SO(10) SUSY GUTs with mainly axion cold dark matter: implications for cosmology and colliders

Supersymmetric grand unified theories based on the gauge group SO(10) are highly motivated. In the simplest models, one expects t-b-\tau Yukawa coupling unification, in addition to gauge, matter and Higgs unification. Yukawa unification only occurs with very special GUT scale boundary conditions, leading to a spectra with ~10 TeV first and second generation scalars, TeV-scale third generation scalars, and light gauginos. The relic density of neutralino cold dark matter is calculated to be 10^2-10^4 times higher than observation. If we extend the theory with the PQWW solution to the strong CP problem, then instead a mixture of axions and axinos comprises the dark matter, with the measured abundance. Such a solution solves several cosmological problems. We predict a rather light gluino with m(gluino)~300-500 GeV that should be visible in either Tevatron or forthcoming LHC run 1 data. We would also expect ultimately a positive result from relic axion search experiments.Comment: 6 pages plus 2 .eps figures; invited talk given at Axions 2010 meeting, University of Florida, Jan. 15-17, 201

Computational Tools for Supersymmetry Calculations

I present a brief overview of a variety of computational tools for supersymmetry calculations, including: spectrum generators, cross section and branching fraction calculators, low energy constraints, general purpose event generators, matrix element event generators, SUSY dark matter codes, parameter extraction codes and Les Houches interface tools.Comment: Chapter to appear in Perspectives on Supersymmetry, edited by G. Kane; 23 pages including one .eps figur

Supersymmetry and Dark Matter post LHC8: why we may expect both axion and WIMP detection

In the post-LHC8 era, it is perceived that what is left of SUSY model parameter space is highly finetuned in the EW sector (EWFT). We discuss how conventional measures overestimate EWFT in SUSY theory. Radiatively-driven natural SUSY (RNS) models maintain the SUSY GUT paradigm with low EWFT at 10% level, but are characterized by light higgsinos ~100-300 GeV and a thermal underabundance of WIMP dark matter. Implementing the SUSY DFSZ solution to the strong CP problem explains the small \mu parameter but indicates dark matter should be comprised mainly of axions with a small admixture of higgsino-like WIMPs. While RNS might escape LHC14 searches, we would expect ultimately direct detection of both WIMPs and axions. An e^+e^- collider with \sqrt{s} ~ 500-600 GeV should provide a thorough search for the predicted light higgsinos.Comment: 11 pages; 5 figures: Talk given at Particle Physics and Cosmology meeting (PPC2013), July 8, 2013, Deadwood, South Dakot

SUSY backgrounds to Standard Model calibration processes at the LHC

One of the first orders of business for LHC experiments after beam turn-on will be to calibrate the detectors using well understood Standard Model (SM) processes such as W and Z production and ttbar production. These familiar SM processes can be used to calibrate the electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters, and also to calibrate the associated missing transverse energy signal. However, the presence of new physics may already affect the results coming from these standard benchmark processes. We show that the presence of relatively low mass supersymmetry (SUSY) particles may give rise to significant deviations from SM predictions of Z+jets and W+jets events for jet multiplicity $\ge 4$ or $\ge 5$, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of low mass SUSY may cause non-standard deviations to appear in top quark invariant and transverse mass distributions. Thus, effects that might be construed as detector mal-performance could in fact be the presence of new physics. We advocate several methods to check when new physics might be present within SM calibration data.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 table