Related papers: Is the bump significant? An axion-search example

In dark matter axion searches, quantum uncertainty manifests as a fundamental noise source, limiting the measurement of the quadrature observables used for detection. We use vacuum squeezing to circumvent the quantum limit in a search for a…

In the uniformity testing task, an algorithm is provided with samples from an unknown probability distribution over a (known) finite domain, and must decide whether it is the uniform distribution, or, alternatively, if its total variation…

The so-called level crossing analysis has been used to investigate the empirical data set. But there is a lack of interpretation for what is reflected by the level crossing results. The fractional Gaussian noise as a well-defined stochastic…

Aims: To incorporate background subtraction into the Bayesian Blocks algorithm so that transient events can be timed accurately and precisely even in the presence of a substantial, rapidly variable, background. Methods: We developed several…

The use of the loudest observed event to generate statistical statements about rate and strength has become standard in searches for gravitational waves from compact binaries and pulsars. The Bayesian formulation of the method is…

A frequentist definition of sensitivity of a search for new phenomena is discussed, that has several useful properties. It is based on completely standard concepts, is generally applicable, and has a very clear interpretation. It is…

Confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret information in a way that aligns with one's preconceptions, can profoundly impact scientific research, leading to conclusions that reflect the researcher's hypotheses even when the observational…

We consider the issue of reporting the result of search experiment in the most unbiased and efficient way, i.e. in a way which allows an easy interpretation and combination of results and which do not depend on whether the experimenters…

Many measurements at collider experiments study physics candidates that are a subset of a collision event. The presence of multiple such candidates in a given event can cause raw biases which are large compared to typical statistical…

We propose a new scientific application of unsupervised learning techniques to boost our ability to search for new phenomena in data, by detecting discrepancies between two datasets. These could be, for example, a simulated standard-model…

Amplitude analysis is a powerful technique to study hadron decays. A significant complication in these analyses is the treatment of instrumental effects, such as background and selection efficiency variations, in the multidimensional…

Orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) is a widely used algorithm for recovering sparse high dimensional vectors in linear regression models. The optimal performance of OMP requires \textit{a priori} knowledge of either the sparsity of…

While gravitational waves have not yet been measured directly, data analysis from detection experiments commonly includes an upper limit statement. Such upper limits may be derived via a frequentist or Bayesian approach; the theoretical…

Identifying anomalous patterns in real-world data is essential for understanding where, when, and how systems deviate from their expected dynamics. Yet methods that separately consider the anomalousness of each individual data point have…

Summary statistics of the likelihood, such as the Bayesian evidence, offer a principled way of comparing models and assessing tension between, or within, the results of physical experiments. Noisy realisations of the data induce scatter in…

We show how to obtain a Bayesian estimate of the rates or numbers of signal and background events from a set of events when the shapes of the signal and background distributions are known, can be estimated, or approximated; our method works…

The main technique that has been used to estimate the rate of gravitational wave (gw) bursts is to search for coincidence among times of arrival of candidate events in different detectors. Coincidences are modeled as a (possibly…

Many data problems contain some reference or normal conditions, upon which to compare newly collected data. This scenario occurs in data collected as part of clinical trials to detect adverse events, or for measuring climate change against…

We consider the problem of linear fitting of noisy data in the case of broad (say $\alpha$-stable) distributions of random impacts ("noise"), which can lack even the first moment. This situation, common in statistical physics of small…

One of the most significant and practical figures of merit in axion haloscope searches is the scanning rate, because of the unknown axion mass. Under the best experimental parameters, the only way to improve the figure of merit is to…