Light Higgsinos Research Articles

Generalized focus point and mass spectra comparison of highly natural SUGRA GUT models

Supergravity grand unified models (SUGRA GUTs) are highly motivated and allow for a high degree of electroweak naturalness when the superpotential parameter $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\sim}100--300\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ (preferring values closer to 100 GeV). We first illustrate that models with radiatively driven naturalness enjoy a generalized focus-point behavior wherein all soft terms are correlated instead of just scalar masses. Next, we generate spectra from four SUGRA GUT archetypes: 1. $SO(10)$ models where the Higgs doublets live in different ten-dimensional irreducible representations (irreps), 2. models based on $SO(10)$ where the Higgs multiplets live in a single ten-dimensional irrep but with $D$-term scalar mass splitting, 3. models based on $SU(5)$, and 4. a more general SUGRA model with 12 independent parameters. Electroweak naturalness implies for all models a spectrum of light Higgsinos with ${m}_{{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{W}}_{1},{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{Z}}_{1,2}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}300\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ and gluinos with ${m}_{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{g}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}2--4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$. However, masses and mixing in the third generation sfermion sector differ distinctly between the models. These latter differences would be most easily tested at a linear ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ collider with $\sqrt{s}\ensuremath{\sim}$ multi-TeV scale but measurements at a 50--100 TeV hadron collider are also possible.

Role of the ‘N’ in the natural NMSSM for the LHC

In this work, we present mass limits on gluinos and stops in a natural Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) with a singlino as the lightest supersymmetric particle. Motivated by naturalness, we consider spectra with light higgsinos, sub-TeV third generation sparticles and gluinos well below the multi-TeV regime while the electroweak gauginos, the sleptons and the first and second generation squarks are decoupled. We check that our natural supersymmetry spectra satisfy all electroweak precision observables and flavour measurements as well as theoretical constraints. By reinterpreting the results from the 8 TeV ATLAS supersymmetry searches we present the 95% CL exclusion limits on the model. The results show that the presence of a singlino LSP can lengthen decay chains and soften the final state particle energies. Whilst this does reduce the strength of the bounds in some areas of parameter space, the LHC still displays good sensitivity to the model.

New signatures and limits on R-parity violation from resonant squark production

We discuss resonant squark production at the LHC via baryonic $R$-parity violating interactions. The cross section easily exceeds pair-production and a new set of signatures can be used to probe squarks, particularly stops. These include dijet resonances, same-sign top quarks and four-jet resonances with large $b$-jet multiplicities, as well as the possibility of displaced neutralino decays. We use publicly available searches at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV and first results from collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV to set upper limits on $R$-parity violating couplings, with particular focus on simplified models with light stops and neutralinos. The exclusion reach of these signatures is comparable to $R$-parity-conserving searches, $m_{\tilde t}\simeq 500-700$ GeV. In addition, we find that O(1) couplings involving the stop can be excluded well into the multi-TeV range, and stress that new searches for single- and pair-produced four-jet resonances will be necessary to exclude sub-TeV stops for a natural SUSY spectrum with light higgsinos.

General gauge mediation at the weak scale

We completely characterize General Gauge Mediation (GGM) at the weak scale by solving all IR constraints over the full parameter space. This is made possible through a combination of numerical and analytical methods, based on a set of algebraic relations among the IR soft masses derived from the GGM boundary conditions in the UV. We show how tensions between just a few constraints determine the boundaries of the parameter space: electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB), the Higgs mass, slepton tachyons, and left-handed stop/sbottom tachyons. While these constraints allow the left-handed squarks to be arbitrarily light, they place strong lower bounds on all of the right-handed squarks. Meanwhile, light EW superpartners are generic throughout much of the parameter space. This is especially the case at lower messenger scales, where a positive threshold correction to m h coming from light Higgsinos and winos is essential in order to satisfy the Higgs mass constraint.

