A general method for determining the masses of semi-invisibly decaying particles at hadron colliders

We present a general solution to the long standing problem of determining the masses of pair-produced, semi-invisibly decaying particles at hadron colliders. We define two new transverse kinematic variables, $M_{CT_\perp}$ and $M_{CT_\parallel}$, which are suitable one-dimensional projections of the contransverse mass $M_{CT}$. We derive analytical formulas for the boundaries of the kinematically allowed regions in the $(M_{CT_\perp},M_{CT_\parallel})$ and $(M_{CT_\perp},M_{CT})$ parameter planes, and introduce suitable variables $D_{CT_\parallel}$ and $D_{CT}$ to measure the distance to those boundaries on an event per event basis. We show that the masses can be reliably extracted from the endpoint measurements of $M_{CT_\perp}^{max}$ and $D_{CT}^{min}$ (or $D_{CT_\parallel}^{min}$). We illustrate our method with dilepton $t\bar{t}$ events at the LHC.Comment: thoroughly revised; all new figures; new results on pages 3 and 4; new illustrative example; includes detector simulation. 4 pages, 6 figures, uses revtex and axodra

The Hierarchy Solution to the LHC Inverse Problem

Supersymmetric (SUSY) models, even those described by relatively few parameters, generically allow many possible SUSY particle (sparticle) mass hierarchies. As the sparticle mass hierarchy determines, to a great extent, the collider phenomenology of a model, the enumeration of these hierarchies is of the utmost importance. We therefore provide a readily generalizable procedure for determining the number of sparticle mass hierarchies in a given SUSY model. As an application, we analyze the gravity-mediated SUSY breaking scenario with various combinations of GUT-scale boundary conditions involving different levels of universality among the gaugino and scalar masses. For each of the eight considered models, we provide the complete list of forbidden hierarchies in a compact form. Our main result is that the complete (typically rather large) set of forbidden hierarchies among the eight sparticles considered in this analysis can be fully specified by just a few forbidden relations involving much smaller subsets of sparticles.Comment: 44 pages, 2 figures. Python code providing lists of allowed and forbidden hierarchy is included in ancillary file

Superpartner mass measurements with 1D decomposed MT2

We propose a new model-independent technique for mass measurements in missing energy events at hadron colliders. We illustrate our method with the most challenging case of a short, single-step decay chain. We consider inclusive same-sign chargino pair production in supersymmetry, followed by leptonic decays to sneutrinos. We introduce two one-dimensional decompositions of the Cambridge MT2 variable: MT2_\parallel and MT2_\perp, on the direction of the upstream transverse momentum PT and the direction orthogonal to it, respectively. We show that the sneutrino mass can be measured directly by minimizing the number of events N in which MT2 exceeds a certain threshold, conveniently measured from the endpoint MT2^max_\perp.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Revised version, one new figure, results now include detector simulation, conclusions unchange

Dark Matter Particle Spectroscopy at the LHC: Generalizing MT2 to Asymmetric Event Topologies

We consider SUSY-like missing energy events at hadron colliders and critically examine the common assumption that the missing energy is the result of two identical missing particles. In order to experimentally test this hypothesis, we generalize the subsystem MT2 variable to the case of asymmetric event topologies, where the two SUSY decay chains terminate in different "children" particles. In this more general approach, the endpoint MT2max of the MT2 distribution now gives the mass Mp(Mc(a),Mc(b)) of the parent particle as a function of two input children masses Mc(a) and Mc(b). We propose two methods for an independent determination of the individual children masses Mc(a) and Mc(b). First, in the presence of upstream transverse momentum P(UTM) the corresponding function Mp(Mc(a),Mc(b),P(UTM)) is independent of P(UTM) at precisely the right values of the children masses. Second, the previously discussed MT2 "kink" is now generalized to a "ridge" on the 2-dimensional surface Mp(Mc(a),Mc(b)). As we show in several examples, quite often there is a special point along that ridge which marks the true values of the children masses. Our results allow collider experiments to probe a multi-component dark matter sector directly and without any theoretical prejudice.Comment: 50 pages, 31 figures, includes a new Appendix, references added, typos correcte

Gravity-mediated (or composite) dark matter

Dark matter could have an electroweak origin, yet it could communicate with the visible sector exclusively through gravitational interactions. In a setup addressing the hierarchy problem, we propose a new dark-matter scenario where gravitational mediators, arising from the compactification of extra dimensions, are responsible for dark-matter interactions and its relic abundance in the Universe. We write an explicit example of this mechanism in warped extra dimensions and work out its constraints. We also develop a dual picture of the model, based on a four-dimensional scenario with partial compositeness. We show that gravity-mediated dark matter is equivalent to a mechanism of generating viable dark matter scenarios in a strongly coupled, near-conformal theory, such as in composite Higgs models

How to look for supersymmetry under the lamppost at the LHC

We apply a model-independent, agnostic approach to the collider phenomenology of supersymmetry (SUSY), in which all mass parameters are taken as free inputs at the weak scale. We consider the gauginos, higgsinos, and the first two generations of sleptons and squarks, and analyze all possible mass hierarchies among them ($4\times 8!=161,280$ in total) in which the lightest superpartner is neutral, leading to missing energy. In each case, we identify the full set of the dominant (i.e. least suppressed by phase space, small mixing angles or Yukawa couplings) decay chains originating from the lightest colored superpartner. Our exhaustive search reveals several quite dramatic yet unexplored multilepton signatures with up to 8 isolated leptons (plus possibly up to 2 massive gauge or Higgs bosons) in the final state. Such events are spectacular, background-free for all practical purposes, and may lead to a discovery of SUSY in the very early stage ($\sim 10\ {\rm pb}^{-1}$) of LHC operations at 7 TeV.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure