CutLHCO: A Consumer-Level Tool for Implementing Generic Collider Data Selection Cuts in the Search for New Physics

A new computer program named CutLHCO is introduced, whose function is the implementation of generic data selection cuts on collider event specification files in the standardized .lhco format. This software is intended to fill an open market niche for a lightweight yet flexible "consumer-level" alternative to the ROOT data analysis framework. The primary envisioned application is as a filter on output produced by the PGS4 and DELPHES detector simulations, which are themselves lightweight alternatives to the GEANT4 based solutions favored by the large LHC experiments. All process control instructions are provided via a compact and powerful card file input syntax that efficiently facilitates the reasonable approximation of most event selection strategies and specialized discovery statistics commonly employed by the CMS and ATLAS collaborations. The structure, function, invocation and usage of the most recent CutLHCO 2.0 program version are documented thoroughly, including a detailed deconstruction of several example card file specifications. The associated software is simultaneously being made available for free public download.