SUSY Flavor Research Articles

Flavor- and CP-safe explanation of gμ − 2 anomaly

Supersymmetry is still a viable explanation for the muon g – 2 anomaly, if the sleptons and electroweak gauginos are mathcal{O}(100) GeV. However, for supersymmetry breaking masses this light, the SUSY flavor and CP-problem are exacerbated. To address this issue, we consider a flavor-safe gauge mediated explanation of the muon g – 2 with additional Higgs soft supersymmetry breaking mass parameters. The setup provides a generic parameter space within minimal gauge mediation. Furthermore, we show that the problematic CP violating phase can be dynamically suppressed. We find that gauge mediation models have large portions of parameter space where the muon g – 2 can be explained at 1 σ level. The interplay between the slepton and the CP-odd Higgs masses also makes the majority of this model’s parameter space testable at the LHC through searches for sleptons or additional Higgs bosons.

String landscape guide to soft SUSY breaking terms

We examine several issues pertaining to statistical predictivity of the string theory landscape for weak scale supersymmetry (SUSY). We work within a predictive landscape wherein super-renormalizable terms scan while renormalizable terms do not. We require stringy naturalness wherein the likelihood of values for observables is proportional to their frequency within a fertile patch of landscape including the MSSM as low energy effective theory with a pocket-universe value for the weak scale nearby to its measured value in our universe. In the string theory landscape, it is reasonable that the soft terms enjoy a statistical power-law draw to large values, subject to the existence of atoms as we know them (atomic principle). We argue that gaugino masses, scalar masses and trilinear soft terms should each scan independently. In addition, the various scalars should scan independently of each other unless protected by some symmetry. The expected non-universality of scalar masses-- once regarded as an undesirable feature-- emerges as an asset within the context of the string landscape picture. In models such as heterotic compactifications on Calabi-Yau manifolds, where the tree-level gauge kinetic function depends only on the dilaton, then gaugino masses may scale mildly, while scalar masses and A-terms, which depend on all the moduli, may scale much more strongly leading to a landscape solution to the SUSY flavor and CP problems in spite of non-diagonal K\"ahler metrics. We present numerical results for Higgs and sparticle mass predictions from the landscape within the generalized mirage mediation SUSY model and discuss resulting consequences for LHC SUSY and WIMP dark matter searches.

Muon g \u2212 2 in Higgs-anomaly mediation

A simple model for the explanation of the muon anomalous magnetic moment was proposed by the present authors within the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model [1, 2]: Higgs-anomaly mediation. In the setup, squarks, sleptons, and gauginos are massless at tree-level, but the Higgs doublets get large negative soft supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking masses squared {m}_{H_u}^2simeq {m}_{H_d}^2<0 at a certain energy scale, Minp. The sfermion masses are radiatively generated by anomaly mediation and Higgs-loop effects, and gaugino masses are solely determined by anomaly mediation. Consequently, the smuons and bino are light enough to explain the muon g − 2 anomaly while the third generation sfermions are heavy enough to explain the observed Higgs boson mass. The scenario avoids the SUSY flavor problem as well as various cosmological problems, and is consistent with the radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. In this paper, we show that, although the muon g − 2 explanation in originally proposed Higgs-anomaly mediation with Minp∼ 1016 GeV is slightly disfavored by the latest LHC data, the muon g − 2 can still be explained at 1σ level when Higgs mediation becomes important at the intermediate scale, Minp∼ 1012 GeV. The scenario predicts light SUSY particles that can be fully covered by the LHC and future collider experiments. We also provide a simple realization of {m}_{H_u}^2simeq {m}_{H_d}^2<0 at the intermediate scale.

Diluting SUSY flavour problem on the Landscape

We consider an explicit effective field theory example based on the Bousso-Polchinski framework with a large number N of hidden sectors contributing to supersymmetry breaking. Each contribution comes from four form quantized fluxes, multiplied by random couplings. The soft terms in the observable sector in this case become random variables, with mean values and standard deviations which are computable. We show that this setup naturally leads to a solution of the flavor problem in low-energy supersymmetry if N is sufficiently large. We investigate the consequences for flavor violating processes at low-energy and for dark matter.

