Lightest Neutralino Research Articles

Non-universal SUSY models, gμ-2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$g_\\mu -2$$\\end{document}, mH\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$m_H$$\\end{document} and dark matter

We study the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, gμ-2≡2aμ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$g_\\mu - 2 \\equiv 2 a_\\mu $$\\end{document}, in the context of supersymmetric models beyond the CMSSM, where the unification of either the gaugino masses M1,2,3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$M_{1,2,3}$$\\end{document} or sfermion and Higgs masses is relaxed, taking into account the measured mass of the Higgs boson, mH\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$m_H$$\\end{document}, the cosmological dark matter density and the direct detection rate. We find that the model with non-unified gaugino masses can make a contribution Δaμ∼20×10-10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\Delta a_\\mu \\sim 20 \ imes 10^{-10}$$\\end{document} to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, for example if M1,2∼600GeV\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$M_{1,2} \\sim 600\\; \ extrm{GeV}$$\\end{document} and M3∼8TeV\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$M_3\\sim 8 \\; \ extrm{TeV}$$\\end{document}. The model with non-universal sfermion and Higgs masses can provide even larger Δaμ∼24×10-10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\Delta a_\\mu \\sim 24 \ imes 10^{-10}$$\\end{document} if the sfermion masses for the first and the second generations are ∼400GeV\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sim 400 \\; \ extrm{GeV}$$\\end{document} and that of the third is ∼8TeV\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sim 8 \\; \ extrm{TeV}$$\\end{document}. We discuss the prospects for collider searches for supersymmetric particles in specific benchmark scenarios illustrating these possibilities, focusing in particular on the prospects for detecting the lighter smuon and the lightest neutralino.

Searching for long-lived light neutralinos and axionlike particles at the SHiNESS experiment

Recently, Soleti [] proposed a new experiment called SHiNESS at the upcoming European Spallation Source (ESS) facility, making use of the 2-GeV proton beam there impinging on a fixed target, in order to search for hidden sterile neutrinos that could lie in different mass ranges and arise with distinct signatures. Such signatures include excesses in electron-positron pairs that may originate from displaced decays of long-lived particles (LLPs). At the ESS, the dominant sources of such LLPs are decays at rest of π+ mesons and μ+ leptons. We choose to investigate theoretical scenarios of long-lived light neutralinos in the R-parity-violating supersymmetry and long-lived weak-violating electrophilic axionlike particles, as these LLPs can be produced from decays of π+ and μ+. Since the π+’s and μ+’s decay at rest at the ESS, we compute the spectra of the therefrom produced LLPs and thus estimate the expected sensitivity reach of SHiNESS to the LLPs in these two scenarios. Our calculation shows that in multiple relevant benchmark scenarios, SHiNESS can probe large parameter regions of these models beyond the existing bounds, in just a couple of years of data-collection time. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Rise and Fall of Light Top Squarks in the LHC Top-Quark Sample.

We discuss the possibility that light new physics in the top-quark sample at the LHC can be found by investigating with greater care well-known kinematic distributions, such as the invariant mass m_{bℓ} of the b-jet and the charged lepton in fully leptonic tt[over ¯] events. We demonstrate that new physics can be probed in the rising part of the already measured m_{bℓ} distribution. To this end, we analyze a concrete supersymmetric scenario with a light right-handed top-squark, chargino and neutralino. The corresponding spectra are characterized by small mass differences, which make them not yet excluded by current LHC searches and give rise to a specific end point in the shape of the m_{bℓ} distribution. We argue that this sharp feature is general for models of light new physics that have so far escaped the LHC searches and can offer a precious handle for the implementation of robust searches that exploit, rather than suffer from, soft bottom quarks and leptons. Recasting public data on searches for new physics, we identify candidate models that are not yet excluded. For these models, we study the m_{bℓ} distribution and derive the expected signal yields, finding that there is untapped potential for discovery of new physics using the m_{bℓ} distribution.

Radiative corrections to aid the direct detection of the Higgsino-like neutralino dark matter: Spin-independent interactions

The lightest neutralino (χ˜10) is a good dark matter (DM) candidate in the R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric Standard Model. In this work, we consider the light Higgsino-like neutralino as the lightest stable particle, thanks to a rather small Higgsino mass parameter μ. We then estimate the prominent radiative corrections to the neutralino-neutralino-Higgs boson vertices. We show that for Higgsino-like χ˜10, these corrections can significantly influence the spin-independent direct detection cross section, even contributing close to 100% in certain regions of the parameter space. These corrections, therefore, play an important role in deducing constraints on the mass of the Higgsino-like lightest neutralino DM, and thus the μ parameter. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

