Track fit hypothesis testing and kink selection using sequential correlations

Abstract Deviations between the form of trajectory assumed in a fit to a set of measurements and the actual form of the trajectory can give rise to sequential correlations in the residuals from the fit. These correlations can provide a more powerful goodness-of-fit test than that based on the minimum χ 2 from a least-squares fit. The use of this additional information is explored in the context of several common trajectory errors (e.g. decays in flight) encountered in charged particle tracking.