arXiv subjects

Daniel Britzger

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Britzger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Data Preservation in High Energy Physics: Global Report 2026

This document summarizes the contributions to the 5th DPHEP workshop March 5-6, 2026, CERN, and reflects the advancements since 2024, as well as future milestones and tendencies. Impressive progress in HEP data preservation is observed. Legacy data revival was showcased through successful reanalysis of archived data using contemporary methods, demonstrating the long-term scientific value of preservation. Sustainability challenges were noted, emphasizing the need for long-term funding and institutional support to maintain data preservation infrastructure, particularly for legacy experiments transitioning to archival modes. Innovative transverse projects display constant progress towards common technologies for a robust and transferrable DP. In particular, there is a clear shift toward automation, with increasing use of AI and machine learning for data curation, metadata extraction, and workflow optimization. Open science momentum is growing, with wider adoption of FAIR principles and open data policies, and experiments committing to public releases.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Input to European Strategy Update for Particle Physics: Sustainability

Human activity continues to have an enormous negative impact on the ability of the planet to sustain human and other forms of life. Six out of the nine planetary boundaries have been crossed, a seventh is close to threshold. Prominent manifestations of this development are climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, as well as loss of biodiversity. In recognition of the urgency of these problems, several international agreements have been ratified to achieve net-zero emissions and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Significant reductions in emissions are required by 2030 to meet international climate targets. The field of particle physics has an obligation and an opportunity to contribute to such mitigation efforts and to avoid causing further harm. This document urges the European Strategy Update in Particle Physics to set a clear and bold mandate for embedding environmental sustainability throughout the future scientific programme, and advocates for a series of actions that will enable this.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2025

Data Preservation in High Energy Physics

Data preservation significantly increases the scientific output of high-energy physics experiments during and after data acquisition. For new and ongoing experiments, the careful consideration of long-term data preservation in the experimental design contributes to improving computational efficiency and strengthening the scientific activity in HEP through Open Science methodologies. This contribution is based on 15 years of experience of the DPHEP collaboration in the field of data preservation and focuses on aspects relevant for the strategic programming of particle physics in Europe: the preparation of future programs using data sets preserved from previous similar experiments (e.g. HERA for EIC), and the use of LHC data long after the end of the data taking. The lessons learned from past collider experiments and recent developments open the way to a number of recommendations for the full exploitation of the investments made in large HEP experiments.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Precise Determination of the Strong Coupling Constant from Dijet Cross Sections up to the Multi-TeV Range

We determine the value of the strong coupling $\alpha_\text{s}$ and study its running over a wide range of scales as probed by the dijet production process at hadron colliders, based on an NNLO QCD analysis of LHC dijet data. From a large subset of these data a value of $\alpha_\text{s} (m_\text{Z}) = 0.1178 \pm 0.0022$ is obtained for the strong coupling at the scale of the Z-boson mass $m_\text{Z}$, using the invariant mass of the dijet system to select the scale where $\alpha_\text{s}$ is probed. The combination of different data sets enhances the reach and precision of the analysis in the mutli-TeV range and allows for the first determination of $\alpha_\text{s}$ up to scales of 7 TeV. Complementing the LHC data with dijet cross sections measured at the HERA electron-proton collider, the kinematic range is extended to test the running of the strong coupling towards smaller scales. Our results exhibit excellent agreement with predictions based on the renormalization group equation of QCD, and represent a comprehensive test of the asymptotic behavior of QCD, spanning more than three orders of magnitude in energy scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Exploring SMEFT Couplings Using the Forward-Backward Asymmetry in Neutral Current Drell-Yan Production at the LHC