Landscape solution to the SUSY flavor and CP problems

In a fertile patch of the string landscape which includes the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) as the low energy effective theory, rather general arguments from Douglas suggest a power-law statistical selection of soft breaking terms (m(soft)^n where n=2n_F+n_D-1 with n_F the number of hidden sector F-SUSY breaking fields and n_D the number of D-term SUSY breaking fields). The statistical draw towards large soft terms must be tempered by requiring an appropriate breakdown of electroweak (EW) symmetry with no contributions to the weak scale larger than a factor 2-5 of its measured value, lest one violates the (anthropic) atomic principle. Such a simple picture of stringy naturalness generates a light Higgs boson with mass m_h~ 125 GeV with sparticles (other than higgsinos) typically beyond LHC reach. Then we expect first and second generation matter scalars to be drawn independently to the tens of TeV regime where the upper cutoff arises from two-loop RGE terms which drive third generation soft masses towards tachyonic values. Since the upper bounds on m_0(1,2) are the same for each generation, and flavor independent, then these will be drawn toward quasi-degenerate values. This mechanism leads to a natural mixed decoupling/quasi-degeneracy solution to the SUSY flavor problem and a decoupling solution to the SUSY CP problem.

Flavor-safe light squarks in Higgs-anomaly mediation

We consider a simple setup with light squarks which is free from the gravitino and SUSY flavor problems. In our setup, a SUSY breaking sector is sequestered from the matter and gauge sectors, and it only couples to the Higgs sector directly with mathcal{O}(100) TeV gravitino. Resulting mass spectra of sfermions are split: the first and second generation sfermions are light as mathcal{O}(1) TeV while the third generation sfermions are heavy as mathcal{O}(10) TeV. The light squarks of mathcal{O}(1) TeV can be searched at the (high-luminosity) LHC and future collider experiments. Our scenario can naturally avoid too large flavor-changing neutral currents and it is consistent with the ϵK constraint. Moreover, there are regions explaining the muon g − 2 anomaly and bottom-tau/top-bottom-tau Yukawa coupling unification simultaneously.

Effective theories of flavor and the nonuniversal MSSM

Flavor symmetries \`{a} la Froggatt-Nielsen~(FN) provide a compelling way to explain the hierarchies of fermionic masses and mixing angles in the Yukawa sector. In Supersymmetric~(SUSY) extensions of the Standard Model where the mediation of SUSY breaking occurs at scales larger than the breaking of flavor, this symmetry must be respected not only by the Yukawas of the superpotential, but by the soft-breaking masses and trilinear terms as well. In this work we show that contrary to naive expectations, even starting with completely flavor blind soft-breaking in the full theory at high scales, the low-energy sfermion mass matrices and trilinear terms of the effective theory, obtained upon integrating out the heavy mediator fields, are strongly non-universal. We explore the phenomenology of these SUSY flavor models after the latest LHC searches for new physics.

Predicting the sparticle spectrum from GUTs via SUSY threshold corrections with SusyTC

Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) can feature predictions for the ratios of quark and lepton Yukawa couplings at high energy, which can be tested with the increasingly precise results for the fermion masses, given at low energies. To perform such tests, the renormalization group (RG) running has to be performed with sufficient accuracy. In supersymmetric (SUSY) theories, the one-loop threshold corrections (TC) are of particular importance and, since they affect the quark-lepton mass relations, link a given GUT flavour model to the sparticle spectrum. To accurately study such predictions, we extend and generalize various formulas in the literature which are needed for a precision analysis of SUSY flavour GUT models. We introduce the new software tool SusyTC, a major extension to the Mathematica package REAP, where these formulas are implemented. SusyTC extends the functionality of REAP by a full inclusion of the (complex) MSSM SUSY sector and a careful calculation of the one-loop SUSY threshold corrections for the full down-type quark, up-type quark and charged lepton Yukawa coupling matrices in the electroweak-unbroken phase. Among other useful features, SusyTC calculates the one-loop corrected pole mass of the charged (or the CP-odd) Higgs boson as well as provides output in SLHA conventions, i.e. the necessary input for external software, e.g. for performing a two-loop Higgs mass calculation. We apply SusyTC to study the predictions for the parameters of the CMSSM (mSUGRA) SUSY scenario from the set of GUT scale Yukawa relations $y_e / y_d = - 1/2$, $y_\mu / y_s = 6$, and $y_\tau / y_b = - 3/2$, which has been proposed recently in the context of SUSY GUT flavour models.

