Related papers: Reconstruction of Monte Carlo replicas from Hessia…
We develop a methodology for the construction of a Hessian representation of Monte Carlo sets of parton distributions, based on the use of a subset of the Monte Carlo PDF replicas as an unbiased linear basis, and of a genetic algorithm for…
The current PDF4LHC recommendation to estimate uncertainties due to parton distribution functions (PDFs) in theoretical predictions for LHC processes involves the combination of separate predictions computed using PDF sets from different…
We present the MCscales approach for incorporating scale uncertainties in parton distribution functions (PDFs). The new methodology builds on the Monte Carlo sampling for propagating experimental uncertainties into the PDF space that…
We investigate the Monte Carlo approach to propagation of experimental uncertainties within the context of the established "MSTW 2008" global analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton at next-to-leading order in the…
The current scientific standard in PDF uncertainty estimation relies either on repeated fits over artificially generated data to arrive at Monte Carlo samples of best fits or on the Hessian method, which uses a quadratic expansion of the…
We present an analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The MCMC approach naturally implements Bayes' theorem and thus provides a means to directly sample the underlying…
In global QCD fits of parton distribution functions (PDFs), a large part of the estimated uncertainty on the PDFs originates from the choices of parametric functional forms and fitting methodology. We argue that these types of uncertainties…
We present a new procedure to determine Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The aim of this paper is to show that we can replace the standard $\chi^2$ minimization by procedures grounded…
We review various methods used to estimate uncertainties in quantum correlation functions, such as parton distribution functions (PDFs). Using a toy model of a PDF, we compare the uncertainty estimates yielded by the traditional Hessian and…
We present the determination of a set of parton distributions of the nucleon, at next-to-leading order, from a global set of deep-inelastic scattering data: NNPDF1.0. The determination is based on a Monte Carlo approach, with neural…
We present a determination of a set of polarized parton distributions (PDFs) of the nucleon, at next-to-leading order, from a global set of longitudinally polarized deep-inelastic scattering data: NNPDFpol1.0. The determination is based on…
We consider the generic problem of performing a global fit to many independent data sets each with a different overall multiplicative normalization uncertainty. We show that the methods in common use to treat multiplicative uncertainties…
We introduce the Hessian reweighting of parton distribution functions (PDFs). Similarly to the better-known Bayesian methods, its purpose is to address the compatibility of new data and the quantitative modifications they induce within an…
We implement a Monte Carlo sampling strategy to extract helicity parton densities and their uncertainties from a reference set of longitudinally polarized scattering data, chosen to be that used in the DSSV14 global analysis. Instead of…
Global QCD analyses of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) have traditionally relied on the Hessian method for uncertainty estimation. However, the inherent Gaussian approximation and reliance on local curvature often prove…
Modern analysis on parton distribution functions (PDFs) requires calculations of the log-likelihood functions from thousands of experimental data points, and scans of multi-dimensional parameter space with tens of degrees of freedom. In…
We examine the dependence of parton distribution functions (PDFs) on the value of the QCD coupling strength $\alpha_{s}(M_{Z})$. We explain a simple method that is rigorously valid in the quadratic approximation normally applied in PDF…
We develop in more detail our reweighting method for incorporating new datasets in parton fits based on a Monte Carlo representation of PDFs. After revisiting the derivation of the reweighting formula, we show how to construct an unweighted…
The goal of this study is to find a prescription for defining parton distributions (PDFs) which are most appropriate for use in those codes where only LO matrix elements (MEs) are used, as in many Monte Carlo generators. We describe a…
In the context of a recent CTEQ6.6 global analysis, we review a new technique for studying correlated theoretical uncertainties in hadronic observables associated with imperfect knowledge of parton distribution functions (PDFs). The…