Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson Produced in Association with a $W$ Boson in the Isolated-Track Charged-Lepton Channel Using the Collider Detector at Fermilab

Abstract

This dissertation presents an experimental search for the Standard Model Higgs boson produced in association to the W boson in proton antiproton collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV and recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We improve the sensitivity of the WH search by 17% through increased signal yield by 33% by introducing a novel method to reconstruct charged lepton candidates based on an isolated track, as well as a novel method to combine triggers in order to maximize the signal yield and yet not use an OR between triggers. The observed (median expected) 95% confidence level SM Higgs upper limits on cross section times branching ratio vary between 2.39 x SM (2.73 x SM) for a Higgs mass of 100 GeV/c^2 to 31.1 x SM (31.2 x SM) for a Higgs mass of 150 GeV/c^2, while the value for a 115 GeV/c^2 Higgs boson is that of 5.08 x SM (3.79 x SM).