D0-electron correlations in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV

The ALICE experiment at the LHC is a dedicated heavy-ion experiment. It aims at improving the current knowledge of the Quark Gluon Plasma, a state of matter which is formed when the temperature and/or density of strongly interacting matter is high enough. The constituents of hadrons, quarks and gluons, are normally confined within the hadrons. In the Quark Gluon Plasma, the hadrons have been ``melted down'', the quarks and gluons exist in a deconfined state and can roam around more freely. The partonic energy loss is a major topic in the study of the Quark Gluon Plasma, how the quarks and gluons will interact with the hot medium and as a result lose energy. This thesis focuses on heavy quarks like charm and bottom, and how they interact with the medium. Due to their high mass, these heavy quarks will be produced predominantly in the early stages of the collision and will subsequently experience the full evolution of the plasma. Several studies exist on charged hadrons, mainly originating from lighter quarks, and the measurements have shown a suppression of these hadrons in collisions where the Quark Gluon Plasma is expected to be formed. The main source of energy loss for lighter quarks is radiative energy loss. If this is also the case for heavier quarks, such as bottom and charm quarks, the heavy quarks are expected to suffer a smaller suppression due to the so-called dead cone effect. However, recent results indicate a suppression of particles containing heavy quarks to be the same as that of charged hadrons, indicating that there are other factors contributing to the energy loss apart from radiative energy loss. Back-to-back correlation measurements of heavy-flavour mesons, or particles decaying from heavy-flavour mesons, can provide a crucial test to the nature of the energy loss. The aim of the measurements is to construct the correlated yield factor IAA, and with this provide essential constraints to theoretical models. This thesis presents the angular correlation measurements of D0 mesons with electrons decaying from heavy-flavour mesons in proton-proton collisions. The main components of the analysis is to reconstruct D0 mesons in ALICE via the hadronic decay channel D0 $\to K \pi$, and to separate the electrons decaying from heavy-flavour mesons from other electrons. The analysis provides a baseline for the analysis of PbPb collisions. In order to provide more detailed information on the energy loss of heavy quarks, the analysis can also be used to separate out the contribution from b and c quarks, thus also giving vital information on the two quarks separately. The current results from the analysis will be presented, together with an estimate of the expected statistics and uncertainties after the upgrade of the ALICE detector, planned in 2018.