Parton fragmentation functions extracted with a physics-informed neural network

Abstract

Reliable predictions of many high-energy strong interaction processes rely heavily on the non-perturbative parton fragmentation functions (FFs) extracted from existing experimental data. Conventional methods often require parameterized forms of FFs and additional scale evolution according to the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi (DGLAP) evolution equations. We introduce a novel approach to determining parton FFs using a physics-informed neural network (PINN). Unlike traditional methods, our approach does not require prior parameterized forms and directly integrates the DGLAP evolution equations into the neural network architecture, allowing the FFs to automatically satisfy these equations. We present new sets of parton FFs extracted from hadron spectra in electron-positron annihilation processes at next-to-leading order (NLO) in pQCD using this new technique. To validate our approach, we calculate charged hadron spectra in proton-(anti)proton collisions using the extracted FFs and demonstrate that the results align well with experimental data across a large range of colliding energies (\(\sqrt{s}\) = 130, 200, 500, 630, 900, 1800, 2760, 5020, 5440, and 7000 GeV). Our findings indicate that the PINN method not only simplifies the extraction process but also enhances the universal applicability of FFs across different energy scales. By eliminating the need for parameterized forms and additional DGLAP evolution, our approach represents a significant step forward toward fast and accurate extractions of non-perturbative quantities such as parton fragmentation functions and parton distribution functions.