Energy Flow in Particle Collisions
Name
metodiev-metodiev-phd-physics-2020-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
4.77 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1ecdcdea9b7aa0b1e70681996a1bb02a
Author(s)
Metodiev, Eric Mario
Advisor(s)
Thaler, Jesse
Date Issued
September 2020
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this thesis, I introduce a new bottom-up approach to quantum field theory and collider physics, beginning from the observable energy flow: the energy distribution produced by particle collisions. First, I establish a metric space for collision events by comparing their energy flows. I unify many ideas spanning multiple decades, such as observables and jets, as simple geometric objects in this new space. Second, I develop a basis of observables by systematically expanding in particle energies and angles, encompassing many existing observables and uncovering new analytic structures. I highlight how the traditional criteria for theoretical calculability emerge as consistency conditions, due to the redundancy of describing an event using particles rather than its energy flow. Finally, I propose a definition of particle type, or flavor, which makes use of only observable information. This definition requires refining the notion of flavor from a per-event label to a statistical category, and I showcase its direct experimental applicability at colliders. Throughout, I synthesize concepts from particle physics with ideas from statistics and computer science to expand the theoretical understanding of particle interactions and enhance the experimental capabilities of collider data analysis techniques.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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