The Higgs mass and natural supersymmetric spectrum from the landscape

In supersymmetric models where the superpotential mu term is generated with mu<< m_{soft} (e.g. from radiative Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking or compactified string models with sequestration and stabilized moduli), and where the string landscape 1. favors soft supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking terms as large as possible and 2. where the anthropic condition that electroweak symmetry is properly broken with a weak scale m_{W,Z,h}~100 GeV ({\it i.e.} not too weak of weak interactions), then these combined landscape/anthropic requirements act as an attractor pulling the soft SUSY breaking terms towards values required by models with radiatively-driven naturalness: near the line of criticality where electroweak symmetry is barely broken and the Higgs mass is ~125 GeV. The pull on the soft terms serves to ameliorate the SUSY flavor and CP problems. The resulting sparticle mass spectrum may barely be accessible at high-luminosity LHC while the required light higgsinos should be visible at a linear e^+e^- collider with \sqrt{s}>2m(higgsino).

Distinguishing LSP archetypes via gluino pair production at LHC13

The search for supersymmetry at Run 1 of LHC has resulted in gluino mass limits m(gluino)>~ 1.3 TeV for the case where m(gluino)<<m(squark) and in models with gaugino mass unification. The increased energy and ultimately luminosity of LHC13 will explore the range m(gluino)~ 1.3-2 TeV. We examine how the discovery of SUSY via gluino pair production would unfold via a comparative analysis of three LSP archetype scenarios: 1. mSUGRA/CMSSM model with a bino-like LSP, 2. charged SUSY breaking (CSB) with a wino-like LSP and 3. SUSY with radiatively-driven naturalness (RNS) and a higgsino-like LSP. In all three cases we expect heavy-to-very-heavy squarks as suggested by a decoupling solution to the SUSY flavor and CP problems and by the gravitino problem. For all cases, initial SUSY discovery would likely occur in the multi-b-jet + ETMISS channel. The CSB scenario would be revealed by the presence of highly-ionizing, terminating tracks from quasi-stable charginos. As further data accrue, the RNS scenario with 100-200 GeV higgsino-like LSPs would be revealed by the build-up of a mass edge/bump in the OS/SF dilepton invariant mass which is bounded by the neutralino mass difference. The mSUGRA/CMSSM archetype would contain neither of these features but would be revealed by a buildup of the usual multi-lepton cascade decay signatures.

Peccei-Quinn invariant singlet extended SUSY with anomalous U(1) gauge symmetry

Recent discovery of the SM-like Higgs boson with m h ≃ 125 GeV motivates an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), which involves a singlet Higgs superfield with a sizable Yukawa coupling to the doublet Higgs superfields. We examine such singlet-extended SUSY models with a Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry that originates from an anomalous U(1) A gauge symmetry. We focus on the specific scheme that the PQ symmetry is spontaneously broken at an intermediate scale v PQ ∼ m SUSY M Pl by an interplay between Planck scale suppressed operators and tachyonic soft scalar mass $$ {m}_{\mathrm{SUSY}}\sim \sqrt{D_A} $$ induced dominantly by the U(1) A D-term D A . This scheme also results in spontaneous SUSY breaking in the PQ sector, generating the gaugino masses $$ {m}_{1/2}\sim \sqrt{D_A} $$ when it is transmitted to the MSSM sector by the conventional gauge mediation mechanism. As a result, the MSSM soft parameters in this scheme are induced mostly by the U(1) A D-term and the gauge mediated SUSY breaking from the PQ sector, so that the sparticle masses can be near the present experimental bounds without causing the SUSY flavor problem. The scheme is severely constrained by the condition that a phenomenologically viable form of the low energy operators of the singlet and doublet Higgs superfields is generated by the PQ breaking sector in a way similar to the Kim-Nilles solution of the μ problem, and the resulting Higgs mass parameters allow the electroweak symmetry breaking with small tan β. We find two minimal models with two singlet Higgs superfields, satisfying this condition with a relatively simple form of the PQ breaking sector, and briefly discuss some phenomenological aspects of the model.

