Contributor info: Prof. Veronica Sanz

Charanjit K. Khosa, Veronica Sanz

SciPost Phys. 15, 053 (2023) · published 8 August 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We present a new algorithm for anomaly detection called Anomaly Awareness. The algorithm learns about normal events while being made aware of the anomalies through a modification of the cost function. We show how this method works in different Particle Physics situations and in standard Computer Vision tasks. For example, we apply the method to images from a Fat Jet topology generated by Standard Model Top and QCD events, and test it against an array of new physics scenarios, including Higgs production with EFT effects and resonances decaying into two, three or four subjets. We find that the algorithm is effective identifying anomalies not seen before, and becomes robust as we make it aware of a varied-enough set of anomalies.

Charanjit Kaur Khosa, Veronica Sanz, Michael Soughton

SciPost Phys. Core 5, 050 (2022) · published 2 November 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

In this paper we propose ways to incorporate Machine Learning training outputs into a study of statistical significance. We describe these methods in supervised classification tasks using a CNN and a DNN output, and unsupervised learning based on a VAE. As use cases, we consider two physical situations where Machine Learning are often used: high-$p_T$ hadronic activity, and boosted Higgs in association with a massive vector boson.

Kyle Cranmer, Sabine Kraml, Harrison B. Prosper, Philip Bechtle, Florian U. Bernlochner, Itay M. Bloch, Enzo Canonero, Marcin Chrzaszcz, Andrea Coccaro, Jan Conrad, Glen Cowan, Matthew Feickert, Nahuel Ferreiro Iachellini, Andrew Fowlie, Lukas Heinrich, Alexander Held, Thomas Kuhr, Anders Kvellestad, Maeve Madigan, Farvah Mahmoudi, Knut Dundas Morå, Mark S. Neubauer, Maurizio Pierini, Juan Rojo, Sezen Sekmen, Luca Silvestrini, Veronica Sanz, Giordon Stark, Riccardo Torre, Robert Thorne, Wolfgang Waltenberger, Nicholas Wardle, Jonas Wittbrodt

SciPost Phys. 12, 037 (2022) · published 25 January 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

The statistical models used to derive the results of experimental analyses are of incredible scientific value and are essential information for analysis preservation and reuse. In this paper, we make the scientific case for systematically publishing the full statistical models and discuss the technical developments that make this practical. By means of a variety of physics cases -- including parton distribution functions, Higgs boson measurements, effective field theory interpretations, direct searches for new physics, heavy flavor physics, direct dark matter detection, world averages, and beyond the Standard Model global fits -- we illustrate how detailed information on the statistical modelling can enhance the short- and long-term impact of experimental results.

Gabriela Barenboim, Johannes Hirn, Veronica Sanz

SciPost Phys. 11, 014 (2021) · published 15 July 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We explore whether Neural Networks (NNs) can {\it discover} the presence of symmetries as they learn to perform a task. For this, we train hundreds of NNs on a {\it decoy task} based on well-controlled Physics templates, where no information on symmetry is provided. We use the output from the last hidden layer of all these NNs, projected to fewer dimensions, as the input for a symmetry classification task, and show that information on symmetry had indeed been identified by the original NN without guidance. As an interdisciplinary application of this procedure, we identify the presence and level of symmetry in artistic paintings from different styles such as those of Picasso, Pollock and Van Gogh.

Charanjit Kaur Khosa, Veronica Sanz, Michael Soughton

SciPost Phys. 10, 151 (2021) · published 22 June 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We study the prospects of characterising Dark Matter at colliders using Machine Learning (ML) techniques. We focus on the monojet and missing transverse energy (MET) channel and propose a set of benchmark models for the study: a typical WIMP Dark Matter candidate in the form of a SUSY neutralino, a pseudo-Goldstone impostor in the shape of an Axion-Like Particle, and a light Dark Matter impostor whose interactions are mediated by a heavy particle. All these benchmarks are tensioned against each other, and against the main SM background ($Z$+jets). Our analysis uses both the leading-order kinematic features as well as the information of an additional hard jet. We explore different representations of the data, from a simple event data sample with values of kinematic variables fed into a Logistic Regression algorithm or a Fully Connected Neural Network, to a transformation of the data into images related to probability distributions, fed to Deep and Convolutional Neural Networks. We also study the robustness of our method against including detector effects, dropping kinematic variables, or changing the number of events per image. In the case of signals with more combinatorial possibilities (events with more than one hard jet), the most crucial data features are selected by performing a Principal Component Analysis. We compare the performance of all these methods, and find that using the 2D images of the combined information of multiple events significantly improves the discrimination performance.

