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arxiv: 2512.01854 · v2 · submitted 2025-12-01 · ✦ hep-ph · hep-ex

PrecisionSM: an annotated database for low-energy e^+e^- hadronic cross sections

Lorenzo Cotrozzi , Anna Driutti , Fedor Ignatov , Alberto Lusiani , Graziano Venanzoni This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-17 02:50 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ✦ hep-ph hep-ex
keywords e+e- collisionshadronic cross sectionsmuon anomalous magnetic momentdatabaseradiative correctionsdata-driven calculationStandard Model test
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The pith

PrecisionSM compiles an annotated database of low-energy e+e- hadronic cross sections to support precise evaluations of the muon anomalous magnetic moment.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

This paper describes the creation of PrecisionSM, a database that gathers measurements of hadronic final states from electron-positron collisions at low energies. The data are annotated with information on how radiative corrections were handled in the original experiments. These inputs are crucial for the data-driven calculation of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment. A reader should care because accurate theory predictions for a_μ allow meaningful comparison with experimental measurements, potentially revealing deviations from Standard Model expectations. The database is publicly accessible online with links to source papers and data repositories.

Core claim

The central claim is that PrecisionSM is an annotated database that compiles available data on low-energy e+e- collisions into hadronic channels, including details on the treatment of radiative corrections as well as links to papers on INSPIRE-HEP and tables on HEPData, to serve as input for the data-driven theoretical evaluation of a_μ.

What carries the argument

The annotated database that records the specific treatment of radiative corrections and data handling for each collected e+e- hadronic cross section sample.

If this is right

  • The database currently includes the dominant 2π channel along with 3π and π⁰γ channels.
  • Ongoing work extends coverage to additional hadronic channels.
  • The resource supports the RadioMonteCarLow2 Working Group goal of improving theoretical descriptions of scattering processes at e+e- colliders.
  • Centralized annotations and external links reduce inconsistencies when different groups perform data-driven a_μ evaluations.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The explicit recording of correction choices may help future analyses quantify the impact of different data treatment assumptions on the final a_μ prediction.
  • Public accessibility with direct HEPData links could encourage experimental collaborations to supply updated or corrected tables more readily.
  • Similar annotation practices might be adopted for other precision observables that rely on multiple low-energy inputs.

Load-bearing premise

The annotations on radiative corrections and data treatment accurately capture the choices made in the original experimental analyses without introducing new biases.

What would settle it

A direct comparison that reveals the database annotation for radiative corrections on a particular 2π or 3π data sample differs from the procedure described in the referenced original experimental paper.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2512.01854 by Alberto Lusiani, Anna Driutti, Fedor Ignatov, Graziano Venanzoni, Lorenzo Cotrozzi.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Screenshot of the PrecisionSM table that lists all published measurements in the 𝑒 + 𝑒 − → 𝜋 +𝜋 − channel. The up-to-date version of the table, accompanied by details on each experimental result, is accessible on the PrecisionSM website from the following link: https://precision-sm.github.io/2pi-db/. 4 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Example of responsive plots of hadronic measurements stored in HEPData [12]. The right-hand plot evaluates the integral of Eq. (1) for the 2𝜋 channel and is in preparation. 4. Conclusions The STRONG2020 and RadioMonteCarLow(2) Working Groups have been facilitating the collab￾oration between the experimental and theoretical groups for 20 years, with the common goal of studying radiative corrections and Mont… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

