Tagged Questions

1
vote
1answer
40 views

Interpreting the results

I have preformed the muon lifetime experiment at my uni's lab, and got the data. It's text file with 8190 numbers. My TDC unit was set so that the time gates were at 10 $\mu s$, and it has 8192 ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views

What algorithms are used for track reconstruction in cloud chambers?

In particular I'm interested in any algorithms that can separate multiple tracks from one another reliably.
6
votes
2answers
287 views

Use of Monte-Carlo simulation in High-energy Physics

I've been doing some research into the analysis used in particle physics when determining the significance of a finding (e.g. the recent Higgs candidate was announced as a boson in the 125-126 ...
3
votes
1answer
86 views

Measuring tensor rank of the Higgs resonance

The Higgs boson is the first scalar field ever measured that is fundamental rather than composite. How do high-energy physicists determine that a given resonance in the statistics is either a scalar, ...
4
votes
2answers
192 views

What do “local” and “global” mean when talking about standard deviations in experimental particle physics?

I found the following sentence: The excess is most compatible with a SM Higgs hypothesis in the vicinity of 124 GeV and below, but the statistical significance (2.6σ local and 1.9σ global after ...
2
votes
2answers
98 views

Question about interpreting PDG particle cross section data sets' metadata fields

I have some question about interpreting PDG particle cross section data sets' metadata fields. The data sets I'm having questions for are http://pdg.lbl.gov/2011/hadronic-xsections/hadron.html For ...
3
votes
1answer
354 views

Fitting to a high density scatter plot

I am trying to do a crude particle identification, using a Bethe Bloch tenchnique. Here is a plot I made from the data that I have From what I've read, the standard method to identify charged ...
5
votes
2answers
263 views

How are the HEP experiments' invariant mass plots generated?

I am experimenting and playing around with some data, and I'm having trouble seeing how to generate invariant mass plots. The data I have has a bunch of events, and variables such as ...
4
votes
1answer
389 views

What is meant by “combinatorial background” in experimental high energy physics

My guess is that they find a certain tracks coming from a certain source by "combintaorially" selecting all track pairs and finding their invariant mass. If this is true, of which I am not sure, how ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views

Did the researchers at Fermilab find a fifth force?

Please consider the publication Invariant Mass Distribution of Jet Pairs Produced in Association with a W boson in $p\bar{p}$ Collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV by the CDF-Collaboration, ...