YAM2: Yet another library for the M2 variables using sequential quadratic programming

The M-2 variables are devised to extend M-T2 by promoting transverse masses to Lorentz-invariant ones and making explicit use of on-shell mass relations. Unlike simple kinematic variables such as the invariant mass of visible particles, where the variable definitions directly provide how to calculate them, the calculation of the M-2 variables is undertaken by employing numerical algorithms. Essentially, the calculation of M-2 corresponds to solving a constrained minimization problem in mathematical optimization, and various numerical methods exist for the task. We find that the sequential quadratic programming method performs very well for the calculation of M-2, and its numerical performance is even better than the method implemented in the existing software package for M-2. As a consequence of our study, we have developed and released yet another software library, YAM2, for calculating the M-2 variables using several numerical algorithms.

Automated summary

The calculation of M-2 variables involves solving a constrained minimization problem in mathematical optimization using numerical algorithms. The sequential quadratic programming method is found to perform very well for this task, even outperforming the existing software package implementation.