ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to thank my advisor Bryce Littlejohn for his constant and unwavering support during graduate school. From the very beginning, he patiently guided me in the right direction, pointing to paths I could not envision at the time. His encouragement and guidance during many challenging moments were indispensable for reaching the point where I am now. Writing a paper, getting a grant and awards to support my studies would not have been possible without his help. He entrusted

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... in me the responsibility to mentor several undergraduates, so I was able to mimic some of his knowledge and generosity to others. I was also very fortunate to have Ornella Palamara as my Fermilab advisor. Her knowledge and energy were not only challenging but inspiring too. Her advice and guidance went way above and beyond the ordinary. She spent countless hours teaching me about particle physics and the minutiae of scientific analysis. It is impossible to appropriately express the appreciation and gratitude I feel for Ornella's personal and friendly touch to all the work we have done together. Among many other people whose invaluable help made my graduate work easier and often fun, I particularly want to thank Flavio Cavanna and Roni Harnik. Although their vast knowledge of physics was often intimidating, I immensely profited from their input and advice. It was a pleasure to work with Zhen Liu on the millicharged particle search. Jonathan Asaadi introduced me to Fermilab and helped me get started. Paola Sala was generous with her time, making my stay at CERN productive and pleasant. Tingjun Yang answered the many questions I had when I began working on ArgoNeuT. Matt, Bishu, Jyoti, Steven and Connor have been wonderful colleagues and o cemates. Our conversations were a nice respite. I thank them all. iii I want to thank Yudong for her encouragement and love. Finally, I want to thank my parents for their unwavering love and support throughout my life. iv