Prompt photons at the LHC : selection, measurements of single- and di-photon production cross sections, and Higgs boson searches with the ATLAS detector

This document, prepared to obtain the "Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches", is a compendium of the photon-related analysis activities I carried on within ATLAS in the past four years and a half. The activities I will describe can be broadly classified into three categories: optimization and/or in situ measurement of photon-related performance, measurements of the cross sections of Standard Model processes producing prompt photons, and searches (leading to discovery!) of a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying to final states containing photons.