Muon <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>g</mml:mi><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:math>: Blinding for data-driven hadronic vacuum polarization

The KNTW (Keshavarzi-Nomura-Teubner-Wright) data-driven determinations of the hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) are crucial inputs to previous and future Standard Model (SM) predictions of the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment, <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:msub><a:mi>a</a:mi><a:mi>μ</a:mi></a:msub></a:math>. With the muon <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><c:mi>g</c:mi><c:mo>−</c:mo><c:mn>2</c:mn></c:math>’s new physics case uncertain due to disagreeing HVP evaluations, new SM predictions and experimental measurements of <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><e:msub><e:mi>a</e:mi><e:mi>μ</e:mi></e:msub></e:math> expected soon, and a complete revamp of the KNTW analysis framework underway, this Letter motivates and describes a blinding scheme for data-driven HVP determinations that has been implemented for future KNTW analyses.