Remarks on the particle multiplicities at LHC energies

Recent ALICE data for the multiplicity distributions in the central rapidity bins at LHC energies are compared with the results from two default versions of the PYTHIA 8 generator. We find that, contrary to the earlier versions of PYTHIA, the model overestimates the increase of average multiplicity with energy. Tuning two of the model parameters one obtains reasonable agreement with data. The dependence of the normalized moments of the distribution on the rapidity bin width and on energy is also qualitatively correct.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Challenges for QCD theory - some personal reflections -

At the LHC all processes are QCD ones, whether "signal" or "background". In this review the frontiers of current QCD research are addressed, towards increased understanding, improved calculational precision, and role in potential future discoveries. Issues raised include the limits of perturbative QCD calculations and parton distribution usage, the nature of multiparton interactions, the impact of colour reconnection on physical observables, the need for progress on hadronization modelling, the improvements of parton showers and their combination with the matrix-element description, the use of QCD concepts in Beyond-the-Standard-Model scenarios, and the key position of event generators and other software in the successful exploration of LHC physics. On the way, several questions are posed, where further studies are needed.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the Nobel Symposium on LHC results, Uppsala, Sweden, 13 -- 17 May 201

Production and Hadronization of Heavy Quarks

Heavy long-lived quarks, i.e. charm and bottom, are frequently studied both as tests of QCD and as probes for other physics aspects within and beyond the standard model. The long life-time implies that charm and bottom hadrons are formed and observed. This hadronization process cannot be studied in isolation, but depends on the production environment. Within the framework of the string model, a major effect is the drag from the other end of the string that the c/b quark belongs to. In extreme cases, a small-mass string can collapse to a single hadron, thereby giving a non-universal flavour composition to the produced hadrons. We here develop and present a detailed model for the charm/bottom hadronization process, involving the various aspects of string fragmentation and collapse, and put it in the context of several heavy-flavour production sources. Applications are presented from fixed-target to LHC energies.Comment: 40 pages, 25 figure

A sampling algorithm to estimate the effect of fluctuations in particle physics data

Background properties in experimental particle physics are typically estimated using large data sets. However, different events can exhibit different features because of the quantum mechanical nature of the underlying physics processes. While signal and background fractions in a given data set can be evaluated using a maximum likelihood estimator, the shapes of the corresponding distributions are traditionally obtained using high-statistics control samples, which normally neglects the effect of fluctuations. On the other hand, if it was possible to subtract background using templates that take fluctuations into account, this would be expected to improve the resolution of the observables of interest, and to reduce systematics depending on the analysis. This study is an initial step in this direction. We propose a novel algorithm inspired by the Gibbs sampler that makes it possible to estimate the shapes of signal and background probability density functions from a given collection of particles, using control sample templates as initial conditions and refining them to take into account the effect of fluctuations. Results on Monte Carlo data are presented, and the prospects for future development are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Edited to improve readability in line with the published article. This is based on a condensed version for publication in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Mathematical Modelling in the Physical Sciences, IC-MSQUARE 2012, Budapest, Hungary. A more detailed discussion can be found in the preceding version of this arXiv recor

Modelling Bose-Einstein correlations at LEP 2

We present new algorithms for simulating Bose-Einstein correlations among final-state bosons in an event generator. The algorithms are all based on introducing Bose-Einstein correlations as a shift of final-state momenta among identical bosons, and differ only in the way energy and momentum conservation is ensured. The benefits and shortcomings of this approach, that may be viewed as a local reweighting strategy, is compared to the ones of recently proposed algorithms involving global event reweighting. We use the new algorithms to improve on our previous study of the effects of Bose-Einstein correlations on the W mass measurement at LEP 2. The intrinsic uncertainty could be as high as 100 MeV but is probably reduced to the order of 30 MeV with realistic experimental reconstruction procedures.Comment: 1+34 pages, LaTeX2e, 10 eps figures attache

Forward-Backward Correlations and Event Shapes as probes of Minimum-Bias Event Properties

Measurements of inclusive observables, such as particle multiplicities and momentum spectra, have already delivered important information on soft-inclusive ("minimum-bias") physics at the Large Hadron Collider. In order to gain a more complete understanding, however, it is necessary to include also observables that probe the structure of the studied events. We argue that forward-backward (FB) correlations and event-shape observables may be particulary useful first steps in this respect. We study the sensitivity of several different types of FB correlations and two event shape variables - transverse thrust and transverse thrust minor - to various sources of theoretical uncertainty: multiple parton interactions, parton showers, colour (re)connections, and hadronization. The power of each observable to furnish constraints on Monte Carlo models is illustrated by including comparisons between several recent, and qualitatively different, PYTHIA 6 tunes, for pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 900 GeV.Comment: 13 page

Drag Effects in Charm Photoproduction

We have refined a model for charm fragmentation at hadron colliders. This model can also be applied to the photoproduction of charm. We investigate the effect of fragmentation on the distribution of produced charm quarks. The drag effect is seen to produce charm hadrons that are shifted in rapidity in the direction of the beam remnant. We also study the importance of different production mechanisms such as charm in the photon and from parton showers.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Proc. of DESY Workshop "Monte Carlo Generators for HERA Physics

Progress on Multiple Interactions

We report on the development of a new model for the underlying event in hadron-hadron collisions. The model includes parton showers for all interactions, as well as non-trivial flavour, momentum, and colour correlations between interaction initiators and beam remnant partons.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of HEP 2003, 3p

Energy Scaling of Minimum-Bias Tunes

We propose that the flexibility offered by modern event-generator tuning tools allows for more than just obtaining "best fits" to a collection of data. In particular, we argue that the universality of the underlying physics model can be tested by performing several, mutually independent, optimizations of the generator parameters in different physical regions. For regions in which these optimizations return similar and self-consistent parameter values, the model can be considered universal. Deviations from this behavior can be associated with a breakdown of the modeling, with the nature of the deviations giving clues as to the nature of the breakdown. We apply this procedure to study the energy scaling of a class of minimum-bias models based on multiple parton interactions (MPI) and pT-ordered showers, implemented in the Pythia 6.4 generator. We find that a parameter controlling the strength of color reconnections in the final state is the most important source of non-universality in this model.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 4 table