PrecisionSM is an annotated database that compiles the available data on low-energy cross sections of electron-positron collisions into hadronic channels. This database organizes and collects data samples from $e^+e^-$ experiments, which are used as input for the data-driven theoretical evaluation of the muon anomalous magnetic moment, $a_{\mu}$, serving as a precise test of the Standard Model when compared to the experimental measurements of $a_{\mu}$. The database is accessible through a custom website (https://precision-sm.github.io) which contains details about the data samples, such as the treatment of radiative corrections, as well as links to papers on INSPIRE-HEP and to tables on HEPData. The PrecisionSM database was developed within a Joint Research Initiative in the group application of the European hadron physics community, STRONG2020, and is now incorporated into the RadioMonteCarLow2 Working Group (RMCL2 WG) activities, which have the more general goal of improving the theoretical description of scattering processes at $e^+e^-$ colliders. The results of Phase I of the new RMCL2 WG have been published in Aliberti et al, arXiv:hep-ph/2410.22882. In this proceeding, we will report on the status of the PrecisionSM database, which currently contains a list of the dominant $2\pi$ channel as well as $3\pi$ and $\pi^0\gamma$, and on the ongoing work for the other channels and for responsive plots.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript describes PrecisionSM, an annotated database compiling low-energy e⁺e⁻ hadronic cross-section data samples from experiments. These are organized for input into data-driven evaluations of the muon anomalous magnetic moment a_μ as a Standard Model test, with annotations on radiative corrections and data treatment. Access is provided via a custom website (https://precision-sm.github.io) including links to INSPIRE-HEP and HEPData. The database currently covers the dominant 2π channel plus 3π and π⁰γ, with ongoing work on other channels; it was developed under STRONG2020 and is now part of RMCL2 WG activities, building on Phase I results in Aliberti et al. (arXiv:hep-ph/2410.22882).

Significance. If the annotations are shown to faithfully reproduce original experimental choices for radiative corrections, vacuum polarization, and data treatment without introducing reinterpretations or biases, the database would offer a valuable centralized resource. It could improve reproducibility and consistency for a_μ calculations and related Standard Model tests, supporting the broader RMCL2 WG goals for better theoretical descriptions of e⁺e⁻ processes.

major comments (1)
  1. [Abstract and proceeding description] The central utility of PrecisionSM for a_μ evaluations rests on the annotations accurately reflecting the original experimental analyses. The abstract and proceeding description state that the website contains details on radiative corrections and data treatment, but provide no systematic comparison, audit, or cross-check against the published experimental papers to confirm equivalence (e.g., for final-state radiation or isospin-breaking corrections). Without such validation, the compiled samples risk subtle deviations that would undermine their claimed readiness as inputs equivalent to those in existing a_μ compilations.
minor comments (1)
  1. The text refers to 'Phase I of the new RMCL2 WG' results in Aliberti et al. but does not explicitly describe how PrecisionSM integrates with or extends those published outcomes.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We are grateful to the referee for the thoughtful review and the recognition of the potential value of the PrecisionSM database for a_μ evaluations. We address the major comment point by point below.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract and proceeding description] The central utility of PrecisionSM for a_μ evaluations rests on the annotations accurately reflecting the original experimental analyses. The abstract and proceeding description state that the website contains details on radiative corrections and data treatment, but provide no systematic comparison, audit, or cross-check against the published experimental papers to confirm equivalence (e.g., for final-state radiation or isospin-breaking corrections). Without such validation, the compiled samples risk subtle deviations that would undermine their claimed readiness as inputs equivalent to those in existing a_μ compilations.

    Authors: We thank the referee for underscoring the critical importance of the annotations matching the original experimental choices. In constructing the PrecisionSM database, we have carefully extracted the information on radiative corrections, vacuum polarization, and data treatment directly from the experimental publications, aiming to preserve the original analyses without reinterpretation. The annotations are thus intended to be equivalent to those used in the published works. However, this proceeding is a status report on the database development, and a detailed, systematic audit comparing each annotation to the source papers would require a more extensive document. The website provides access to the original papers via INSPIRE-HEP and the data tables via HEPData, enabling users to perform such verifications themselves. To address the referee's concern, we have revised the manuscript to explicitly state that the annotations are transcribed from the original experimental papers and do not involve any reanalysis or modification of the reported corrections. We believe this clarification strengthens the description of the database's purpose and methodology. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: database compilation of external experimental results

full rationale

The paper presents PrecisionSM as an annotated compilation of existing low-energy e+e- hadronic cross-section data from external experiments, with annotations on radiative corrections and links to INSPIRE/HEPData. No derivation chain, fitted parameters, predictions, or uniqueness theorems are claimed. The central activity is data organization and annotation drawn from published sources rather than any internal self-referential construction. Self-citation to Aliberti et al. (arXiv:hep-ph/2410.22882) refers to a related working group activity but does not bear load for any result derived in this manuscript. The work is self-contained against external benchmarks and introduces no reduction of outputs to inputs by definition or construction.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central contribution is a curated collection of existing experimental data rather than a derivation; no free parameters, new axioms, or invented entities are introduced in the abstract.

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Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

8 extracted references · 8 canonical work pages · 2 internal anchors

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