#47 - Discriminating between Quark and Gluon Initiated Jets using Jet Charge at the Large Hadron Collider

Abstract

The “Jet Charge" is an important tool for uncovering properties of subatomic particle interactions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is related to the total electric charge of jets, the collimated sprays of high energy particles emerging from proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The measurement of the jet charge is useful in discriminating between jets initiated by either the quark or the gluon elementary particle. Such discrimination between quark- and gluon-initiated jets plays an important role in testing the Standard Model of particle physics and the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Currently, a standard Jet Charge definition exists and is used at the LHC. In this work, we explore modifications of the standard Jet Charge definition with the aim of improving the discrimination between quark- and gluon-initiated jets, statistically quantified by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and tested with simulated data of proton-proton collisions. Preliminary results will be presented and indicate promising new directions for improved jet discrimination.