Single top squark production as a probe of natural supersymmetry at the LHC

Light top squarks (stops) and light higgsinos are the key features of natural SUSY, where the higgsinos $\tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}$ and $\tilde{\chi}^0_{1,2}$ are nearly degenerate and act as the missing transverse energy ($E^{miss}_T$) at the LHC. Besides the strong production, the stop can be produced via the electroweak interaction. The determination of the electroweak properties of the stop is an essential task for the LHC and future colliders. So in this paper, we investigate the single stop ($\tilde{t}_1$) production $pp \to \tilde{t}_1+ E^{miss}_T$ in the natural SUSY at the LHC, which gives the monotop signature $t+ E^{miss}_T$ from $\tilde{t}_1\to t \tilde{\chi}^0_{1,2}$ or the monobottom signature $b+ E^{miss}_T$ from $\tilde{t}_1 \to b \tilde{\chi}^+_{1}$. We perform Monte Carlo simulations for these signatures and obtain the results: (1) The signal $b+ E^{miss}_T$ has a better sensitivity than $t+ E^{miss}_T$ for probing natural SUSY; (2) The parameter region with a higgsino mass 100 GeV$\lesssim \mu \lesssim$ 225 GeV and stop mass $m_{\tilde{t}_1} \lesssim$ 620 GeV, can be probed through the single stop production with $S/\sqrt{B} > 3$ and $4\% \lesssim S/B \lesssim19\%$ at 14 TeV HL-LHC with an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb$^{-1}$.

Natural NMSSM with a light Singlet Higgs and Singlino LSP

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is an attractive extension of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics which solves the SM hierarchy problem. Motivated by the theoretical $\mu$-term problem of the Minimal Supersymmetric Model (MSSM), the Next-to MSSM (NMSSM) can also account for experimental deviations from the SM like the anomalous muon magnetic moment and the dark matter relic density. Natural SUSY, motivated by naturalness considerations, exhibits small fine tuning and a characteristic phenomenology with light higgsinos, stops and gluinos. We describe a scan in NMSSM parameter space motivated by Natural SUSY and guided by the phenomenology of an NMSSM with a slightly broken Peccei-Quinn symmetry and a lightly coupled singlet. We identify a scenario which survives experimental constraints with a light singlet Higgs and a singlino lightest SUSY particle. We then discuss how the scenario is not presently excluded by searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and which channels are promising for discovery at the LHC and International Linear Collider.

Leptogenesis scenarios for natural SUSY with mixed axion-higgsino dark matter

Supersymmetric models with radiatively-driven electroweak naturalness require light higgsinos of mass ∼ 100–300 GeV . Naturalness in the QCD sector is invoked via the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion leading to mixed axion-higgsino dark matter. The SUSY DFSZ axion model provides a solution to the SUSY μ problem and the Little Hierarchy μ≪ m3/2 may emerge as a consequence of a mismatch between PQ and hidden sector mass scales. The traditional gravitino problem is now augmented by the axino and saxion problems, since these latter particles can also contribute to overproduction of WIMPs or dark radiation, or violation of BBN constraints. We compute regions of the TR vs. m3/2 plane allowed by BBN, dark matter and dark radiation constraints for various PQ scale choices fa. These regions are compared to the values needed for thermal leptogenesis, non-thermal leptogenesis, oscillating sneutrino leptogenesis and Affleck-Dine leptogenesis. The latter three are allowed in wide regions of parameter space for PQ scale fa∼ 1010–1012 GeV which is also favored by naturalness: fa ∼ √μMP/λμ ∼ 1010–1012 GeV . These fa values correspond to axion masses somewhat above the projected ADMX search regions.

Same-sign Higgsino production at the CERN LHC: How not to hunt for natural supersymmetry

We examine the prospects for detecting light charged higgsinos that are expected to be a necessary feature of natural SUSY models via $pp\to {\widetilde W}^\pm{\widetilde W}_1^\pm jj+X$ processes arising dominantly from $W^\pm W^\pm$ fusion at LHC13. The signal will be a pair of same-sign leptons ($e$ or $\mu$) in events with two relatively forward, hemispherically-separated jets with a large rapidity gap. We find that even though the higgsinos have a full-strength $SU(2)$ gauge couplings to $W$-bosons, the LHC13 cross section for the production of same sign higgsino pairs is smaller than 0.02 fb over most of the interesting range of natural SUSY parameters, even before leptonic branching fractions of the chargino are included. This cross section is strongly suppressed because the two neutral Majorana higgsinos can be combined into a single Dirac neutralino if the bino and the winos are much heavier than the higgsinos, as is the case in natural SUSY models: in this limit, higgsino couplings to $W$-bosons exhibit an emergent (approximate) $U(1)_{\rm ino}$ global symmetry that suppresses same sign higgsino production by vector boson fusion. We conclude that this channel is not a viable way to search for natural SUSY even at the high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider.

