2009/01/30 by G. Ranucci, Ranucci, Gioacchino
Computer Science · Decision Sciences · Engineering · #Advanced Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithms #Data Analysis #FOS: Physical sciences #Infrastructure Maintenance and Monitoring #Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design #Statistics and Probability (physics.data-an)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0901.4845
openalex publication_date 2009/01/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The evaluation of the error to be attributed to cut efficiencies is a common question in the practice of experimental particle physics. Specifically, the need to evaluate the efficiency of the cuts for background removal, when they are tested in a signal-free-background-only energy window, originates a statistical problem which finds its natural framework in the ample family of solutions for two classical, and closely related, questions, i.e. the determination of confidence intervals for the parameter of a binomial proportion and for the ratio of Poisson means. In this paper the problem is first addressed from the traditional perspective, and afterwards naturally evolved towards the introduction of non standard confidence intervals both for the binomial and Poisson cases; in particular, special emphasis is given to the intervals obtained through the application of the likelihood ratio ordering to the traditional Neyman prescription for the confidence limits determination. Due to their attractiveness in term of reduced length and of coverage properties, the new intervals are well suited as interesting alternative to the standard Clopper-Pearson PDG intervals.