Phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model Research Articles

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.

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.

Exploring parameter spaces with artificial intelligence and machine learning black-box optimization algorithms

Constraining beyond the Standard Model theories usually involves scanning highly multidimensional parameter spaces and checking observable predictions against experimental bounds and theoretical constraints. Such a task is often timely and computationally expensive, especially when the model is severely constrained and thus leading to very low random sampling efficiency. In this work we tackled this challenge using artificial intelligence and machine learning search algorithms used for black-box optimization problems. Using the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model and the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model parameter spaces, we consider both the Higgs mass and the dark matter relic density constraints to study their sampling efficiency and parameter space coverage. We find our methodology to produce orders of magnitude improvement of sampling efficiency while reasonably covering the parameter space.

Higgs boson properties and supersymmetry: Constraints and sensitivity from the LHC to ane+e−collider

The study of the Higgs boson properties offers compelling perspectives for testing the effects of physics beyond the Standard Model and has deep implications for the LHC program and future colliders. Accurate determinations of the Higgs boson properties can provide us with a distinctively precise picture of the Higgs sector, set tight bounds, and predict ranges for the values of new physics model parameters. In this paper, we discuss the constraints on supersymmetry that can be derived by a determination of the Higgs boson mass and couplings. We quantify these constraints by using scans of the 19-parameter space of the so-called phenomenological minimal supersymmetric Standard Model. The fraction of scan points that can be excluded by the Higgs measurements is studied for the coupling measurement accuracies obtained in LHC run 2 and expected for the HL-LHC program and ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ colliders and contrasted with those derived from missing transverse energy searches at the LHC and from dark matter experiments.

Search for supersymmetry in final states with two or three soft leptons and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for supersymmetry in events with two or three low-momentum leptons and missing transverse momentum is performed. The search uses proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s} = 13 TeV collected in the three-year period 2016–2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 137 fb−1. The data are found to be in agreement with expectations from standard model processes. The results are interpreted in terms of electroweakino and top squark pair production with a small mass difference between the produced supersymmetric particles and the lightest neutralino. For the electroweakino interpretation, two simplified models are used, a wino-bino model and a higgsino model. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on {overset{sim }{upchi}}_2^0/{overset{sim }{upchi}}_1^{pm } masses up to 275 GeV for a mass difference of 10 GeV in the wino-bino case, and up to 205(150) GeV for a mass difference of 7.5 (3) GeV in the higgsino case. The results for the higgsino are further interpreted using a phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model, excluding the higgsino mass parameter μ up to 180 GeV with the bino mass parameter M1 at 800 GeV. In the top squark interpretation, exclusion limits are set at top squark masses up to 540 GeV for four-body top squark decays and up to 480 GeV for chargino-mediated decays with a mass difference of 30 GeV.

Efficient sampling of constrained high-dimensional theoretical spaces with machine learning

Models of physics beyond the Standard Model often contain a large number of parameters. These form a high-dimensional space that is computationally intractable to fully explore. Experimental results project onto a subspace of parameters that are consistent with those observations, but mapping these constraints to the underlying parameters is also typically intractable. Instead, physicists often resort to scanning small subsets of the full parameter space and testing for experimental consistency. We propose an alternative approach that uses generative models to significantly improve the computational efficiency of sampling high-dimensional parameter spaces. To demonstrate this, we sample the constrained and phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Models subject to the requirement that the sampled points are consistent with the measured Higgs boson mass. Our method achieves orders of magnitude improvements in sampling efficiency compared to a brute force search.

Bayesian neural networks for fast SUSY predictions

One of the goals of current particle physics research is to obtain evidence for new physics, that is, physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM), at accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The searches for new physics are often guided by BSM theories that depend on many unknown parameters, which, in some cases, makes testing their predictions difficult. In this paper, machine learning is used to model the mapping from the parameter space of the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (pMSSM), a BSM theory with 19 free parameters, to some of its predictions. Bayesian neural networks are used to predict cross sections for arbitrary pMSSM parameter points, the mass of the associated lightest neutral Higgs boson, and the theoretical viability of the parameter points. All three quantities are modeled with average percent errors of 3.34% or less and in a time significantly shorter than is possible with the supersymmetry codes from which the results are derived. These results are a further demonstration of the potential for machine learning to model accurately the mapping from the high dimensional spaces of BSM theories to their predictions.

