About ROOT-A-TRON 3000

I created ROOT-A-TRON 3000 to make ROOT accessible through a graphical interface for physics data analysis, with the needs of upper-undergraduate laboratory work in mind.

The starting point was my experience with Dr. Dmitry Beznosko’s chi2 Physics Plotting Tool at Clayton State University. It provides a direct way to enter measurements and fit them using ROOT, and was a useful foundation for this project.

For more involved analyses, I wanted a workflow that made it easier to manage several datasets, revise fit settings, inspect diagnostics, and save an analysis for later. The original tool’s long form also prompted a different approach to navigation. ROOT-A-TRON uses separate pages for measurements, fit settings, and results, with a live preview while you enter data.

Accessibility here means reducing the software knowledge needed to carry out an analysis. Users can enter measurements, define a model, and inspect a fit without writing a ROOT program. Keyboard navigation and typed mathematical expressions provide alternatives to operating controls with a mouse. Fit settings, parameter uncertainties, and diagnostics remain available so that a simpler interface still allows the user to examine the analysis.

The aim is to extend that workflow while retaining ROOT’s analysis capabilities. Fits are computed using CERN ROOT, and plots are displayed using JSROOT. The interface does not replace the need to choose an appropriate model and assess the measurement uncertainties.

Minh Tran · Contact