A search for top-squark pair production, in final states containing a top quark, a charm quark and missing transverse momentum, using the 139 fb−1 of pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a search for top-squark pair production in final states with a top quark, a charm quark and missing transverse momentum. The data were collected with the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV. The analysis is motivated by an extended Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model featuring a non-minimal flavour violation in the second- and third-generation squark sector. The top squark in this model has two possible decay modes, either t~1→cχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\ ilde{t}}_1\ o c{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} or t~1→tχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\ ilde{t}}_1\ o t{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document}, where the χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} is undetected. The analysis is optimised assuming that both of the decay modes are equally probable, leading to the most likely final state of tc+ETmiss\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ tc+{E}_T^{\ extrm{miss}} $$\\end{document}. Good agreement is found between the Standard Model expectation and the data in the search regions. Exclusion limits at 95% CL are obtained in the mt~1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ m\\left({\ ilde{t}}_1\\right) $$\\end{document} vs. mχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ m\\left({\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0\\right) $$\\end{document} plane and, in addition, limits on the branching ratio of the t~1→tχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\ ilde{t}}_1\ o t{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} decay as a function of m(t~1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\ ilde{t}}_1 $$\\end{document}) are also produced. Top-squark masses of up to 800 GeV are excluded for scenarios with light neutralinos, and top-squark masses up to 600 GeV are excluded in scenarios where the neutralino and the top squark are almost mass degenerate.

ATLAS Run 2 searches for electroweak production of supersymmetric particles interpreted within the pMSSM

A summary of the constraints from searches performed by the ATLAS collaboration for the electroweak production of charginos and neutralinos is presented. Results from eight separate ATLAS searches are considered, each using 140 fb−1 of proton-proton data at a centre-of-mass energy of s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV collected at the Large Hadron Collider during its second data-taking run. The results are interpreted in the context of the 19-parameter phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model, where R-parity conservation is assumed and the lightest supersymmetric particle is assumed to be the lightest neutralino. Constraints from previous electroweak, flavour and dark matter related measurements are also considered. The results are presented in terms of constraints on supersymmetric particle masses and are compared with limits from simplified models. Also shown is the impact of ATLAS searches on parameters such as the dark matter relic density and the spin-dependent and spin-independent scattering cross-sections targeted by direct dark matter detection experiments. The Higgs boson and Z boson ‘funnel regions’, where a low-mass neutralino would not oversaturate the dark matter relic abundance, are almost completely excluded by the considered constraints. Example spectra for non-excluded supersymmetric models with light charginos and neutralinos are also presented.

Precise estimate of charged Higgsino/Wino decay rate

Higgsinos and Winos in the supersymmetric Standard Model are prime candidates for dark matter due to their weakly interacting nature. The mass differences between their charged components (charginos) and neutral components (neutralinos) become degenerate when other superparticles are heavy, resulting in long-lived charginos. In the case of the Winos, the mass difference is approximately 160 MeV across a wide range of the parameter space. Consequently, the chargino decays into the lightest neutralino, emitting a single charged pion. For Higgsinos, however, mass differences ranging from O(0.1) GeV to O(1) GeV are possible, leading to a variety of decay channels. In this paper, we extend our previous analysis of Wino decay to the chargino with a larger mass difference. We emphasize characterizing its decay signatures through leptonic and hadronic modes. By utilizing the latest experimental data, we perform a comprehensive study of the decay rate calculations incorporating these hadronic modes to determine the impact on the predicted chargino lifetime. Additionally, we conduct next-to-leading order (NLO) calculations for the leptonic decay modes. Our NLO results can be applied to the case of more general fermionic electroweak multiplets, e.g., quintuplet dark matter.

Search for direct production of electroweakinos in final states with one lepton, jets and missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Searches for electroweak production of wino-like chargino pairs, χ~1+χ~1−\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^{+}{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^{-} $$\\end{document}, and of wino-like chargino and next-to-lightest neutralino, χ~1±χ~20\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^{\\pm }{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0 $$\\end{document}, are presented. The models explored assume that the charginos decay into a W boson and the lightest neutralino, χ~1±→W±χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^{\\pm}\ o {W}^{\\pm }{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document}. The next-to-lightest neutralinos are degenerate in mass with the chargino and decay to χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} and either a Z or a Higgs boson, χ~20→Zχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0\ o Z{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} or hχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ h{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document}. The searches exploit the presence of a single isolated lepton and missing transverse momentum from the W boson decay products and the lightest neutralinos, and the presence of jets from hadronically decaying Z or W bosons or from the Higgs boson decaying into a pair of b-quarks. The searches use 139 fb−1 of s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are found, and 95% confidence level exclusion limits are set. Chargino masses ranging from 260 to 520 GeV are excluded for a massless χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} in chargino pair production models. Degenerate chargino and next-to-lightest neutralino masses ranging from 260 to 420 GeV are excluded for a massless χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} for χ~20→Zχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0\ o Z{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document}. For decays through an on-shell Higgs boson and for mass-splitting between χ~1±/χ~20\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^{\\pm }/{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_2^0 $$\\end{document} and χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} as small as the Higgs boson mass, mass limits are improved by up to 40 GeV in the range of 200–260 GeV and 280–470 GeV compared to previous ATLAS constraints.

