A Mathematica based Version of the CKMfitter Package

2 Chapter 1. Introduction
Unfortunately, the Standard Model cannot answer all questions, e. g. evidences for
dark matter from the measurement of the cosmic microwave backround radiation imply
the existence of non-SM particles. Furthermore, the observed matter-antimatter
asymmetry of the Universe requires additional CP-violating effects. There are many
New Physics (NP) models, like Supersymmetric Models (SUSY) and Grand Unified
Theories (GUTs), that can solve, in principle these and other problems. Probing
the consistency of these models with experimental data is also a part of the global
CKM matrix analysis.
The CKMfitter package [4] provides a global analysis tool, which allows to constrain
the CKM matrix parameters within the Standard Model and its possible extensions.
In the framework of the frequentist approach Rfit, the consistency of recent experimental
results and its theoretical predictions are probed. The software package has
been mainly written in FORTRAN using the MINUIT minimization package. Over
the years, the complexity of the fit problems has increased substantially. Depending
on the fit problem, a fit can last up to the order of days.
In this thesis, a Mathematica based version of the CKMfitter package is introduced.
It has been initiated and commenced by Jérôme Charles. Beside of Mathematica,
which provides a framework for symbolic calculations, a slim and effective
minimization routine is implemented. During this work, the final structure of the
source code with a userfriendly environment accrued and fundamental theory packages
were coded. They include the theoretical predictions of additional NP models
beyond the SM. Important developments are also the routine for the treatment of
numerical input tables and the possibility of having different theoretical frameworks
in one theory package. A talk on the Mathematica based CKMfitter version has
been presented at the DPG Frühjahrstagung 2006 in Dortmund [5].
After one year of development, a lot of important fits, for instance the Standard
Global CKM Fit, can be performed using the Mathematica based version of CKMfitter.
For example, all SM and some NP fit results presented by Stephane T’Jampens
at the International Conference on High Energy Physics 2006 (ICHEP06) in Moscow,
have been produced with the new Mathematica based CKMfitter version.
The thesis is organized as follows. Chapter 2 gives a brief introduction to the
Standard Model and the CKM matrix. Furthermore, a review of the relevant theory
of neutral meson oscillation and CP violation is presented. After an overview about
the original CKMfitter package and its statistical approach Rfit in Chapter 3, the
development of CKMfitter in a Mathematica environment is described in Chapter 4.
Up-to-date plots and results of the global CKM matrix analysis are presented in
Chapter 5 for the Standard Model and in Chapter 6 in the framework of two New
Physics models. A user guide and a development tutorial for the Mathematica based
version of CKMfitter can be found in the appendices.