arXiv subjects

Holger Schulz

Publications and source records attributed to Holger Schulz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Tuning Pythia for Forward Physics Experiments

Event generators like Pythia play an important role in physics studies at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While they make accurate predictions in the central region, i.e. at pseudorapidities $η<5$, a disagreement between Pythia and measurements in the forward region, $η>7$, has been observed. We introduce a dedicated forward physics tune for the Pythia event generator to be used for forward physics studies at the LHC, which uses a more flexible modelling of beam remnant hadronization and is tuned to available particle spectra measured by LHCf. Furthermore, we provide an uncertainty estimate on the new tune in a data-driven way which can be used as a means of flux uncertainty for future forward physics studies. We demonstrate an application of our tune by showing the updated neutrino and dark photon spectra at the FASER experiment.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

ULYSSES, Universal LeptogeneSiS Equation Solver: version 2

ULYSSES is a Python package that calculates the baryon asymmetry produced from leptogenesis in the context of a type-I seesaw mechanism. In this release, the new features include code which solves the Boltzmann equations for low-scale leptogenesis; the complete Boltzmann equations for thermal leptogenesis applying proper quantum statistics without assuming kinetic equilibrium of the right-handed neutrinos; and, primordial black hole-induced leptogenesis. ULYSSES version 2 has the added functionality of a pre-provided script for a two-dimensional grid scan of the parameter space. As before, the emphasis of the code is on user flexibility, rapid evaluation and is publicly available at https://github.com/earlyuniverse/ulysses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

The Forward Physics Facility: Sites, Experiments, and Physics Potential

The Forward Physics Facility (FPF) is a proposal to create a cavern with the space and infrastructure to support a suite of far-forward experiments at the Large Hadron Collider during the High Luminosity era. Located along the beam collision axis and shielded from the interaction point by at least 100 m of concrete and rock, the FPF will house experiments that will detect particles outside the acceptance of the existing large LHC experiments and will observe rare and exotic processes in an extremely low-background environment. In this work, we summarize the current status of plans for the FPF, including recent progress in civil engineering in identifying promising sites for the FPF and the experiments currently envisioned to realize the FPF's physics potential. We then review the many Standard Model and new physics topics that will be advanced by the FPF, including searches for long-lived particles, probes of dark matter and dark sectors, high-statistics studies of TeV neutrinos of all three flavors, aspects of perturbative and non-perturbative QCD, and high-energy astroparticle physics.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Spherical accretion of collisional gas in modified gravity I: self-similar solutions and a new cosmological hydrodynamical code

The spherical collapse scenario has great importance in cosmology since it captures several crucial aspects of structure formation. The presence of self-similar solutions in the Einstein-de Sitter (EdS) model greatly simplifies its analysis, making it a powerful tool to gain valuable insights into the real and more complicated physical processes involved in galaxy formation. While there has been a large body of research to incorporate various additional physical processes into spherical collapse, the effect of modified gravity (MG) models, which are popular alternatives to the $ΛCDM$ paradigm to explain the cosmic acceleration, is still not well understood in this scenario. In this paper, we study the spherical accretion of collisional gas in a particular MG model, which is a rare case that also admits self-similar solutions. The model displays interesting behaviours caused by the enhanced gravity and a screening mechanism. Despite the strong effects of MG, we find that its self-similar solution agrees well with that of the EdS model. These results are used to assess a new cosmological hydrodynamical code for spherical collapse simulations introduced here, which is based on the hyperbolic partial differential equation engine ExaHyPE 2. Its good agreement with the theoretical predictions confirms the reliability of this code in modelling astrophysical processes in spherical collapse. We will use this code to study the evolution of gas in more realistic MG models in future work.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Task inefficiency patterns for a wave equation solver

The orchestration of complex algorithms demands high levels of automation to use modern hardware efficiently. Task-based programming with OpenMP 5.0 is a prominent candidate to accomplish this goal. We study OpenMP 5.0's tasking in the context of a wave equation solver (ExaHyPE) using three different architectures and runtimes. We describe several task-scheduling flaws present in currently available runtimes, demonstrate how they impact performance and show how to work around them. Finally, we propose extensions to the OpenMP standard.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2021

BROOD: Bilevel and Robust Optimization and Outlier Detection for Efficient Tuning of High-Energy Physics Event Generators