Search for Evidence of Baryogenesis and Dark Matter in B^{+}→ψ_{D}+p Decays at BABAR.

A new dark sector antibaryon, denoted ψ_{D}, could be produced in decays of B mesons. This Letter presents a search for B^{+}→ψ_{D}+p (and the charge conjugate) decays in e^{+}e^{-} annihilations at 10.58GeV, using data collected in the BABAR experiment. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 398 fb^{-1} are analyzed. No evidence for a signal is observed. Branching fraction upper limits in the range from 10^{-7}-10^{-5} are obtained at 90% confidence level for masses of 1.0<m_{ψ_{D}}<4.3 GeV/c^{2}. The result is also reinterpreted to provide the first limits on a supersymmetric model with R-parity violation and a light neutralino.

Lighting up the LHC with Dark Matter

We show that simultaneously explaining dark matter and the observed value of the muon’s magnetic dipole moment may lead to yet unexplored photon signals at the LHC. We consider the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with electroweakino masses in the few-to-several hundred GeV range, and opposite sign of the Bino mass parameter with respect to both the Higgsino and Wino mass parameters. In such region of parameter space, the spin-independent elastic scattering cross section of a Bino-like dark matter candidate in direct detection experiment is suppressed by cancellations between different amplitudes, and the observed dark matter relic density can be realized via Bino-Wino co-annihilation. Moreover, the observed value of the muon’s magnetic dipole moment can be explained by Bino and Wino loop contributions. Interestingly, “radiative” decays of Wino-like neutralinos into the lightest neutralino and a photon are enhanced, whereas decays into leptons are suppressed. While these decay patterns weaken the reach of multi-lepton searches at the LHC, the radiative decay opens a new window for probing dark matter at the LHC through the exploration of parameter space regions beyond those currently accessible. To complement the current electroweakino searches, we propose searching for a single (soft) photon plus missing transverse energy, accompanied by a hard initial state radiation jet.

Recasting bounds on long-lived heavy neutral leptons in terms of a light supersymmetric R-parity violating neutralino

In R-parity-violating (RPV) supersymmetric models, light neutralinos with masses from the GeV-scale down to even zero are still allowed by all laboratory constraints. They are further consistent with dark matter observations, as they decay via RPV couplings. These RPV couplings are in general constrained to be small. Hence, such light neutralinos, if produced, e.g., at a beam-dump or collider experiment, appear as displaced vertices or missing energy at the detector level. The same signatures have been extensively searched for at various experiments in the theoretical context of sterile neutrinos which mix with active neutrinos. In this work, we recast the sensitivity of both past and present experiments to sterile neutrinos to obtain new bounds on RPV couplings associated with a light neutralino. We find experiments such as T2K, BEBC, FASER, DUNE, and MoEDAL-MAPP can improve the current bounds on RPV couplings by up to 3–4 orders of magnitude in several benchmark scenarios.

Search for supersymmetric sleptons and charginos with the ATLAS detector

A new search for the electroweak production of supersymmetric particles decaying into two leptons with missing transverse momentum is presented. Two simplified models are considered: direct pair production of sleptons decaying into the lightest neutralinos through leptons of the Standard Model (SM) and direct pair production of the lightest charginos decaying into the lightest neutralinos through W bosons of the SM. The analysis targets phase space regions where the difference in mass between the slepton or the lightest chargino and the lightest neutralino is close to or below the mass of the W boson. Such regions with compressed mass spectra have not been covered by any searches conducted so far due to the low cross-section of the supersymmetric signal. Therefore, improved analysis strategies are crucial to separate the supersymmetric signal from the SM backgrounds. A search for an excess of same-flavour lepton pairs in opposite-sign lepton events is made in the direct slepton pair production analysis while a machine learning approach using boosted decision trees is exploited in the chargino pair production analysis and considering both the same-flavour and different-flavour channels. No significant excesses over the expected background are observed using proton-proton collisions data collected by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV and exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set for each considered model. Exclusion limits are also set for selectrons and smuons separately and portions of the region excluded by the search of smuons pair production are expected to be compatible with the g-2 anomaly for small tanβ values.

