How to Claim a Discovery
Abstract
We describe a statistical hypothesis test for the presence of a signal. The test allows the researcher to fix the signal location and/or width a priori, or perform a search to find the signal region that maximizes the signal. The background rate and/or distribution can be known or might be estimated from the data. Cuts can be used to bring out the signal.
- Publication:
-
Statistical Problems in Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology
- Pub Date:
- 2003
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.physics/0312141
- arXiv:
- arXiv:physics/0312141
- Bibcode:
- 2003sppp.conf...41R
- Keywords:
-
- Data Analysis;
- Statistics and Probability