The parameters in Monte Carlo (MC) event generators are tuned on experimental measurements by evaluating the goodness of fit between the data and the MC predictions. The relative importance of each measurement is adjusted manually in an often time-consuming, iterative process to meet different experimental needs. In this work, we introduce several optimization formulations and algorithms with new decision criteria for streamlining and automating this process. These algorithms are designed for two formulations: bilevel optimization and robust optimization. Both formulations are applied to the datasets used in the ATLAS A14 tune and to the dedicated hadronization datasets generated by the sherpa generator, respectively. The corresponding tuned generator parameters are compared using three metrics. We compare the quality of our automatic tunes to the published ATLAS A14 tune. Moreover, we analyze the impact of a pre-processing step that excludes data that cannot be described by the physics models used in the MC event generators.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

Apprentice for Event Generator Tuning

Apprentice is a tool developed for event generator tuning. It contains a range of conceptual improvements and extensions over the tuning tool Professor. Its core functionality remains the construction of a multivariate analytic surrogate model to computationally expensive Monte-Carlo event generator predictions. The surrogate model is used for numerical optimization in chi-square minimization and likelihood evaluation. Apprentice also introduces algorithms to automate the selection of observable weights to minimize the effect of mis-modeling in the event generators. We illustrate our improvements for the task of MC-generator tuning and limit setting.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Challenges in Monte Carlo event generator software for High-Luminosity LHC

We review the main software and computing challenges for the Monte Carlo physics event generators used by the LHC experiments, in view of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) physics programme. This paper has been prepared by the HEP Software Foundation (HSF) Physics Event Generator Working Group as an input to the LHCC review of HL-LHC computing, which has started in May 2020.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

HL-LHC Computing Review: Common Tools and Community Software

Common and community software packages, such as ROOT, Geant4 and event generators have been a key part of the LHC's success so far and continued development and optimisation will be critical in the future. The challenges are driven by an ambitious physics programme, notably the LHC accelerator upgrade to high-luminosity, HL-LHC, and the corresponding detector upgrades of ATLAS and CMS. In this document we address the issues for software that is used in multiple experiments (usually even more widely than ATLAS and CMS) and maintained by teams of developers who are either not linked to a particular experiment or who contribute to common software within the context of their experiment activity. We also give space to general considerations for future software and projects that tackle upcoming challenges, no matter who writes it, which is an area where community convergence on best practice is extremely useful.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2020

Tau neutrinos at DUNE: new strategies, new opportunities

We propose a novel analysis strategy, that leverages the unique capabilities of the DUNE experiment, to study tau neutrinos. We integrate collider physics ideas, such as jet clustering algorithms in combination with machine learning techniques, into neutrino measurements. Through the construction of a set of observables and kinematic cuts, we obtain a superior discrimination of the signal ($S$) over the background ($B$). In a single year, using the nominal neutrino beam mode, DUNE may achieve $S/\sqrt{B}$ of $3.3$ and $2.3$ for the hadronic and leptonic decay channels of the tau respectively. Operating in the tau-optimized beam mode would increase $S/\sqrt{B}$ to $8.8$ and $11$ for each of these channels. We premier the use of the analysis software Rivet, a tool ubiquitously used by the LHC experiments, in neutrino physics. For wider accessibility, we provide our analysis code.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

ULYSSES: Universal LeptogeneSiS Equation Solver

ULYSSES is a python package that calculates the baryon asymmetry produced from leptogenesis in the context of a type-I seesaw mechanism. The code solves the semi-classical Boltzmann equations for points in the model parameter space as specified by the user. We provide a selection of predefined Boltzmann equations as well as a plugin mechanism for externally provided models of leptogenesis. Furthermore, the ULYSSES code provides tools for multi-dimensional parameter space exploration. The emphasis of the code is on user flexibility and rapid evaluation. It is publicly available at https://github.com/earlyuniverse/ulysses

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Event Generation with Normalizing Flows

We present a novel integrator based on normalizing flows which can be used to improve the unweighting efficiency of Monte-Carlo event generators for collider physics simulations. In contrast to machine learning approaches based on surrogate models, our method generates the correct result even if the underlying neural networks are not optimally trained. We exemplify the new strategy using the example of Drell-Yan type processes at the LHC, both at leading and partially at next-to-leading order QCD.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Grid-based minimization at scale: Feldman-Cousins corrections for SBN

