Controversial phenomena in HEP data and the 0.000029% solution to extraordinary claims

by Tommaso Dorigo (Universita e INFN, Padova (IT))

Tuesday 8 Nov 2016, 12:45 → 13:45 US/Pacific

Madrone (SLAC)

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. 48 years after its first invocation, the p < 0.000029% criterion now currently used in HEP and astro-HEP as a threshold for discovery claims does not appear adequate to cover all experimental situations. The seminar will start with a short history of anomalies found in HEP data and their resolution, and then focus on the statistical problem of defining a proper discovery level for new phenomena and on the non-trivial issues it entails.

Extraordinary claims SLAC 8 nov 2016 amended.pdf