Physics:Quantum data analysis/Correlation Functions
Correlation functions quantify how particles, detector signals, or event-level quantities are related beyond independent random occurrence. In particle physics they are used to study jets, collective flow, femtoscopy, resonance structure, background shapes, and fluctuations. A correlation function can reveal structure that is invisible in a single-particle distribution.[1]
Pair and multiparticle correlations
Two-particle correlations compare the joint distribution of particle pairs with a reference distribution. Higher-order correlations extend the idea to groups of particles and can test collective behavior or nontrivial event structure.[1]
Physics interpretation
Correlations may arise from conservation laws, decays, jets, quantum statistics, final-state interactions, collective flow, or detector effects. Interpreting them requires careful construction of reference samples and systematic checks.[2]
Analysis choices
Binning, normalization, event mixing, acceptance correction, and background subtraction define the meaning of a measured correlation. Small changes in these choices can alter the visible structure.[3]
See also
Table of contents (60 articles)
Index
Full contents
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cowan, Glen (1998). Statistical Data Analysis. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850156-5.
- ↑ "Review of Particle Physics". Physical Review D 110 (3): 030001. 2024. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001.
- ↑ Lyons, Louis (1986). Statistics for Nuclear and Particle Physicists. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-37934-2.
Source attribution: Physics:Quantum data analysis/Correlation Functions
