Search for Pair Production of Vector Like Tops, Each Decaying to a Top and a New Scalar

This thesis attempted to answer a number of interesting questions in the search for new physics within the realm beyond Standard Model theory. An innovative approach was implemented to model the expected small background in the signal region as a variation on the traditional ABCD strategy, motivated by the expectation of the shape of background photons in the signal region as some function of the shape of untagged photon objects in the control region. Ambiguity arising from the choice of the reconstructed top to be matched with the reconstructed new scalar boson in the process of reconstructing the vector like top demanded an innovative answer in order to provide a better solution than the coin-toss solution of the choice between leading and sub-leading jet. This analysis provides a view into the signal and control region shapes and characteristics of Data and Standard Model MC backgrounds relevant to pair production of vector like quarks and is a first search for such pair production where the vector-like tops consequently decay to a new scalar boson and a standard model top.