Digging Deeper for New Physics in the LHC Data

In this paper we describe a novel, model-independent technique of "rectangular aggregations" for mining the LHC data for hints of new physics. A typical (CMS) search now has hundreds of signal regions, which can obscure potentially interesting anomalies. Applying our technique to the two CMS jets+MET SUSY searches, we identify a set of previously overlooked $\sim 3\sigma$ excesses. Among these, four excesses survive tests of inter- and intra-search compatibility, and two are especially interesting: they are largely overlapping between the jets+MET searches and are characterized by low jet multiplicity, zero $b$-jets, and low MET and $H_T$. We find that resonant color-triplet production decaying to a quark plus an invisible particle provides an excellent fit to these two excesses and all other data -- including the ATLAS jets+MET search, which actually sees a correlated excess. We discuss the additional constraints coming from dijet resonance searches, monojet searches and pair production. Based on these results, we believe the wide-spread view that the LHC data contains no interesting excesses is greatly exaggerated.Comment: 31 pages + appendices, 14 figures, source code for recasted searches attached as auxiliary materia

Simplified Models for Dark Matter Interacting with Quarks

We investigate simplified models in which dark matter particles, taken to be either Dirac or Majorana fermions, couple to quarks via colored mediators. We determine bounds from colliders and direct detection experiments, and show how the interplay of the two leads to a complementary view of this class of dark matter models. Forecasts for future searches in light of the current constraints are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures (39 images) Fixed erroneous calculation and updated plot

An Update on the LHC Monojet Excess

In previous work, we identified an anomalous number of events in the LHC jets+MET searches characterized by low jet multiplicity and low-to-moderate transverse energy variables. Here, we update this analysis with results from a new ATLAS search in the monojet channel which also shows a consistent excess. As before, we find that this "monojet excess" is well-described by the resonant production of a heavy colored state decaying to a quark and a massive invisible particle. In the combined ATLAS and CMS data, we now find a local (global) preference of 3.3$\sigma$ (2.5$\sigma$) for the new physics model over the Standard Model-only hypothesis. As the signal regions containing the excess are systematics-limited, we consider additional cuts to enhance the signal-to-background ratio. We show that binning finer in $H_T$ and requiring the jets to be more central can increase $S/B$ by a factor of ${\sim} 1.5$.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, source for analysis code used in this paper in attached Ancillary file

Systematically Searching for New Resonances at the Energy Frontier using Topological Models

We propose a new strategy to systematically search for new physics processes in particle collisions at the energy frontier. An examination of all possible topologies which give identifiable resonant features in a specific final state leads to a tractable number of `topological models' per final state and gives specific guidance for their discovery. Using one specific final state, $\ell\ell jj$, as an example, we find that the number of possibilities is reasonable and reveals simple, but as-yet-unexplored, topologies which contain significant discovery potential. We propose analysis techniques and estimate the sensitivity for $pp$ collisions with $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV and $\mathcal{L}=300$ fb$^{-1}$

Photocarrier lifetime and transport in silicon supersaturated with sulfur

Doping of silicon-on-insulator layers with sulfur to concentrations far above equilibrium by ion implantation and pulsed laser melting can result in large concentration gradients. Photocarriers generated in and near the impurity gradient can separate into different coplanar transport layers, leading to enhanced photocarrier lifetimes in thin silicon-on-insulator films. The depth from which holes escape the heavily doped region places a lower limit on the minority carrier mobility-lifetime product of 10⁻⁸ cm²/V for heavily sulfur dopedsilicon. We conclude that the cross-section for recombination through S impurities at this concentration is significantly reduced relative to isolated impurities.Research at Rensselaer was supported by the Army Research Office under Contract No. W911NF0910470 and by the NSF REU program at Rensselaer. Research at Harvard was supported by US Army ARDEC under Contract No. W15QKN-07-P-0092. D.R. was supported in part by a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate fellowship

Simplified Models for Dark Matter Model Building

The largest mass component of the universe is a longstanding mystery to the physics community. As a glaring source of new physics beyond the Standard Model, there is a large effort to uncover the quantum nature of dark matter. Many probes have been formed to search for this elusive matter; cultivating a rich environment for a phenomenologist. In addition to the primary probes -- colliders, direct detection, and indirect detection -- each with their own complexities, there is a plethora of prospects to illuminate our unanswered questions. In this work, phenomenological techniques for studying dark matter and other possible hints of new physics will be discussed. This work primarily focuses on the use of Simplified Models, which are intended to be a compromise between generality and validity of the theoretical description. They are often used to parameterize a particular search, develop a well-defined sense of complementarity between searches, or motivate new search strategies. Explicit examples of such models and how they may be used will be the highlight of each chapter