Persistent homology of collider observations: when (w)hole matters

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel application of persistent homology to analyze collider signals, revealing global topological features that complement traditional kinematic methods for distinguishing new physics from the Standard Model.

Contribution

It pioneers the use of persistent homology to study global topological invariants of collider events, providing new insights into particle physics signals beyond conventional techniques.

Findings

Topological signatures differentiate SM electroweak resonances.

Persistent entropy and Betti numbers characterize invisible Higgs decays.

Topological measures can distinguish SM from dark matter extensions.

Abstract

Topological invariants have played a fundamental role in the advancement of theoretical high energy physics. Physicists have used several kinematic techniques to distinguish new physics predictions from the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics at Large Hadron Collider (LHC). However, the study of global topological invariants of the collider signals has not yet attracted much attention. In this article, we present a novel approach to study collider signals using persistent homology. The global topological properties of the ensemble of events as expressed by measures like persistent entropy, Betti area, etc. are worth considering in addition to the traditional approach of using kinematic variables event by event. In this exploratory study, we first explore the characteristic topological signature of a few SM electroweak resonant productions. Next, we use the framework to distinguish global properties of the invisible Higgs decay processes in the SM and a real singlet extension of the SM featuring stable singlet scalar dark matter.