HEPData

HEPData
Name	HEPData
Type	scientific data repository
Discipline	Experimental high-energy physics
Country	United Kingdom
Established	1970s (as concept); modern platform 2014
Hosted by	Durham University / CERN collaborations

HEPData HEPData is an open-access repository for experimental particle physics data that provides numerical results, likelihoods, and auxiliary materials supporting publications from collaborations such as ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), LHCb experiment, and historical experiments like ALEPH (particle detector), DELPHI and OPAL. It serves theorists, phenomenologists, and experimentalists from communities around Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and DESY. HEPData underpins reproducibility in analyses related to the Standard Model, Higgs boson, top quark, and searches for supersymmetry and dark matter.

Overview

HEPData curates numerical tables, binned distributions, efficiency maps, and statistical likelihoods accompanying publications from collaborations such as ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), LHCb experiment, ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), and legacy projects like Tevatron experiments CDF and D0 (detector). The platform complements document servers like arXiv and publication venues including Physical Review Letters, Journal of High Energy Physics, The European Physical Journal C, and Physics Letters B. It interoperates with databases and tools such as INSPIRE-HEP, SCOAP3, HEPNames, and meta-services developed at CERN and Durham University.

History and development

The roots trace to community practices at facilities like CERN, DESY, and Fermilab where collaborations archived numerical results alongside papers from experiments including UA1, UA2, LEP (Large Electron–Positron Collider), and SLC (Stanford Linear Collider). Formalization accelerated with digital curation initiatives tied to projects at Durham University and the CERN Open Data Portal. Major modernization occurred in the 2010s driven by collaborations including ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), and programs supported by funders such as the Science and Technology Facilities Council and agencies linked to European Research Council. Integrations with INSPIRE-HEP and citation practices championed by journals like Journal of High Energy Physics further institutionalized deposition workflows.

Data content and formats

HEPData stores binned histograms, correlation matrices, likelihood scans, cutflow tables, and systematic breakdowns for measurements ranging from Higgs boson cross sections to searches for supersymmetry and exotic hadrons studied by LHCb experiment. File formats include structured text, YAML, JSON, and machine-readable tables compatible with analysis frameworks such as ROOT (software), Rivet, and statistical packages used by researchers at CERN, Fermilab, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Metadata links to identifiers from INSPIRE-HEP, DOIs registered with DataCite, and arXiv preprints, enabling cross-references with databases like ORCID and institutional repositories at Durham University and partner organizations.

Access and tools

Users retrieve datasets via a web interface and programmatic APIs used by services such as Rivet, HEPData's programmatic clients and analysis workflows at ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), and theory groups at Princeton University, CERN Theory Division, and University of California, Berkeley. Export options support integration with ROOT (software), Python (programming language) ecosystems used at MIT, Harvard University, and University of Oxford, and with reproducible research platforms promoted by publishers like IOP Publishing and Springer Nature. Cross-linking to repositories like the CERN Open Data Portal and citation indexing in INSPIRE-HEP ensures visibility for datasets from collaborations such as ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) and legacy experiments at LEP (Large Electron–Positron Collider).

Governance and curation

Curation involves collaboration between data managers at institutions including Durham University, CERN, and national laboratories such as Fermilab and DESY, together with editorial policies influenced by funding bodies like the Science and Technology Facilities Council and community groups within International Committee for Future Accelerators. Submission workflows reflect best practices advocated by publishers such as Physical Review Letters and organizations promoting open science like the Research Data Alliance. Persistent identifiers from DataCite and metadata standards ensure provenance and reuse for datasets produced by collaborations including ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), and LHCb experiment.

Impact and usage in research

HEPData enables reinterpretation of results in theoretical studies of beyond the Standard Model scenarios, global fits by groups at CERN Theory Division and MIT, and phenomenological work at institutions such as Princeton University and University of Cambridge. It supports validation of Monte Carlo generators used at CERN, Fermilab, and DESY and facilitates meta-analyses cited in journals like Journal of High Energy Physics and Physical Review D. Educational use is common in courses at University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and University of California, Berkeley where students reproduce plots from deposited tables. The repository contributes to transparency and long-term preservation for results produced by collaborations including ATLAS (experiment), CMS (particle detector), ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), and historical experiments at LEP (Large Electron–Positron Collider).

Category:Particle physics data repositories