Higgs boson mass and electroweak observables in the MRSSM

R-symmetry is a fundamental symmetry which can solve the SUSY flavor problem and relax the search limits on SUSY masses. Here we provide a complete next-to-leading order computation and discussion of the lightest Higgs boson mass, the W boson mass and muon decay in the minimal R-symmetric SUSY model (MRSSM). This model contains non-MSSM particles including a Higgs triplet, Dirac gauginos and higgsinos, and leads to significant new tree-level and one-loop contributions to these observables. We show that the model can accommodate the measured values of the observables for interesting regions of parameter space with stop masses of order 1 TeV in spite of the absence of stop mixing. We characterize these regions and provide typical benchmark points, which are also checked against further experimental constraints. A detailed exposition of the model, its mass matrices and its Feynman rules relevant for computations in this paper is also provided.

SUSY FLAVOR v2.5: A computational tool for FCNC and CP-violating processes in the MSSM

SUSY FLAVOR v2.5: A computational tool for FCNC and CP-violating processes in the MSSM

Naturalness implies intra-generational degeneracy for decoupled squarks and sleptons

The SUSY flavor, CP, gravitino and proton-decay problems are all solved to varying degrees by a decoupling solution wherein first/second generation matter scalars would exist in the multi-TeV regime. Recent models of natural SUSY presumably allow for a co-existence of naturalness with the decoupling solution. We show that: if sfermions are heavier than $\sim 10$ TeV, then a small first/second generation contribution to electroweak fine-tuning (EWFT) requires a rather high degree of intra-generational degeneracy of either 1. (separately) squarks and sleptons, 2. (separately) left- and right-type sfermions, 3. members of SU(5) multiplets, or 4. all members of a single generation as in SO(10). These (partial) degeneracy patterns required by naturalness hint at the necessity of an organizing principle, and highlight the limitations of models such as the pMSSM in the case of decoupled first/second generation scalars.

The string origin of SUSY flavor violation

We argue that in large classes of string compactifications with a MSSM-like structure substantial flavor violating SUSY-breaking soft terms are generically induced. We specify to the case of flavor dependent soft-terms in type IIB/F-theory SU(5) unified models, although our results can be easily extended to other settings. The Standard Model (SM) degrees of freedom reside in a local system of 7-branes wrapping a 4-fold S in the extra dimensions. It is known that in the presence of closed string 3-form fluxes SUSY-breaking terms are typically generated. We explore the generation dependence of these soft terms and find that non-universalities arise whenever the flux varies over the 4-fold S. These non-universalities are parametrically suppressed by (M GUT /M Pl)1/3. They also arise in the case of varying open string fluxes, in this case parametrically suppressed by $ \alpha_{\mathrm{GUT}}^{{{1 \left/ {2} \right.}}} $ . For a standard unification scheme with M GUT ≃ 1016 GeV and α GUT ≃ 1/24 these suppressions are very mild. Although limits from the kaon mass difference Δm K are easily obeyed for squark masses above the present LHC limits, constraints from the CP-violation parameter ϵ K imply squark masses in the multi-TeV region. The constraints from BR(μ → eγ) turn out to be the strongest ones, with slepton masses of order ~ 10 TeV or heavier required to obey the experimental limits. These sfermion masses are consistent with the observed large value m H ≃ 126 GeV of the Higgs mass. We discuss under what conditions such strong limits may be relaxed allowing for SUSY particle production at LHC.

Phenomenology ofS4flavor symmetric extraU(1)model

We study several phenomenologies of an E_6 inspired extra U(1) model with S_4 flavor symmetry. With the assignment of left-handed quarks and leptons to S_4-doublet, SUSY flavor problem is softened. As the extra Higgs bosons are neutrinophilic, baryon number asymmetry in the universe is realized by leptogenesis without causing gravitino overproduction. We find that the allowed region for the lightest chargino mass is given by 100-140 GeV, if the dark matter is a singlino dominated neutralino whose mass is about 36 GeV.

