Search for the Standard Model Higgs boson in the H → ZZ(∗) → 4ℓ channel with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC leading to the observation of a new particle compatible with the Higgs boson

The subject of this thesis is the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson through its decay into four leptons with the ATLAS experiment at CERN. The theory postulating the Higgs boson is presented and the constraints of the theory and direct and indirect searches are quoted. The ATLAS experiment and its components are described and the Detector Control System for the operation and monitoring of the power supplies of the Monitored Drift Tubes is detailed. The electron and muon reconstruction and identification are summarized. Studies on the muon fake rates, on the effect of pileup on the isolation of the muons, and on muon efficiencies of the isolation and impact parameter requirements are presented. The analysis of the Higgs decay to four leptons is detailed with emphasis on the background estimation, the methods employed and the control regions used. The results of the search using the 2011 sqrt(s) = 7 TeV data are presented which have led to hints for the observation of the Higgs boson. The optimization performed for the search of a low mass Higgs boson is described and the effect on the 2011 data are shown. The analysis is performed for the 2012 sqrt(s) = 8 TeV data collected up to July and the results are presented, including the combination with the 2011 data. These latest results have led to the observation of a new particle consistent with the Standard Model Higgs.