Neutral current Drell-Yan (DY) lepton-pair production is considered in the framework of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Using the open-source fit platform xFitter, we investigate the impact of high-statistics measurements of the neutral current DY (NCDY) forward-backward asymmetry $A_{\rm{FB}}$ near the weak boson mass scale in the present and forthcoming stages of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Besides recovering earlier results on the $A_{\rm{FB}}$ sensitivity to parton distribution functions, we analyze the precision determination of $Z$-boson couplings to left-handed and right-handed $u$-quarks and $d$-quarks, and explore Beyond-Standard-Model contributions using the SMEFT framework. We perform a sensitivity study and comment on the role of the $A_{\rm{FB}}$ asymmetry for the electroweak SMEFT fit and precision $Z$-boson physics at the LHC and high-luminosity HL-LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

50 Years of Quantum Chromodynamics

This paper presents a comprehensive review of both the theory and experimental successes of Quantum Chromodynamics, starting with its emergence as a well defined theory in 1972-73 and following developments and results up to the present day. Topics include a review of the earliest theoretical and experimental foundations; the fundamental constants of QCD; an introductory discussion of lattice QCD, the only known method for obtaining exact predictions from QCD; methods for approximating QCD, with special focus on effective field theories; QCD under extreme conditions; measurements and predictions of meson and baryon states; a special discussion of the structure of the nucleon; techniques for study of QCD at high energy, including treatment of jets and showers; measurements at colliders; weak decays and quark mixing; and a section on the future, which discusses new experimental facilities or upgrades currently funded. The paper is intended to provide a broad background for Ph.D. students and postdocs starting their career. Some contributions include personal accounts of how the ideas or experiments were developed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Report of the Topical Group on Electroweak Precision Physics and Constraining New Physics for Snowmass 2021

The precise measurement of physics observables and the test of their consistency within the standard model (SM) are an invaluable approach, complemented by direct searches for new particles, to determine the existence of physics beyond the standard model (BSM). Studies of massive electroweak gauge bosons (W and Z bosons) are a promising target for indirect BSM searches, since the interactions of photons and gluons are strongly constrained by the unbroken gauge symmetries. They can be divided into two categories: (a) Fermion scattering processes mediated by s- or t-channel W/Z bosons, also known as electroweak precision measurements; and (b) multi-boson processes, which include production of two or more vector bosons in fermion-antifermion annihilation, as well as vector boson scattering (VBS) processes. The latter categories can test modifications of gauge-boson self-interactions, and the sensitivity is typically improved with increased collision energy. This report evaluates the achievable precision of a range of future experiments, which depend on the statistics of the collected data sample, the experimental and theoretical systematic uncertainties, and their correlations. In addition it presents a combined interpretation of these results, together with similar studies in the Higgs and top sector, in the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT) framework. This framework provides a model-independent prescription to put generic constraints on new physics and to study and combine large sets of experimental observables, assuming that the new physics scales are significantly higher than the EW scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Optimizing Observables with Machine Learning for Better Unfolding

Most measurements in particle and nuclear physics use matrix-based unfolding algorithms to correct for detector effects. In nearly all cases, the observable is defined analogously at the particle and detector level. We point out that while the particle-level observable needs to be physically motivated to link with theory, the detector-level need not be and can be optimized. We show that using deep learning to define detector-level observables has the capability to improve the measurement when combined with standard unfolding methods.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Climate impacts of particle physics

The pursuit of particle physics requires a stable and prosperous society. Today, our society is increasingly threatened by global climate change. Human-influenced climate change has already impacted weather patterns, and global warming will only increase unless deep reductions in emissions of CO$_2$ and other greenhouse gases are achieved. Current and future activities in particle physics need to be considered in this context, either on the moral ground that we have a responsibility to leave a habitable planet to future generations, or on the more practical ground that, because of their scale, particle physics projects and activities will be under scrutiny for their impact on the climate. In this white paper for the U.S. Particle Physics Community Planning Exercise ("Snowmass"), we examine several contexts in which the practice of particle physics has impacts on the climate. These include the construction of facilities, the design and operation of particle detectors, the use of large-scale computing, and the research activities of scientists. We offer recommendations on establishing climate-aware practices in particle physics, with the goal of reducing our impact on the climate. We invite members of the community to show their support for a sustainable particle physics field (https://indico.fnal.gov/event/53795/).