Search for top squark pair production in a final state with at least one hadronically decaying tau lepton in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for pair production of the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, the top squark, in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV is presented in final states containing at least one hadronically decaying tau lepton and large missing transverse momentum. This final state is highly sensitive to scenarios of supersymmetry in which the decay of the top squark to tau leptons is enhanced. The search uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1, which was recorded with the CMS detector during 2016–2018. No significant excess is observed with respect to the standard model predictions. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the masses of the top squark and the lightest neutralino are presented under the assumptions of simplified models. The results probe top squark masses up to 1150 GeV for a nearly massless neutralino. This search covers a relatively less explored parameter space in the context of supersymmetry, and the exclusion limit is the most stringent to date for the model considered here.

Is Light Neutralino Thermal Dark Matter in the Phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model Ruled Out?

We explore the parameter space of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model with a light neutralino thermal dark matter (m_{χ[over ˜]_{1}^{0}}≤m_{h}/2) that is consistent with current collider and astrophysical constraints. We consider both positive and negative values of the higgsino mass parameter (μ). Our investigation shows that the recent experimental results from the LHC as well as from direct detection searches for dark matter by the LUX-ZEPLIN Collaboration rule out the Z-funnel region for the μ>0 scenario. The same results severely restrict the h-funnel region for positive μ; however, the allowed points can be probed easily with few more days of data from the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment. In the μ<0 scenario, we find that very light higgsinos in both the Z and h funnels might survive the present constraints from the electroweakino searches at the LHC, and dedicated efforts from experimental collaborations are necessary to make conclusive statements about their present status.

Search for supersymmetry in final states with missing transverse momentum and three or more b-jets in 139 fb^{-1} of proton–proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via off-shell third-generation squarks into the lightest neutralino (tilde{chi }^0_1) is reported. It exploits LHC proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy sqrt{s} = 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb^{-1} collected with the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018. The search uses events containing large missing transverse momentum, up to one electron or muon, and several energetic jets, at least three of which must be identified as containing b-hadrons. Both a simple kinematic event selection and an event selection based upon a deep neural-network are used. No significant excess above the predicted background is found. In simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos that decay via off-shell top (bottom) squarks, gluino masses less than 2.44 TeV (2.35 TeV) are excluded at 95% CL for a massless tilde{chi }^0_1. Limits are also set on the gluino mass in models with variable branching ratios for gluino decays to bbar{b}tilde{chi }^0_1,tbar{t}tilde{chi }^0_1 and tbar{b}tilde{chi }^-_1/bar{t}btilde{chi }^+_1.

Search for top squarks in the four-body decay mode with single lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for the pair production of the lightest supersymmetric partner of the top quark, the top squark ( {overset{sim }{textrm{t}}}_1 ), is presented. The search targets the four-body decay of the {overset{sim }{textrm{t}}}_1 , which is preferred when the mass difference between the top squark and the lightest supersymmetric particle is smaller than the mass of the W boson. This decay mode consists of a bottom quark, two other fermions, and the lightest neutralino ( {overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 ), which is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. Events are selected using the presence of a high-momentum jet, an electron or muon with low transverse momentum, and a significant missing transverse momentum. The signal is selected based on a multivariate approach that is optimized for the difference between m( {overset{sim }{textrm{t}}}_1 ) and m( {overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 ). The contribution from leading background processes is estimated from data. No significant excess is observed above the expectation from standard model processes. The results of this search exclude top squarks at 95% confidence level for masses up to 480 and 700 GeV for m( {overset{sim }{textrm{t}}}_1 ) − m( {overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 ) = 10 and 80 GeV, respectively.

Reconciling collider signals, dark matter, and the muon anomalous magnetic moment in the supersymmetric U(1)R × U(1)B−L model

We study the low-scale predictions of the supersymmetric model extended by U(1)R × U(1)B−L symmetry, obtained by breaking SO(10) symmetry at GUT scale via a left-right supersymmetric model. Two new singlet Higgs fields left({upchi}_R,{overline{upchi}}_Rright) are responsible for the U(1)R × U(1)B−L symmetry breaking to the standard model gauge group. We explore the phenomenology of this model by assuming universal and non-universal boundary conditions at the GUT scale and their effects in obtaining consistency among low-energy observables, dark matter experiments, muon magnetic moment measurements, and Z′ phenomenology. We examine different scenarios with both the lightest neutralino and sneutrino mass eigenstates as dark matter candidates. We explore the collider signals of various scenarios by including relevant benchmarks and exploring their significance versus standard model background. To complement our analysis, we perform recasting of several LHC analyses to verify the credibility of the benchmarks. We find that relaxing the universality conditions at MGUT can significantly improve the agreement of the model against the experimental bounds. While the muon anomalous magnetic moment is found to be the most challenging observable to fit within the model, we identify, allowing for non-universality at the GUT scale, points in the parameter space consistent within 2σ from the average measured value.

