dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaSensitivity of searches for new signals and its optimization
| Authors | Giovanni Punzi |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0308063 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0308063 |
Abstract
A frequentist definition of sensitivity of a search for new phenomena is discussed, that has several useful properties. It is based on completely standard concepts, is generally applicable, and has a very clear interpretation. It is particularly suitable for optimization, being independent of a-priori expectations about the presence of a signal, thus allowing the determination of a single set of cuts that is optimal both for setting limits and for making a discovery. Simple approximate formulas are given for the common problem of Poisson counts with background.
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"abstract": "A frequentist definition of sensitivity of a search for new phenomena is\ndiscussed, that has several useful properties. It is based on completely\nstandard concepts, is generally applicable, and has a very clear\ninterpretation. It is particularly suitable for optimization, being independent\nof a-priori expectations about the presence of a signal, thus allowing the\ndetermination of a single set of cuts that is optimal both for setting limits\nand for making a discovery. Simple approximate formulas are given for the\ncommon problem of Poisson counts with background.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0308063",
"authors": [
"Giovanni Punzi"
],
"categories": [
"physics.data-an",
"hep-ex"
],
"title": "Sensitivity of searches for new signals and its optimization",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0308063"
},
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