rSUGRA: Putting Nonuniversal Gaugino Masses on the (W)MAP

In this talk, we investigate the relic density and direct detection prospects of rSUGRA, a simple paradigm for supersymmetry breaking that allows for nonuniversal gaugino masses. We present updated plots reflecting the latest cosmological measurements from WMAP.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Talk given at SUGRA 20 Conference, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 17-21 March 200

SUSY dark matter with non-universal gaugino masses

In this talk we investigate the dark matter prospects for supersymmetric models with non-universal gaugino masses. We motivate the use of non-universal gaugino masses from several directions, including problems with the current favorite scenario, the cMSSM. We then display new corridors of parameter space that allow an acceptable dark matter relic density once gaugino mass universality is relaxed. We finish with a specific string-derived model that allows this universality relaxation and then use the dark matter constraint to make specific statements about the hidden sector of the model.Comment: Talk at Dark Matter 2002. 5 pages, 4 figure

Scalar Dark Matter From Theory Space

The scalar dark matter candidate in a prototypical theory space little Higgs model is investigated. We review all details of the model pertinent to dark matter. We perform a thermal relic density calculation including couplings to the gauge and Higgs sectors of the model. We find two regions of parameter space that give acceptable dark matter abundances. The first region has a dark matter candidate with a mass of order 100 GeV, the second region has a heavy candidate with a mass greater than about 500 GeV$. The dark matter candidate in either region is an admixture of an SU(2) triplet and an SU(2) singlet, thereby constituting a WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle).Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in PR

Phenomenological Aspects of Heterotic Orbifold Models at One Loop

We provide a detailed study of the phenomenology of orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string within the context of supergravity effective theories. Our investigation focuses on those models where the soft Lagrangian is dominated by loop contributions to the various soft supersymmetry breaking parameters. Such models typically predict non-universal soft masses and are thus significantly different from minimal supergravity and other universal models. We consider the pattern of masses that are governed by these soft terms and investigate the implications of certain indirect constraints on supersymmetric models, such as flavor-changing neutral currents, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the density of thermal relic neutralinos. These string-motivated models show novel behavior that interpolates between the phenomenology of unified supergravity models and models dominated by the superconformal anomaly.Comment: 47 pages, 14 figure