We present a new analysis of $alpha_s$ from hadronic $tau$ decays based on the recently revised ALEPH data. The analysis is based on a strategy which we previously applied to the OPAL data. We critically compare our strategy to the one traditionally
used and comment on the main differences. Our analysis yields the values $alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.296pm 0.010$ using fixed-order perturbation theory, and $alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.310pm 0.014$ using contour-improved perturbation theory. Averaging these values with our previously obtained values from the OPAL data, we find $alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.303pm 0.009$, respectively, $alpha_s(m_tau^2)=0.319pm 0.012$, as the most reliable results for $alpha_s$ from $tau$ decays currently available.
The leading-order hadronic contribution to the muon anomalous magentic moment, $a_mu^{rm LO,HVP}$, can be expressed as an integral over Euclidean $Q^2$ of the vacuum polarization function. We point out that a simple trapezoid-rule numerical integrati
on of the current lattice data is good enough to produce a result with a less-than-$1%$ error for the contribution from the interval above $Q^2gtrsim 0.1-0.2 mathrm{GeV}^2$. This leaves the interval below this value of $Q^2$ as the one to focus on in the future. In order to achieve an accurate result also in this lower window $Q^2lesssim 0.1-0.2 mathrm{GeV}^2$, we indicate the usefulness of three possible tools. These are: Pad{e} Approximants, polynomials in a conformal variable and a NNLO Chiral Perturbation Theory representation supplemented by a $Q^4$ term. The combination of the numerical integration in the upper $Q^2$ interval together with the use of these tools in the lower $Q^2$ interval provides a hybrid strategy which looks promising as a means of reaching the desired goal on the lattice of a sub-percent precision in the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment.
We construct a physically motivated model for the isospin-one non-strange vacuum polarization function Pi(Q^2) based on a spectral function given by vector-channel OPAL data from hadronic tau decays for energies below the tau mass and a successful pa
rametrization, employing perturbation theory and a model for quark-hadron duality violations, for higher energies. Using a covariance matrix and Q^2 values from a recent lattice simulation, we then generate fake data for Pi(Q^2) and use it to test fitting methods currently employed on the lattice for extracting the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment. This comparison reveals a systematic error much larger than the few-percent total error sometimes claimed for such extractions in the literature. In particular, we find that errors deduced from fits using a Vector Meson Dominance ansatz are misleading, typically turning out to be much smaller than the actual discrepancy between the fit and exact model results. The use of a sequence of Pad{e} approximants, recently advocated in the literature, appears to provide a safer fitting strategy.
