Asymmetric Statistical Errors

Abstract

Asymmetric statistical errors arise for experimental results obtained by Maximum Likelihood estimation, in cases where the number of results is finite and the log likelihood function is not a symmetric parabola. This note discusses how separate asymmetric errors on a single result should be combined, and how several results with asymmetric errors should be combined to give an overall measurement. In the process it considers several methods for parametrising curves that are approximately parabolic.