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Mapping data sensitivities in global QCD analysis with linear response and influence functions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Global QCD analyses provide the primary framework for extracting hadron structure from experimental data, yet the mechanisms by which data constrain non-perturbative functions are difficult to quantify and interpret due to the complexity of these fits. Here we adapt linear response and influence functions, which are gradient-based measures of the local sensitivity of fitted quantities to perturbations of the data, for use within Hessian and Bayesian global QCD analyses. Through a controlled proof of principle, we demonstrate that these quantities reveal how data locally shape the central values, uncertainties, and correlations of quantum correlation functions, providing an interpretable framework for diagnosing information flow in inverse problems in QCD.

Source: Physics Letters B

DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2026.141104

Author: R.M. Whitehill

Institutions: Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Old Dominion University

Language: English

Topic: Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

OpenAlex ID: W7159627884

FWCI:

Cites: 67

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Related to: 10