The CMS Statistical Analysis and Combination Tool: Combine

Computing and Software for Big Science, vol. 8

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes the Combine software package used for statistical analyses by the CMS Collaboration. The package, originally designed to perform searches for a Higgs boson and the combined analysis of those searches, has evolved to become the statistical analysis tool presently used in the majority of measurements and searches performed by the CMS Collaboration. It is not specific to the CMS experiment, and this paper is intended to serve as a reference for users outside of the CMS Collaboration, providing an outline of the most salient features and capabilities. Readers are provided with the possibility to run Combine and reproduce examples provided in this paper using a publicly available container image. Since the package is constantly evolving to meet the demands of ever-increasing data sets and analysis sophistication, this paper cannot cover all details of Combine . However, the online documentation referenced within this paper provides an up-to-date and complete user guide.

Authors 99

1. A. Hayrapetyan

   A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory

   Affiliation as printed

   Yerevan Physics Institute, Yerevan, Armenia

2. A. Tumasyan

   A. Alikhanyan National Laboratory · Yerevan State University

   Affiliation as printed

   Yerevan Physics Institute, Yerevan, Armenia

   Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia

3. W. Adam

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

4. Janik Walter Andrejkovic

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

5. T. Bergauer

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

6. S. Chatterjee

   Indian Institute of Technology Madras · Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Madras, India

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

7. K. Damanakis

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

8. M. Dragicevic

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

9. Priya Sajid Hussain

   Institute of High Energy Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

10. M. Jeitler

    TU Wien · Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

    TU Wien, Vienna, Austria

11. Natascha Krammer

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

12. A. Li

    University of California, Santa Barbara · Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

13. Dietrich Liko

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

14. I. Mikulec

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

15. J. Schieck

    TU Wien · Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

    TU Wien, Vienna, Austria

16. R. Schöfbeck

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

17. Dennis Schwarz

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

18. M. Sonawane

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

19. S. Templ

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

20. W. Waltenberger

    Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

21. C.-E. Wulz

    TU Wien · Institute of High Energy Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Vienna, Austria

    TU Wien, Vienna, Austria

22. M. R. Darwish

    University of Antwerp · Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport

    Affiliation as printed

    Faculty of Engineering, Institute of Basic and Applied Sciences, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt

    Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium

23. X. Janssen

    University of Antwerp

    Affiliation as printed

    Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium

24. P. Van Mechelen

    University of Antwerp

    Affiliation as printed

    Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium

25. Nordin Breugelmans

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

26. J. D’Hondt

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

27. Soumya Dansana

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

28. A. De Moor

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

29. M. Delcourt

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

30. Felix Heyen

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

31. S. Lowette

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

32. Inna Makarenko

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

33. D. Müller

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

34. S. Tavernier

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

35. M. Tytgat

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel · Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

36. G. P. Van Onsem

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

37. Senne Van Putte

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

38. David Vannerom

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Affiliation as printed

    Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium

39. B. Clerbaux

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

40. A. K. Das

    University of Notre Dame · Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

41. G. De Lentdecker

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

42. Hugues Evard

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

43. L. Favart

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

44. P. Gianneios

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

45. D. Hohov

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

46. J. Jaramillo

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

47. Ali Khalilzadeh

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

48. Fakhri Alam Khan

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

49. Kyeongpil Lee

    Université Libre de Bruxelles · Korea University

    Affiliation as printed

    Korea University, Seoul, Korea

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

50. M. Mahdavikhorrami

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

51. Andrea Malara

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

52. S. R. Paredes Saenz

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

53. Muhammad Aamir Shahzad

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

54. Laurent Thomas

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

55. M. Vanden Bemden

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

56. Catherine Vander Velde

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

57. Pascal Vanlaer

    Université Libre de Bruxelles

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

58. M. De Coen

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

59. D. Dobur

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

60. G. Gökbulut

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

61. Y. Hong

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

62. J. Knolle

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

63. Luka Lambrecht

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

64. David Marckx

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

65. G. Mestdach

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

66. K. Mota Amarilo

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

67. A. Samalan

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

68. K. Skovpen

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

69. N. Van Den Bossche

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

70. Jan van der Linden

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

71. Liam Wezenbeek

    Ghent University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

72. A. Benecke

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

73. Agni Bethani

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

74. G. Bruno

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

75. C. Caputo

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

76. J. De Favereau De Jeneret

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

77. Christophe Delaere

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

78. I. S. Donertas

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

79. ANDREA GIAMMANCO

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

80. Ahmet Oguz Guzel

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

81. V. Lemaı̂tre

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

82. Jindrich Lidrych

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

83. Paola Mastrapasqua

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

84. T. T. Tran

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

85. S. Wertz

    UCLouvain

    Affiliation as printed

    Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

86. Gilvan Augusto Alves

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

87. M. Alves Gallo Pereira

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

88. E. Coelho

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

89. G. Correia Silva

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

90. C. Hensel

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

91. T. Menezes De Oliveira

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

92. Arthur M. Moraes

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

93. P. Rebello Teles

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

94. Mariana Soeiro

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

95. A. Vilela Pereira

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro · Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

96. W. L. Aldá Júnior

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

    Affiliation as printed

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

97. M. Barroso Ferreira Filho

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

    Affiliation as printed

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

98. H. Brandao Malbouisson

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

    Affiliation as printed

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

99. W. Carvalho

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

    Affiliation as printed

    Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil