Robert Tabb will defend his thesis, “A Measurement of the differential Drell-Yan cross section as a function of invariant mass in proton—proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV.” in person and via Zoom.

Abstract: : The Drell-Yan process, a crucial mechanism for producing lepton pairs in high-energy hadron collisions, serves as an essential probe for testing the Standard Model of particle physics. This dissertation presents a comprehensive measurement of the differential cross section with respect to the invariant mass of the lepton pairs, utilizing data collected by the CMS experiment at CERN from 2016 to 2018. Cross sections are essential for refining our understanding of parton distribution functions and the underlying quantum chromodynamics processes, thereby providing constraints on theoretical predictions. In this analysis, the cross sections are compared to theoretical models and simulations, offering new insights into precision tests of the Standard Model. These measurements are expected to aid theorists in improving parton distribution functions.