Probing R-parity violation in B-meson decays to a baryon and a light neutralino

We propose a search for B meson decays to a baryon plus missing energy at the Belle II experiment to probe supersymmetry with a GeV-scale lightest neutralino {overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 and R-parity violation (RPV). We perform analytic computations of the signal branching fractions in the framework of effective field theory, with a single nonzero RPV operator {lambda}_{ij3}^{prime prime }{overline{U}}_i^c{overline{D}}_j^c{overline{D}}_3^c , where i, j = 1, 2. The hadronic form factors are calculated using an SU(3) phenomenological Lagrangian approach for the proton, as well as several hyperons and charmed baryons. Since the decay of the neutralino is kinematically and CKM suppressed in this theoretical scenario, it decays outside the detector and appears experimentally only as missing energy. We detail the analysis techniques at the experimental level and estimate the background in the {B}^{+}to p{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 search using published results for {B}^{+}to {K}^{+}nu overline{nu} . Our final sensitivity plots are shown for both {lambda}_{113}^{prime prime } versus the squark mass {m}_{tilde{q}} and {lambda}_{113}^{prime prime }/{m}_{tilde{q}}^2 versus the neutralino mass {m}_{{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0} . We find that the search at Belle II could probe {lambda}_{113}^{prime prime }/{m}_{tilde{q}}^2 down to the order of 10−8 GeV−2 in the kinematically allowed {m}_{{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0} range. We also obtain current limits on {lambda}_{123}^{prime prime } by recasting an existing search interpreted as {B}^0to {Lambda}^0{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 , and comment about searches for {B}^{+}to {Sigma}^{+}{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 , {B}^0to {Sigma}^0{chi}_1^0 , {B}^{+}to {Lambda}_c^{+}{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 , and {B}^{+}to {Xi}_c^{+}{overset{sim }{chi}}_1^0 . In closing, we briefly discuss potential searches at the LHCb and BESIII experiments.

(g−2)μ and SUSY

The persistent [Formula: see text] discrepancy between the experimental result from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, [Formula: see text], and its Standard Model (SM) prediction, was confirmed recently by the “MUON G-2” result from Fermilab. The combination of the two measurements yields a deviation of [Formula: see text] from the SM value. Here, we review an analysis of the parameter space of the electroweak (EW) sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), which can provide a suitable explanation of the anomaly while being in full agreement with other latest experimental data like the direct searches for EW particles at the LHC and dark matter (DM) relic density and direct detection constraints. Taking the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) (the lightest neutralino in our case) to be the DM candidate, we discuss the case of a mixed bino/wino LSP, which can account for the full DM relic density of the universe and that of wino and higgsino DM, where we take the relic density only as an upper bound. We observe that an upper limit of [Formula: see text] can be obtained for the LSP and next-to (N)LSP masses establishing clear search targets for the future HL-LHC EW searches, but in particular for future high-energy [Formula: see text] colliders such as the ILC or CLIC.

Searching for light neutralinos with a displaced vertex at the LHC

We study a bino-like light neutralino (χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document}) produced at the LHC from the decay of a scalar lepton (e~L\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \ ilde{e}_L $$\\end{document}) through the process pp →e~L\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \ ilde{e}_L $$\\end{document}→eχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ e{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} in the context of R-parity-violating (RPV) supersymmetry where χ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0 $$\\end{document} is the lightest supersymmetric particle. For small masses and RPV couplings, the neutralino is naturally long-lived and its decay products can be identified as displaced tracks. Following existing searches, we propose a displaced-vertex search strategy for such a light neutralino with a single RPV coupling switched on, λ111′\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\lambda}_{111}^{\\prime } $$\\end{document}, in the mass range 10 GeV ≲ mχ~10\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {m}_{{\\overset{\\sim }{\\chi}}_1^0} $$\\end{document} ≲ 230 GeV. We perform Monte Carlo simulations and conclude that at the high-luminosity LHC, the proposed search can probe values of λ111′\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\lambda}_{111}^{\\prime } $$\\end{document} down to two orders of magnitude smaller than current bounds and up to 40 times smaller than projected limits from monolepton searches.