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2022

Precision electroweak physics at the LHeC and FCC-eh

The proposed electron-proton collider experiments LHeC and FCC-eh at CERN are the highest resolution microscopes that can be realised in the present century and they would represent a really unique research facility. We exploit simulated neutral-current and charged-current deep-inelastic scattering data of the LHeC and the FCC-eh and examine their sensitivity for precision physics in the Electroweak sector of the Standard Model (SM), like the effective weak mixing angle $\sin^2\theta_{\textrm{W},\ell}^\textrm{eff}$, or the light-quark weak-neutral-current couplings. Unique measurements are further feasible at high precision for the running of the weak mixing angle, as well as for electroweak effects in charged current interactions. The sensitivity to beyond SM effects is studied using the generic $S$, $T$ and $U$ parameterization. The report summarizes previous studies about the LHeC and presents new prospects for the FCC-eh.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

The Linear Template Fit

The estimation of parameters from data is a common problem in many areas of the physical sciences, and frequently used algorithms rely on sets of simulated data which are fit to data. In this article, an analytic solution for simulation-based parameter estimation problems is presented. The matrix formalism, termed the Linear Template Fit, calculates the best estimators for the parameters of interest. It combines a linear regression with the method of least squares. The algorithm uses only predictions calculated for a few values of the parameters of interest, which have been made available prior to its execution. The Linear Template Fit is particularly suited for performance critical applications and parameter estimation problems with computationally intense simulations, which are otherwise often limited in their usability for statistical inference. Equations for error propagation are discussed in detail and are given in closed analytic form. For the solution of problems with a nonlinear dependence on the parameters of interest, the Quadratic Template Fit is introduced. As an example application, a determination of the strong coupling constant from inclusive jet cross section data at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is studied and compared with previously published results.

physics.data-an↗

arXiv2021

Reconstructing the Kinematics of Deep Inelastic Scattering with Deep Learning

We introduce a method to reconstruct the kinematics of neutral-current deep inelastic scattering (DIS) using a deep neural network (DNN). Unlike traditional methods, it exploits the full kinematic information of both the scattered electron and the hadronic-final state, and it accounts for QED radiation by identifying events with radiated photons and event-level momentum imbalance. The method is studied with simulated events at HERA and the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). We show that the DNN method outperforms all the traditional methods over the full phase space, improving resolution and reducing bias. Our method has the potential to extend the kinematic reach of future experiments at the EIC, and thus their discovery potential in polarized and nuclear DIS.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Preservation through modernisation: The software of the H1 experiment at HERA

The lepton-proton collisions produced at the HERA collider represent a unique high energy physics data set. A number of years after the end of collisions, the data collected by the H1 experiment, as well as the simulated events and all software needed for reconstruction, simulation and data analysis, were migrated into a preserved operational mode at DESY. A recent modernisation of the H1 software architecture has been performed, which will not only facilitate on going and future data analysis efforts with the new inclusion of modern analysis tools, but also ensure the long-term availability of the H1 data and associated software. The present status of the H1 software stack, the data, simulations and the currently supported computing platforms for data analysis activities are discussed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

Parton Distribution Functions of the Charged Pion Within The xFitter Framework

We present the first open-source analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of charged pions using xFitter, an open-source QCD fit framework to facilitate PDF extraction and analyses. Our calculations are implemented at next-to-leading order (NLO) using APPLgrids generated by MCFM generator. Using currently available Drell-Yan and photon production data, we find the valence distribution is well constrained; however, the considered data are not sensitive enough to unambiguously determine sea and gluon distributions. Fractions of momentum carried by the valence, sea and gluon components are discussed, and we compare with the results of JAM collaboration and the GRV group.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Electroweak Physics in Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering at the LHeC

