Analysis of the first data taken with the CMS--TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer (CT-PPS)

The CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer (CT–PPS) started operationsin 2016. CT–PPS measures forward scattered protons at the LHC. This thesis docments the analysis of the first 47 $fb^{−1}$ of data collected with CT–PPS. The process $pp→pl^{+}l^{-}p^{(*)}$, with $l^{+}l^{-}$ a muon or an electron pair produced at midrapidity with mass larger than 110 GeV, is observed for the first time at the LHC in pp collisions at √s= 13 TeV. One of the two scattered protons is measured in CT–PPS. The second proton either remains intact or is excited and then dissociates into a low-mass state $p^{∗}$, which is undetected. The process is used to validate the alignment, the calibration and the general functioning of the spectrometer. The results demonstrate that CT–PPS performs according to the design specifications. In addition, the feasiility of measuring the reaction $pp→pW^+W^−p$ with CT–PPS in the LHC Run 3 is discussed. An improvement by several orders of magnitude of the existing limits on the anomalous quartic gauge coupling parameter $a_0^W$/Λ$^{2}$ can be achieved.