Prospects for Higgs coupling measurements in SUSY with radiatively-driven naturalness

In the post-LHC8 world-- where a Standard Model-like Higgs boson has been established but there is no sign of supersymmetry (SUSY)-- the detailed profiling of the Higgs boson properties has emerged as an important road towards discovery of new physics. We present calculations of the expected deviations in Higgs boson couplings $\kappa_{\tau ,b}$, $\kappa_t$, $\kappa_{W,Z}$, $\kappa_g$ and $\kappa_\gamma$ versus the naturalness measure $\Delta_{\rm EW}$. Low values of $\Delta_{\rm EW}\sim 10-30$ give rise to a natural Little Hierarchy characterized by light higgsinos with a mass of $\mu\sim m_Z$ while top squarks are highly mixed but lie in the several TeV range. For such models with radiatively-driven naturalness, one expects the Higgs boson $h$ to look very SM-like although deviations can occur. The more promising road to SUSY discovery requires direct higgsino pair production at a high energy $e^+e^-$ collider operating with the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}>2\mu\sim \sqrt{2\Delta_{\rm EW}}m_Z$.

Light Higgsino dark matter in the MSSM on D-branes

When supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking is dominated by the complex structure moduli and the universal dilaton, a subset of the SUSY parameter space in a realistic minimal supersymmetric standard model constructed from intersecting/magnetized D-branes are universal, similar to the effective minimal supergravity (mSUGRA)/constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) parameter space with a universal scalar mass m0, a universal gaugino mass and with the universal trilinear term fixed to be minus the gaugino mass, A0 = −m1/2. More generally, the scalar mass-squared terms for sfermions are split about the Higgs mass-squared terms, and , for generic values of the Kähler moduli. The scalar masses are universal only for a specific choice of the Kähler moduli. The hyperbolic branch/focus point (HB/FP) regions of this parameter space are present for both and . Interestingly, it is known that FPs may be realized with any boundary condition of the form with x an arbitrary constant, the same form as those in this model. Thus, we should expect to obtain the same set of FPs in the model regardless of the choice of Kähler moduli. It should be emphasized that the more general choice of Kähler moduli goes beyond (mSUGRA/CMSSM). It is shown that there exists superpartner spectra with a light Higgsino-like LSP with 230–350 GeV and a Higgs mass in the range 124–126 GeV, and which satisfy most standard experimental constraints. Consequently, viable spectra with low electroweak fine-tuning between 3%–7% may be obtained. The spin-independent direct-detection crosssections are in range of future experiments such as XENON−1 T and super CDMS, while the relic density is smaller than the WMAP and Planck bounds by roughly a factor of ten, implying that the LSP is sub-dominant component of dark matter. In addition, most of the spectra are consistent with constraints from indirect-detection experiments.

Complex decay chains of top and bottom squarks

Current searches for the top squark mostly focus on the decay channels of $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow t \chi_1^0$ or $\tilde{t}_1 \rightarrow b \chi_1^\pm \rightarrow bW \chi_1^0$, leading to $tt/bbWW+\not\mathrel{E}_T$ final states for top squark pair production at the LHC. In supersymmetric scenarios with light gauginos other than the neutralino lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), different decay modes of the top squark could be dominant, which significantly weaken the current top squark search limits at the LHC. Additionally, new decay modes offer alternative discovery channels for top squark searches. In this paper, we study the top squark and bottom squark decay in the Bino-like LSP case with light Wino or Higgsino next-to-LSPs (NLSPs), and identify cases in which additional decay modes become dominant. We also perform a collider analysis for top squark pair production with mixed top squark decay final states of $\tilde{t}_1 \to t {\chi}_2^0 \to th {\chi}_1^0$, $\tilde{t}_1 \to b {\chi}_1^\pm \to bW {\chi}_1^0 $, leading to the $bbbbjj\ell+\not\mathrel{E}_T$ collider signature. The branching fraction for such decay varies between 25\% and 50\% for a top squark mass larger than 500 GeV with $M_2=M_1+150$ GeV. At the 14 TeV LHC with 300 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ integrated luminosity, the top squark can be excluded up to about 1040 GeV at the 95\% C.L., or be discovered up to 940 GeV at 5$\sigma$ significance.

