Particle identification

Particle identification is the classification of detected particles by interpreting measurements such as momentum, energy loss, time of flight, and calorimeter response. It distinguishes particle species in experimental data.

Bethe–Bloch formula: An equation describing the mean energy loss of a charged particle passing through matter. Its predicted ionization loss helps distinguish charged particle species.
Particle detector: An instrument that detects particles by recording signals produced as they interact with matter. Particle identification interprets the signals such instruments produce.
Large Hadron Collider: A particle accelerator at CERN that collides protons and heavy ions at high energies. Its experiments combine many detector systems to identify particles in collision events.
Bayesian inference: A method of updating probabilities for hypotheses using observed evidence and prior probabilities. Bayesian identification combines detector responses with species priors into posterior probabilities.
Time of flight: A measurement of how long a particle takes to travel a known distance. Combined with momentum, flight time provides a particle’s velocity and inferred mass.
Tracking detector: A detector that records the paths of charged particles through successive measurement layers. Tracks provide direction and momentum needed to interpret identification signals.
ATLAS experiment: A general-purpose particle-physics experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. ATLAS uses tracking, calorimetry, and muon measurements to classify detected particles.
Multivariate analysis: The statistical analysis of multiple variables together to find patterns or classify observations. It combines correlated detector measurements rather than applying independent selection cuts.
Cherenkov radiation: Light emitted when a charged particle moves through a medium faster than light travels in that medium. Its emission threshold and angle reveal particle velocity.
Particle track: A reconstructed path through a detector, inferred from recorded positions or signals. Track associations connect measurements from different detector subsystems to one particle.

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