H → γ γ : Superior resolution of ECAL and the clean kinematics of photon final states enable kinematic reconstruction of parent particles with great accuracy. I want to parametrize a fitting function against Monte Carlo Standard Model background processes and then compare this to the data from the photon photon final state. The pulls on the fit parameters suggest how well our standard model and the data from CMS agree.

H → WW : The decay to two W contains a lot of kinematic information, but there are many challenges is distinguishing our signal from background. Background sources of missing energy and dilepton final states require a series of discriminating cuts. My analysis focuses on vector boson fusion Higgs production with a characteristic 2-jet final state. By carefully choosing events with these signatures, we can then apply kinematic analysis à la razor techniques to learn about the Higgs.

I will be analyzing the data from the muon test in the Lauristen laboratory. In particular, at this first stage I will be using the ROOT physics analysis framework to get the spectrum of energy deposited by cosmic muons in a LYSO crystal as well as the rise time and decay time of such a device.