Radiative natural supersymmetry: Reconciling electroweak fine-tuning and the Higgs boson mass

Models of natural supersymmetry seek to solve the little hierarchy problem by positing a spectrum of light higgsinos <~ 200-300 GeV and light top squarks <~ 600 GeV along with very heavy squarks and TeV-scale gluinos. Such models have low electroweak fine-tuning and satisfy the LHC constraints. However, in the context of the MSSM, they predict too low a value of m(h), are frequently in conflict with the measured b\to s\gamma branching fraction and the relic density of thermally produced higgsino-like WIMPs falls well below dark matter (DM) measurements. We propose "radiative natural SUSY" (RNS) which can be realized within the MSSM (avoiding the addition of extra exotic matter) and which maintains features such as gauge coupling unification and radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. The RNS model can be generated from SUSY GUT type models with non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM). Allowing for high scale soft SUSY breaking Higgs mass m_{H_u}> m_0 leads to automatic cancellations during renormalization group (RG) running, and to radiatively-induced low fine-tuning at the electroweak scale. Coupled with large mixing in the top squark sector, RNS allows for fine-tuning at the 3-10% level with TeV-scale top squarks and a 125 GeV light Higgs scalar h. The model allows for at least a partial solution to the SUSY flavor, CP and gravitino problems since first/second generation scalars (and the gravitino) may exist in the 10-30 TeV regime. We outline some possible signatures for RNS at the LHC and at a linear e^+e^- collider. If the strong CP problem is solved by the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, then RNS naturally accommodates mixed axion-higgsino cold dark matter, where the light higgsino-like WIMPS - which in this case make up only a fraction of the measured relic abundance - should be detectable at upcoming WIMP detectors.

Decays of H 0/A 0 in supersymmetric scenarios with heavy sfermions

The recent discovery of a new boson at the LHC, which resembles a SM-like Higgs boson with $m_h=125$ GeV, is starting to provide strong guidelines into SUSY model building. For instance, the identification of such a state with the lightest CP-even Higgs boson of the MSSM ($h^0$), requires large values of $\tan\beta$ and/or heavy sfermions. One outcome of this result is the possibility to solve the SUSY flavor and CP problems by decoupling, which points towards some realization of Split-inspired SUSY scenarios, in which scalars are much heavier than gauginos and higgsinos. However, we argue here that the remaining Higgs bosons of the MSSM ($H^0$, $A^0$, $H^{\pm}$) do not have to be as heavy as the sfermions, and having them with masses near the EW scale does not pose any conflict with current MSSM constraints. We discuss then some SUSY scenarios with heavy sfermions, from a bottom-up approach, which contain the full Higgs sector, as well as a possible dark matter candidate, with masses near the EW scale, and identify distinctive signals from these scenarios that could be searched at the LHC.

Pure gravity mediation of supersymmetry breaking at the Large Hadron Collider

Supersymmetric theories which can allow for a 125 GeV Higgs mass and also solve the naturalness and susy flavor problems now require a fair degree of complexity. Here we consider the simplest possibility for supersymmetry near the weak scale, but with the requirement of naturalness dropped. In "pure gravity mediation", all supersymmetric particles except for the gauginos lie at tens to thousands of TeV, with the gauginos obtaining loop suppressed masses automatically by anomaly mediation and higgsino threshold corrections. The gauginos are the lightest superpartners, and we investigate the current collider constraints on their masses, as well as the future reach of the LHC. We consider gluino pair production with a jets + missing energy signature, as well as events with disappearing charged tracks caused by charged winos decaying into their neutral partners. We show that presently, gluino masses less than about 1 TeV and wino masses less than about 300 GeV are excluded, and that the 14 TeV LHC can probe gluino masses up to about 2 TeV and wino masses up to 1 TeV.

Fermiophobic Higgs boson and supersymmetry

If a light Higgs boson with mass 125 GeV is fermiophobic, or partially fermiophobic, then the MSSM is excluded. The minimal supersymmetric fermiophobic Higgs scenario can naturally be formulated in the context of the NMSSM that admits Z_3 discrete symmetries. In the fermiophobic NMSSM, the SUSY naturalness criteria are relaxed by a factor N_c y_t^4/g^4 \sim 25, removing the little hierarchy problem and allowing sparticle masses to be naturally of order 2--3 TeV. This scale motivates wino or higgsino dark matter. The SUSY flavour and CP problems as well as the constraints on sparticle and Higgs boson masses from b \to s\gamma, B_s \to \mu\mu\ and direct LHC searches are relaxed in fermiophobic NMSSM. The price to pay is that a new, yet unknown, mechanism must be introduced to generate fermion masses. We show that in the fermiophobic NMSSM the radiative Higgs boson branchings to \gamma\gamma, \gamma Z can be modified compared to the fermiophobic and ordinary standard model predictions, and fit present collider data better. Suppression of dark matter scattering off nuclei explains the absence of signal in XENON100.