Direct Photon Production and Search for Excited Quarks with the D-Zero Detector

This thesis presents a measurement of the inclusive cross-section for prompt photon production as a function of the invariant mass of the photon and highest energy jet in the final state. The experimental cross section is compared with a next-to-leading logarithm Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) theoretical calculation. Also presented is a mass -fitting analysis in which the photon-jet invariant mass distribution is examined for evidence of excited quark production and decay, a signature of quark compositeness. No evidence of excited quark production was found. An upper limit on the excited quark cross section was established. This upper limit was compared with a theoretical prediction to set a lower limit on the mass of excited quarks of 531 GeV/c^2, according to the assumptions of the model.