On perturbative unitarity in the extended MSSM Higgs sector

Higgs sector of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) extended by dimension-six operators, which are loop contributions in the expansion of the Coleman-Weinberg type potential, is considered. The presence of such additional contributions allows the reopening of phenomenological MSSM scenarios closed in the previous analysis. In order to restrict respective MSSM parameter regions, perturbative unitarity constraints must be satisfied. We find the analytical formula for quartic and trilinear couplings for the Higgs potential extended by dimension-six operators, compare results with the loop corrected constraints at high or finite with and without additional U (6)-contributions, and show how the allowed regions in the parameter space are affected in these cases.

SUSY QCD-corrected and Sommerfeld-enhanced stau annihilation into heavy quarks with scheme and scale uncertainties

We investigate stau-antistau annihilation into heavy quarks in the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model within the DM@NLO project. We present the calculation of the corresponding cross section including corrections up to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s)$ and QED Sommerfeld enhancement. The numerical impact of these corrections is discussed for the cross section and the dark matter relic density, where we focus on top-quark final states and consider either neutralino or gravitino dark matter. Similarly to previous work, we find that the presented corrections should be included when calculating the relic density or extracting parameters from cosmological observations. Considering scheme and scale variations, we estimate the theoretical uncertainty that affects the prediction of the annihilation cross section and thus the prediction of the relic density.

Search for MSSM Higgs bosons decaying to μ+μ− in proton-proton collisions at [formula omitted

A search is performed for neutral non-standard-model Higgs bosons decaying to two muons in the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). Proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV were used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb−1. The search is sensitive to neutral Higgs bosons produced via the gluon fusion process or in association with a bb‾ quark pair. No significant deviations from the standard model expectation are observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in the context of the mhmod+ and phenomenological MSSM scenarios on the parameter tan⁡β as a function of the mass of the pseudoscalar A boson, in the range from 130 to 600 GeV. The results are also used to set a model-independent limit on the product of the branching fraction for the decay into a muon pair and the cross section for the production of a scalar neutral boson, either via gluon fusion, or in association with b quarks, in the mass range from 130 to 1000 GeV.

Resonant heavy Higgs searches at the HL-LHC

In this work, we show the importance of searches for heavy resonant scalars (H) and pseudoscalars (A). Taking cue from the present searches, we make projections for searches in an extended scalar sector at the high luminosity run of the Large Hadron Collider. We study the three most relevant search channels, i.e., H → hh, H/A → t overline{t} and bbH/A. Upon studying multifarious final states for the resonant double Higgs production, we find that the b overline{b} γγ (σ(pp → H → hh) ∈ [81.27, 14.45] fb for mH ∈ [300, 600] GeV at 95% C.L.) and b overline{b} b overline{b} ([5.4, 2.5] fb for mH ∈ [800, 1000] GeV at 95% C.L.) channels are the most constraining. For the b overline{b} H channel, we can exclude σ(pp → b overline{b} H) ∈ [22.2, 3.7] fb for mH ∈ [300, 500] GeV. Finally, we consider the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model as an example and impose various present constraints and our future direct search-limits and obtain strong constraints on the mA − tan β parameter space, where mA and tan β are respectively the mass of the pseudoscalar and the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets. Assuming that the heavy Higgs boson decays only to Standard Model (SM) states, we find that the H → hh → b overline{b} γγ (H → t overline{t} ) channel excludes tan β as low as 4 (mA ∈ [400,800]GeV) at 95% CL. This weakens up to ∼ 5.5 when the b overline{b} H channel dominates. Upon allowing for non-SM decay modes, the limits weaken.