The proposed electron-proton collider LHeC is a unique facility where electroweak interactions can be studied with a very high precision in a largely unexplored kinematic regime of spacelike momentum transfer. We have simulated inclusive neutral- and charged-current deep-inelastic lepton proton scattering cross section data at center-of-mass energies of 1.2 and 1.3 TeV including their systematic uncertainties. Based on simultaneous fits of electroweak physics parameters and parton distribution functions, we estimate the uncertainties of Standard Model parameters as well as a number of parameters describing physics beyond the Standard Model, for instance the oblique parameters $S$, $T$, and $U$. An unprecedented precision at the sub-percent level is expected for the measurement of the weak neutral-current couplings of the light-quarks to the $Z$ boson, $g_{A/V}^{u/d}$, improving their present precision by more than an order of magnitude. The weak mixing angle can be determined with a precision of about $Δ\sin^2θ_\textrm{W} = \pm 0.00015$, and its scale dependence can be studied in the range between about 25 and 700 GeV. An indirect determination of the $W$-boson mass in the on-shell scheme is possible with an experimental uncertainty down to $Δm_{W}=\pm6\,\textrm{MeV}$. We discuss how the uncertainties of such measurements in deep-inelastic scattering compare with those from measurements in the timelike domain, e.g. at the $Z$-pole, and which aspects of the electroweak interaction are unique to measurements at the LHeC, for instance electroweak parameters in charged-current interactions. We conclude that the LHeC will determine electroweak physics parameters, in the spacelike region, with unprecedented precision leading to thorough tests of the Standard Model and possibly beyond.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

The Tensor Pomeron and Small-x Deep Inelastic Scattering

We apply the tensor-pomeron model to small-$x$ deep-inelastic lepton-proton scattering and photoproduction. Our model includes a soft and a hard tensor pomeron as well as a reggeon contribution. Data with c.m. energies $6 < \sqrt{s} < 318$ GeV and virtualities $Q^2 < 50 \,\mbox{GeV}^2$ are considered. Our fit gives a very good description of the available data in this kinematic region, including the latest HERA data for $x < 0.01$. In particular, the transition region from low to high $Q^2$ is well described. Within the errors, the hard pomeron is absent in photoproduction. The intercepts of the soft and hard pomeron in the two-tensor-pomeron model are found to be $1.0935\, ({}^{+76}_{-64})$ and $1.3008 \,({}^{+73}_{-84})$, respectively. We argue that a vector pomeron would not give any contribution to photoproduction.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Probing the strange content of the proton with charm production in charged current at LHeC

We study charm production in charged-current deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) using the xFitter framework. Recent results from the LHC have focused renewed attention on the determination of the strange-quark parton distribution function (PDF) and the DIS charm process provides important complementary constraints on this quantity. We examine the current PDF uncertainty, and use LHeC pseudodata to estimate the potential improvement from this proposed facility. As xFitter implements both fixed-flavor- and variable-flavor-number schemes, we can compare the impact of these different theoretical choices; this highlights some interesting aspects of multi-scale calculations. We find that the high-statistics LHeC data covering a wide kinematic range could substantially reduce the strange PDF uncertainty.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Recent QCD results from the xFitter project: Probing the strange content of the proton with charm production in charged current at LHeC

We investigate charm production in charged-current deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) using the xFitter program. xFitter is an open-source software framework for the determination of PDFs and the analysis of QCD physics, and has been used for a variety of LHC studies. The study of charged current DIS charm production provides an important perspective on the strange quark PDF, s(x). We make use of the xFitter tools to study the present s(x) constraints, and then use LHeC pseudodata to infer how these might improve. Furthermore, as xFitter implements both Fixed Flavor and Variable Flavor number schemes, we can examine the impact of these different theoretical choices; this highlights some interesting aspects of multi-scale calculations. This study provides a practical illustration of the many features of xFitter.

hep-ph↗