We present a computational model for the construction of Feldman-Cousins (FC) corrections frequently used in High Energy Physics (HEP) analysis. The program contains a grid-based minimization and is written in C++. Our algorithms exploit vectorization through Eigen3, yielding a single-core speed-up of 350 compared to the original implementation, and achieve MPI data parallelism by using DIY. We demonstrate the application to scale very well at High Performance Computing (HPC) sites. We use HDF5 in conjunction with HighFive to write results of the calculation to file.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2020

Technical Proposal: FASERnu

FASERnu is a proposed small and inexpensive emulsion detector designed to detect collider neutrinos for the first time and study their properties. FASERnu will be located directly in front of FASER, 480 m from the ATLAS interaction point along the beam collision axis in the unused service tunnel TI12. From 2021-23 during Run 3 of the 14 TeV LHC, roughly 1,300 electron neutrinos, 20,000 muon neutrinos, and 20 tau neutrinos will interact in FASERnu with TeV-scale energies. With the ability to observe these interactions, reconstruct their energies, and distinguish flavors, FASERnu will probe the production, propagation, and interactions of neutrinos at the highest human-made energies ever recorded. The FASERnu detector will be composed of 1000 emulsion layers interleaved with tungsten plates. The total volume of the emulsion and tungsten is 25cm x 25cm x 1.35m, and the tungsten target mass is 1.2 tonnes. From 2021-23, 7 sets of emulsion layers will be installed, with replacement roughly every 20-50 1/fb in planned Technical Stops. In this document, we summarize FASERnu's physics goals and discuss the estimates of neutrino flux and interaction rates. We then describe the FASERnu detector in detail, including plans for assembly, transport, installation, and emulsion replacement, and procedures for emulsion readout and analyzing the data. We close with cost estimates for the detector components and infrastructure work and a timeline for the experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Multivariate Rational Approximation

We present two approaches for computing rational approximations to multivariate functions, motivated by their effectiveness as surrogate models for high-energy physics (HEP) applications. Our first approach builds on the Stieltjes process to efficiently and robustly compute the coefficients of the rational approximation. Our second approach is based on an optimization formulation that allows us to include structural constraints on the rational approximation, resulting in a semi-infinite optimization problem that we solve using an outer approximation approach. We present results for synthetic and real-life HEP data, and we compare the approximation quality of our approaches with that of traditional polynomial approximations.

math.NA↗

arXiv2019

Event Generation with Sherpa 2.2

Sherpa is a general-purpose Monte Carlo event generator for the simulation of particle collisions in high-energy collider experiments. We summarize essential features and improvements of the Sherpa 2.2 release series, which is heavily used for event generation in the analysis and interpretation of LHC Run 1 and Run 2 data. We highlight a decade of developments towards ever higher precision in the simulation of particle-collision events.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Simulation of vector boson plus many jet final states at the high luminosity LHC

We present a novel event generation framework for the efficient simulation of vector boson plus multi-jet backgrounds at the high-luminosity LHC and at possible future hadron colliders. MPI parallelization of parton-level and particle-level event generation and storage of parton-level event information using the HDF5 data format allow us to obtain leading-order merged Monte-Carlo predictions with up to nine jets in the final state. The parton-level event samples generated in this manner correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3ab-1 and are made publicly available for future phenomenological studies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Constraining $A_4$ Leptonic Flavour Model Parameters at Colliders and Beyond

The observed pattern of mixing in the neutrino sector may be explained by the presence of a non-Abelian, discrete flavour symmetry broken into residual subgroups at low energies. Many flavour models require the presence of Standard Model singlet scalars which can promptly decay to charged leptons in a flavour-violating manner. We constrain the model parameters of a generic $A_4$ leptonic flavour model using a synergy of experimental data including limits from charged lepton flavour conversion, an 8 TeV collider analysis and constraints from the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. The most powerful constraints derive from the MEG collaborations' limit on Br$\left(μ\to eγ\right)$ and the reinterpretation of an 8 TeV ATLAS search for anomalous productions of multi-leptonic final states. We quantify the exclusionary power of each of these experiments and identify regions where the constraints from collider and MEG experimental data are complementary.

hep-ph↗