Squark-pair annihilation into quarks at next-to-leading order

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is under intense scrutiny at the LHC and in dark matter searches. Interestingly, scenarios with light squarks of the third generation remain not only viable, but also well motivated by the observed Standard-Model-like Higgs boson mass and dark matter relic density. The latter often requires important contributions from squark pair annihilation. Following up on previous work, we present in this paper a precision analysis of squark pair annihilation into quarks at next-to-leading order of QCD including Sommerfeld enhancement effects. We discuss all technical details of our one-loop, real emission and resummation calculations, their implementation in the precision tool DM@NLO, as well as the numerical impact on the annihilation cross section and cosmological relic density in phenomenological MSSM scenarios respecting in particular current LHC constraints. We demonstrate that including these radiative corrections leads to substantial shifts in the preferred parameter regions by up to 20 GeV.

Current status of MSSM Higgs sector with LHC 13 TeV data

ATLAS and CMS collaborations have reported the results on the Higgs search analyzing $\sim 36$ fb$^{-1}$ data from Run-II of LHC at 13 TeV. In this work, we study the Higgs sector of the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, in light of the recent Higgs data, by studying separately the impact of Run-I and Run-II data. One of the major impacts of the new data on the parameter space comes from the direct searches of neutral CP-even and CP-odd heavy Higgses ($H$ and $A$, respectively) in the $H/A \to \tau^{+} \tau^{-}$ channel which disfavours high $\tan\beta$ regions more efficiently than Run-I data. Secondly, we show that the latest result of the rare radiative decay of $B$ meson imposes a slightly stronger constraint on low $\tan \beta$ and low $M_A$ region of the parameter space, as compared to its previous measurement. Further, we find that in a global fit Run-II light Higgs signal strength data is almost comparable in strength with the corresponding Run-I data. Finally, we discuss scenarios with the Heavy Higgs boson decaying into electroweakinos and third generation squarks and sleptons.

Analysis of the Unknown node msubsup found in MathML fragment. $ B_s^0 $ → µ+µ– decay in the MSSM

The first observation of the $ B_s^0 $ → µ+µ– decay mode was reported by the CMS and LHCb collaboration. The small branching ratio inherent to this decay mode makes it highly sensitive for probing physics beyond the SM and we analyze this decay in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). Complete analytical expressions for the decay amplitude at the one-loop order have been obtained with the aid of computational tools such as FeynArts and FeynCalc. The general recipe for utilising these computational tools to aid theoretical calculations in the MSSM is discussed. Working in the phenomenological MSSM with reduced parameter space, a simplification of the complete analytical expression was done to express the $ B_s^0 $ → µ+µ– branching ratio as a function of these parameters. Numerical studies of the parametric dependence of $ B_s^0 $ → µ+µ– branching ratio in the phenomenological MSSM can be easily performed with the obtained analytical expression.

Exploring non-holomorphic soft terms in the framework of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking

It is known that in the absence of a gauge singlet field, a specific class of supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking non-holomorphic (NH) terms can be soft breaking in nature so that they may be considered along with the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and beyond. There have been studies related to these terms in minimal supergravity based models. Consideration of an F-type SUSY breaking scenario in the hidden sector with two chiral superfields however showed Planck scale suppression of such terms. In an unbiased point of view for the sources of SUSY breaking, the NH terms in a phenomenological MSSM (pMSSM) type of analysis showed a possibility of a large SUSY contribution to muon g − 2, a reasonable amount of corrections to the Higgs boson mass and a drastic reduction of the electroweak fine-tuning for a higgsino dominated {tilde{chi}}_1^0 in some regions of parameter space. We first investigate here the effects of the NH terms in a low scale SUSY breaking scenario. In our analysis with minimal gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking (mGMSB) we probe how far the results can be compared with the previous pMSSM plus NH terms based study. We particularly analyze the Higgs, stop and the electroweakino sectors focusing on a higgsino dominated {tilde{chi}}_1^0 and {tilde{chi}}_1^{pm } , a feature typically different from what appears in mGMSB. The effect of a limited degree of RG evolutions and vanishing of the trilinear coupling terms at the messenger scale can be overcome by choosing a non-minimal GMSB scenario, such as one with a matter-messenger interaction.