Waleed Abdallah, Shehu AbdusSalam, Azar Ahmadov, Amine Ahriche, Gaël Alguero, Benjamin C. Allanach, Jack Y. Araz, Alexandre Arbey, Chiara Arina, Peter Athron, Emanuele Bagnaschi, Yang Bai, Michael J. Baker, Csaba Balazs, Daniele Barducci, Philip Bechtle, Aoife Bharucha, Andy Buckley, Jonathan Butterworth, Haiying Cai, Claudio Campagnari, Cari Cesarotti, Marcin Chrzaszcz, Andrea Coccaro, Eric Conte, Jonathan M. Cornell, Louie Dartmoor Corpe, Matthias Danninger, Luc Darmé, Aldo Deandrea, Nishita Desai, Barry Dillon, Caterina Doglioni, Juhi Dutta, John R. Ellis, Sebastian Ellis, Farida Fassi, Matthew Feickert, Nicolas Fernandez, Sylvain Fichet, Jernej F. Kamenik, Thomas Flacke, Benjamin Fuks, Achim Geiser, Marie-Hélène Genest, Akshay Ghalsasi, Tomas Gonzalo, Mark Goodsell, Stefania Gori, Philippe Gras, Admir Greljo, Diego Guadagnoli, Sven Heinemeyer, Lukas A. Heinrich, Jan Heisig, Deog Ki Hong, Tetiana Hryn'ova, Katri Huitu, Philip Ilten, Ahmed Ismail, Adil Jueid, Felix Kahlhoefer, Jan Kalinowski, Deepak Kar, Yevgeny Kats, Charanjit K. Khosa, Valeri Khoze, Tobias Klingl, Pyungwon Ko, Kyoungchul Kong, Wojciech Kotlarski, Michael Krämer, Sabine Kraml, Suchita Kulkarni, Anders Kvellestad, Clemens Lange, Kati Lassila-Perini, Seung J. Lee, Andre Lessa, Zhen Liu, Lara Lloret Iglesias, Jeanette M. Lorenz, Danika MacDonell, Farvah Mahmoudi, Judita Mamuzic, Andrea C. Marini, Pete Markowitz, Pablo Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, David Miller, Vasiliki Mitsou, Stefano Moretti, Marco Nardecchia, Siavash Neshatpour, Dao Thi Nhung, Per Osland, Patrick H. Owen, Orlando Panella, Alexander Pankov, Myeonghun Park, Werner Porod, Darren Price, Harrison Prosper, Are Raklev, Jürgen Reuter, Humberto Reyes-González, Thomas Rizzo, Tania Robens, Juan Rojo, Janusz A. Rosiek, Oleg Ruchayskiy, Veronica Sanz, Kai Schmidt-Hoberg, Pat Scott, Sezen Sekmen, Dipan Sengupta, Elizabeth Sexton-Kennedy, Hua-Sheng Shao, Seodong Shin, Luca Silvestrini, Ritesh Singh, Sukanya Sinha, Jory Sonneveld, Yotam Soreq, Giordon H. Stark, Tim Stefaniak, Jesse Thaler, Riccardo Torre, Emilio Torrente-Lujan, Gokhan Unel, Natascia Vignaroli, Wolfgang Waltenberger, Nicholas Wardle, Graeme Watt, Georg Weiglein, Martin J. White, Sophie L. Williamson, Jonas Wittbrodt, Lei Wu, Stefan Wunsch, Tevong You, Yang Zhang, José Zurita

SciPost Phys. 9, 022 (2020) · published 21 August 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

We report on the status of efforts to improve the reinterpretation of searches and measurements at the LHC in terms of models for new physics, in the context of the LHC Reinterpretation Forum. We detail current experimental offerings in direct searches for new particles, measurements, technical implementations and Open Data, and provide a set of recommendations for further improving the presentation of LHC results in order to better enable reinterpretation in the future. We also provide a brief description of existing software reinterpretation frameworks and recent global analyses of new physics that make use of the current data.