Analysis Tools for Discovering Strong Parity Violation at Hadron Colliders

Abstract

Several arguments suggest parity violation may be observable in high energy strong interactions. We introduce new analysis tools for describing the azimuthal dependence of multi-particle distributions, or "azimuthal flow." Analysis uses the representations of the orthogonal group O(2) and dihedral groups $D_N$ necessary to define parity correctly in two dimensions. Classification finds that collective angles used in event-by-event statistics represent inequivalent tensor observables that cannot generally be represented by a single "reaction plane". Many new parity-violating observables exist that have never been measured, while many new parity-conserving observables formerly lumped together are now distinguished. We use the concept of "event shape sorting" to suggest separating right- and left-handed events, and we discuss the effects of transverse and longitudinal spin. The analysis tools are statistically robust, and can be applied equally to low or high multiplicity events at the Tevatron, $RHIC$ or $RHICSpin$, and the $LHC$.

18 pages, 2 figures. Final version, accepted for publication in PRD. Updated references. Modified presentation and discussion of previous work

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