ReSyst: a novel technique to Reduce the Systematic uncertainty for precision measurements

Abstract

We are in an era of precision measurements at the Large Hadron Collider. The precision that can be achieved on some of those is limited however due to large systematic uncertainties. This paper introduces a new technique to reduce the total systematic uncertainty by quantifying the systematic impact of single events and correlating it with event observables to identify classes of events that are more sensitive to systematic effects. A proof of concept is presented by means of a simplified top quark mass estimator applied on simulated events. Even without a thorough optimization, it is shown that the total systematic uncertainty can be reduced by at least 30%.