CEBAF Center rm. L102 and via Zoom.
On Monday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m., Peter Blunden of Manitoba University will present “A Novel Approach to the Global Analysis of Proton Form Factors in Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering” in CEBAF Center rm. L102 and via Zoom.
Abstract: A global analysis of elastic electron-proton scattering requires combining data sets from experiments with different overall normalization uncertainties. In this talk, I will discuss a novel Monte Carlo approach to such problems that is a modification of one employed by the NNPDF collaboration in the fitting of parton-distribution data. This method is an alternative to the “penalty trick” method traditionally employed in global fits to proton electric and magnetic form factors, while avoiding the statistical biases inherent in that approach. As a proof of concept, the method is applied to elastic scattering data with Q2 > 1 GeV2, for which there is a recent traditional analysis by the GMp12 Experiment. Implications for the well-known discrepancy between the form factor ratio GE/GM extracted from the Rosenbluth and polarization transfer techniques will be discussed, as will prospects for extending this approach to low Q2 data and the extraction of the proton charge radius.