nature of the interactions between partons, quarks and gluons, described by Quantum Chromodynamics. The elastic scattering reactions, which have been studied in order to measure the nucleon form factors, are included in this frame. The inelastic scattering reactions are also included in this frame, they allow us to obtain information about the nucleon structure thanks to the development of the parton distribution functions (PDFs). While through elastic scattering we can obtain information about the charge distribution of the nucleon, and hence, about the spatial distribution of the partons, through inelastic scattering we obtain information about the momentum distributions of partons, by employing the PDFs. However, we can study the exclusive inelastic scattering reactions, such as the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS), wich allow us to access to the spatial and momentum distributions simultaneously. This is possible thanks to the generalized parton distributions (GPDs), which allow us to correlate both types of distributions. The process known as DVCS is the easiest way to access the GPDs. This process can be expressed as the scattering of an electron by a proton by means of a virtual photon with the result of the scattered initial particles plus a real photon. We find a process competing with DVCS known as Bethe-Heitler (BH), in which the real photon is radiated by the lepton rather than the quark. Due to the small cross section of DVCS, of the order of nb, in order to conduct these kind of experiments it is necessary to make use of facilities capable of providing high beam intensities. One of these facilities is the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility , where the experiment JLab E07-007, "Complete Separation of Virtual Photon and π⁰ Electroproduction Observables of Unpolarized Protons", took place during the months of October to December of 2010. The main goal of this experiment is the isolation of the contribution from the term coming form the DVCS from the interference term, resulting from the BH contribution. This isolation is known as "Rosenbluth Separation". The work presented in this thesis focuses on the analysis of the data stored by the electromagnetic calorimeter, employed for the detection of real photons. There is also a a theoretical introduction to the study of the nucleon structure, reviewing the concepts of form factors and parton distributions through elastic and inelastic processes. The computation of the photon leptoproduction cross section is described in detail, as well as the goals of experiment E07-007. This thesis also describes the analysis of the data stored by the electromagnetic calorimeter, with the purpose of obtaining the kinematic variables of the real photons resulting from DVCS reactions. Finally, it describes the selection of events from stored data, the applied cuts to kinematical variables and the background subtraction. Also, the process of extraction of the necessary observables for computing the photon leptoproduction cross section is described, along with the main steps followed to perform the Monte Carlo simulation used in this computation. The resulting cross sections are shown at the end of this thesis.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2012

Measurement of $Z/\gamma^* + b$-jet Production Cross section in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 1.96$ TeV with the CDF detector

Processes at hadron colliders, such as the production of jets, are described by the Quantum Chromodynamics theory (QCD). Precise descriptions of processes involving jets in association with a vector boson have nowadays large relevance as they represent irreducible background to other Standard Model (SM) processes and searches for new physics. The experimental study and understanding of the b-jet production in association with a Z boson are crucial for many reasons. For one side, it is the most important background for a light Higgs boson decaying into a bottom-antibottom quark pair and produced in the ZH mode.This is one of the most promising channels for the Higgs search at Tevatron in particular since the latest results have excluded the high mass region (MH > 127 GeV/c 2 ). For another side the signature of b-jets and a Z boson is also background to new physics searches, such as supersymmetry, where a large coupling of the Higgs boson to bottom quarks is allowed. The produ ction cross section measurement of b-jets in events with a Z boson has already been performed at hadron colliders, at the Tevatron by CDF and D0 experiments and are now pursued at the LHC by ATLAS and CMS. In particular the CDF measurement was performed with only 2 fb -1 and was limited by the statistical uncertainty. This PhD thesis presents a new measurement of the $Z/\gamma^* + b$-jet production cross section using the complete dataset collected by CDF during the Run II. $Z/\gamma^*$ bosons are selected in the electron and muon decay modes and are required to have 66 < MZ < 116 GeV/c 2 while jets, reconstructed with the MidPoint algorithm, have to be central (|Y| < 1.5) with pT > 20 GeV/c . The per jet cross section is measured with respect to the $Z/\gamma^*$ inclusive and the $Z/\gamma^* +$ jets cross sections. Results are compared to leading order (LO) event generator plus parton shower and next-to-leading order (NLO) predictions corrected for non perturbative effects such as hadronizat ion and underlying event. Differential distributions as a fu! nction of jet transverse moment and jet rapidity are also presented together with the comparison to NLO pQCD predictions for different renormalization and factorization scales and various PDF sets.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