dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA New Technique for Finding Needles in Haystacks: A Geometric Approach to Distinguishing Between a New Source and Random Fluctuations
| Authors | Ramani S. Pilla, Catherine Loader, Cyrus Taylor |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0505200 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505200 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.230202 |
| Journal | Phys.Rev.Lett. 95 (2005) 230202 |
Abstract
We propose a new test statistic based on a score process for determining the statistical significance of a putative signal that may be a small perturbation to a noisy experimental background. We derive the reference distribution for this score test statistic; it has an elegant geometrical interpretation as well as broad applicability. We illustrate the technique in the context of a model problem from high-energy particle physics. Monte Carlo experimental results confirm that the score test results in a significantly improved rate of signal detection.
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"abstract": "We propose a new test statistic based on a score process for determining the\nstatistical significance of a putative signal that may be a small perturbation\nto a noisy experimental background. We derive the reference distribution for\nthis score test statistic; it has an elegant geometrical interpretation as well\nas broad applicability. We illustrate the technique in the context of a model\nproblem from high-energy particle physics. Monte Carlo experimental results\nconfirm that the score test results in a significantly improved rate of signal\ndetection.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0505200",
"authors": [
"Ramani S. Pilla",
"Catherine Loader",
"Cyrus Taylor"
],
"categories": [
"physics.data-an",
"astro-ph",
"hep-ex"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.230202",
"journal_ref": "Phys.Rev.Lett. 95 (2005) 230202",
"title": "A New Technique for Finding Needles in Haystacks: A Geometric Approach to Distinguishing Between a New Source and Random Fluctuations",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505200"
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