Search for new phenomena with large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum using large-radius jets and flavour-tagging at ATLAS in 13 TeV pp collisions

A search is presented for particles that decay producing a large jet multiplicity and invisible particles. The event selection applies a veto on the presence of isolated electrons or muons and additional requirements on the number of b-tagged jets and the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets. Having explored the full ATLAS 2015-2016 dataset of LHC proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=13 TeV, which corresponds to 36.1 fb−1 of integrated luminosity, no evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models inspired by R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating supersymmetry, where gluinos are pair-produced. More generic models within the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric Standard Model are also considered.

SCYNet: testing supersymmetric models at the LHC with neural networks

SCYNet (SUSY Calculating Yield Net) is a tool for testing supersymmetric models against LHC data. It uses neural network regression for a fast evaluation of the profile likelihood ratio. Two neural network approaches have been developed: one network has been trained using the parameters of the 11-dimensional phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (pMSSM-11) as an input and evaluates the corresponding profile likelihood ratio within milliseconds. It can thus be used in global pMSSM-11 fits without time penalty. In the second approach, the neural network has been trained using model-independent signature-related objects, such as energies and particle multiplicities, which were estimated from the parameters of a given new physics model.

Stashing the stops in multijet events at the LHC

While the presence of a light stop is increasingly disfavored by the experimental limits set on R-parity conserving scenarios, the naturalness of supersymmetry could still be safely concealed in the more challenging final states predicted by the existence of non-null R-parity violating couplings. Although R-parity violating signatures are extensively looked for at the Large Hadron Collider, these searches always assume 100\% branching ratios for the direct decays of supersymmetric particles into Standard Model ones. In this paper we scrutinize the implications of relaxing this assumption by focusing on one motivated scenario where the lightest stop is heavier than a chargino and a neutralino. Considering a class of R-parity baryon number violating couplings, we show on general grounds that while the direct decay of the stop into Standard Model particles is dominant for large values of these couplings, smaller values give rise, instead, to the dominance of a plethora of longer decay chains and richer final states that have not yet been analyzed at the LHC, thus weakening the impact of the present experimental stop mass limits. We characterize the case for R-parity baryon number violating couplings in the $10^{-7} - 10^{-1}$ range, in two different benchmark points scenarios within the model-independent setting of the low-energy phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We identify the different relevant experimental signatures, estimate the corresponding proton--proton cross sections at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV and discuss signal versus background issues.

Supersymmetry with dark matter is still natural

We identify the parameter regions of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model (pMSSM) with the minimal possible fine-tuning. We show that the fine-tuning of the pMSSM is not large, nor under pressure by LHC searches. Low sbottom, stop and gluino masses turn out to be less relevant for low fine-tuning than commonly assumed. We show a link between low fine-tuning and the dark matter relic density. Fine-tuning arguments point to models with a dark matter candidate yielding the correct dark matter relic density: a bino-higgsino particle with a mass of $35-155$ GeV. Some of these candidates are compatible with recent hints seen in astrophysics experiments such as Fermi-LAT and AMS-02. We argue that upcoming direct search experiments, such as XENON1T, will test all of the most natural solutions in the next few years due to the sensitivity of these experiments on the spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross section.

Invisible decay of the Higgs boson in the context of a thermal and nonthermal relic in MSSM

We study the decay of 125 GeV Higgs boson to light LSP neutralino in the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model in the context of collider searches and astrophysical experiments. We consider the parameter space for light neutralinos that can be probed via the invisible Higgs decays and higgsino searches at the ILC. We consider the cases where the light neutralino is compatible with the observed relic density or where the thermal relic is over-abundant, pointing to non-standard cosmology. In the former case, when the neutralino properties give rise to under-abundant relic density, the correct amount of relic abundance is assumed to be guaranteed by either additional DM particles or by non-thermal cosmology. We contrast these different cases. We assess what astrophysical measurements can be made, in addition to the measurements made at the ILC, which can provide a clue to the nature of the light neutralino. We find that a number of experiments, including Xenon-nT, PICO-250, LZ in conjunction with measurements made at the ILC on invisible Higgs width can pin down the nature of this neutralino, along with its cosmological implications. Additionally, we also point out potential LHC signatures that could be complementary in this region of parameter space.