DPNC seminars

Turning noise into data: using pile-up collisions for physics at the LHC

by Steven Schramm (University of Geneva)

Europe/Zurich
Stückelberg auditorium (Ecole de physique)

Stückelberg auditorium

Ecole de physique

Description

Pile-up, or the presence of multiple independent proton-proton collisions within the same bunch-crossing, has been critical to the success of the LHC, allowing for the production of enormous proton-proton collision datasets. However, the typical LHC physics analysis only considers a single proton-proton collision in each bunch crossing; the remaining pile-up collisions are viewed as an annoyance, adding noise to the physics process under study. By independently reconstructing these pile-up collisions, it is possible to access an enormous dataset of lower-energy hadronic physics processes, which we demonstrate using data recorded by the ATLAS Detector during Run 2 of the LHC. Comparisons to triggered alternatives confirm the ability to use pile-up as an unbiased dataset. The potential benefits of using pile-up for physics are shown through the evaluation of the jet energy resolution, derived from dijet asymmetry measurements, comparing single-jet-trigger-based and pile-up-based datasets.