Accessing the core of naturalness, nearly degenerate higgsinos, at the LHC

The presence of two light higgsinos nearly degenerate in mass is one of the important characteristics of suspersymmetric models meeting the naturalness criteria. Probing such higgsinos at the LHC is very challenging, in particular when the mass-splitting between them is less than 5 GeV. In this study, we analyze such a degenerate higgsino scenario by exploiting the high collinearity between the two muons which originate from the decay of the heavier higgsino into the lighter one and which are accompanied by a high-$p_T$ QCD jet. Using our method, we can achieve a statistical significance $\sim 2.9\,\sigma$ as well as a $S/B \sim 17\%$ with an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb$^{-1}$ at the 14 TeV LHC, for the pair production of higgsinos with masses 124 GeV and 120 GeV. A good sensitivity can be achieved even for a smaller mass-splitting when the higgsinos are lighter.

Light Higgsino decays as a probe of the NMSSM

In the Next-to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), a sizable coupling $\lambda$ between the singlet and Higgs fields can naturally accommodate the observed Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV. This large coupling also results in a large separation between the Higgsino and singlino mass scales in the neutralino sector to evade stringent constraints from direct detection experiments. Most of the natural parameter space in this setup therefore contains light Higgsinos that can decay into the singlino and the 125 GeV Higgs. If the Higgsinos are to be light enough to be produced at the LHC, the mass gap $m_{\tilde\chi^0_2} -(m_{\tilde\chi^0_1} +m_h)$ is generally fairly low, resulting in small missing energy. We study the collider phenomenology of this process and demonstrate that the 4$b+j+{E\!\!\!\!/_{\rm T}}$ signal arising from $pp\rightarrow\tilde\chi_i^0\tilde\chi_j^0jj$ process can be a viable channel to search for this low mass gap region at the 14 TeV LHC. In addition, we find that a potential signal from the LHC search, in tandem with direct detection experiments, can distinguish the NMSSM from the analogous process in the MSSM, where the bino plays the role of the singlino, for positive values of the $\mu$ parameter even when the additional singlet-dominated (pseudo)scalars are absent or indistinguishable from the Higgs in the decay.

The higgsino–singlino world at the large hadron collider

We consider light higgsinos and singlinos in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider. We assume that the singlino is the lightest supersymmetric particle and that the higgsino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle with the remaining supersymmetric particles in the multi-TeV range. This scenario, which is motivated by the flavor and CP issues, provides a phenomenologically viable dark matter candidate and improved electroweak fit consistent with the measured Higgs mass. Here, the higgsinos decay into on (off)-shell gauge boson and the singlino. We consider the leptonic decay modes and the resulting signature is three isolated leptons and missing transverse energy which is known as the trilepton signal. We simulate the signal and the Standard Model backgrounds and present the exclusion region in the higgsino-singlino mass plane at the Large Hadron Collider at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV for an integrated luminosity of 300 fb$^{-1}$.

Natural little hierarchy for SUSY from radiative breaking of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry

While LHC8 Higgs mass and sparticle search constraints favor a multi-TeV value of soft SUSY breaking terms, electroweak naturalness favors a superpotential Higgsino mass $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\sim}100--200\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$: the mismatch results in an apparent little hierarchy characterized by $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\ll}{m}_{\text{soft}}$ (with ${m}_{\text{soft}}\ensuremath{\sim}{m}_{3/2}$ in gravity mediation). It has been suggested that the little hierarchy arises from a mismatch between Peccei-Quinn (PQ) and hidden sector intermediate scales ${v}_{\mathrm{PQ}}\ensuremath{\ll}{m}_{\text{hidden}}$. We examine the Murayama-Suzuki-Yanagida model of radiatively driven PQ symmetry breaking which not only generates a weak scale value of $\ensuremath{\mu}$ but also produces intermediate scale Majorana masses for right-hand neutrinos. For this model, we show ranges of parameter choices with multi-TeV values of ${m}_{3/2}$ which can easily generate values of $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\sim}100--200\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ so that the apparent little hierarchy suggested from data emerges quite naturally. In such a scenario, dark matter would be comprised of an axion plus a Higgsino-like weakly-interacting massive particle admixture where the axion mass and Higgsino masses are linked by the value of the PQ scale. The required light Higgsinos should ultimately be detected at a linear ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ collider with $\sqrt{s}>2m(\text{Higgsino})$.

Monojet plus soft dilepton signal from light higgsino pair production at LHC14

Naturalness arguments imply the existence of higgsinos lighter than 200-300 GeV. However, because these higgsinos are nearly mass degenerate, they release very little visible energy in their decays, and (even putting aside triggering issues) signals from electroweak higgsino pair production typically remain buried under Standard Model backgrounds. Prospects for detecting higgsino pair production via events with monojets or mono-photons from initial state radiation are also bleak because of signal-to-background rates typically at the 1% level. Here, we consider the possibility of reducing backgrounds by requiring the presence of soft daughter leptons from higgsino decays in monojet events. We find that LHC14 experiments with an integrated luminosity of 300 fb^{-1} should be sensitive to light higgsinos at the 5\sigma level for \mu < 170 GeV with a S/B ~ 8.5%. For an integrated luminosity of 1000 fb^{-1} (which should be possible at a high luminosity LHC) the corresponding sensitivity to \mu extends to over 200 GeV though the systematic uncertainty would have to be controlled to considerably better than 5%. The corresponding reach from measurements of the rate asymmetry between monojet events with same flavour vs. opposite flavour dileptons is ~10-15 GeV smaller, but does not suffer the systematic uncertainty from the normalization of the background.

Prospects for electroweakino discovery at a 100 TeV hadron collider

We investigate the prospects of discovering split Supersymmetry at a future 100 TeV proton-proton collider through the direct production of electroweakino next-to-lightest-supersymmetric-particles (NLSPs). We focus on signatures with multi-lepton and missing energy: $3\ell$, opposite-sign dileptons and same-sign dileptons. We perform a comprehensive study of different electroweakino spectra. A 100 TeV collider with 3000/fb data is expected to exclude Higgsino thermal dark matter candidates with $m_{\rm{LSP}}\sim 1 $ TeV if Wino NLSPs are lighter than about 3.2 TeV. The $3\ell$ search usually offers the highest mass reach, which varies in the range of (2-4) TeV depending on scenarios. In particular, scenarios with light Higgsinos have generically simplified parameter dependences. We also demonstrate that, at a 100 TeV collider, lepton collimation becomes a crucial issue for NLSPs heavier than about 2.5 TeV. We finally compare our results with the discovery prospects of gluino pair productions and deduce which SUSY breaking model can be discovered first by electroweakino searches.

Higgs mixing in the NMSSM and light Higgsinos

We explore the effects of Higgs mixing in the general next-to-minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). Extended to include a gauge singlet, the Higgs sector can naturally explain the observed Higgs boson mass in TeV scale supersymmetry without invoking large stop mixing. This is particularly the case when the singlet scalar is light so that singlet-doublet mixing increases the mass of the SM-like Higgs boson. In such a case the Higgs mixing has interesting implications following from the fact that the higgsino mass parameter and the singlet coupling to Higgs bilinear crucially depend on the Higgs boson masses and mixing angles. For the mixing compatible with the current LHC data on the Higgs signal rates, the higgsinos are required to be relatively light, around or below a few hundred GeV, as long as the heavy doublet Higgs boson has a mass smaller than about 250\sqrt{\tan\beta} GeV and the singlet-like Higgs boson is consistent with the LEP constraint. In addition, the Higgs coupling to photons can receive a sizable contribution of either sign from the charged-higgsino loops combined with singlet-doublet mixing.

Implications of naturalness for the heavy Higgs bosons of supersymmetry

Recently, it has been argued that various measures of SUSY naturalness-- electroweak, Higgs mass and EENZ/BG-- when applied consistently concur with one another and make very specific predictions for natural supersymmetric spectra. Highly natural spectra are characterized by light higgsinos with mass not too far from m_h and well-mixed but TeV-scale third generation squarks. We apply the unified naturalness measure to the case of heavy Higgs bosons A, H and H^\pm. We find that their masses are bounded from above by naturalness depending on tan(beta): e.g. for 10% fine-tuning and tan(beta)~ 10, we expect m_A< 2.5 TeV whilst for 3% fine-tuning and tan(beta) as high as 50, then m_A< 8 TeV. Furthermore, the presence of light higgsinos seriously alters the heavy Higgs boson branching ratios, thus diminishing prospects for usual searches into Standard Model (SM) final states, while new discovery possibilities arise due to the supersymmetric decay modes. The heavy SUSY decay modes tend to be H, A, H^\pm-> W, Z, or h+MET + soft tracks so that single heavy Higgs production is characterized by the presence of high p_T W, Z or h bosons plus missing E_T. These new heavy Higgs boson signatures seem to be challenging to extract from SM backgrounds.

Degenerate gaugino mass region and mono-boson collider signatures

Light electroweak gauginos and higgsinos are among the supersymmetric particles with the best chance to be found at the LHC. The authors study the prospects of finding such particles, arguing that the mono-Z events may provide the most efficient search strategy.