Implications of SUSY Model Building

We discuss the motivations and implications of models of low-energy supersymmetry. We present the case for the minimal supersymmetric standard model, which we define to include the minimal particle content and soft supersymmetry-breaking interactions which are universal at the GUT or Planck scale. This model is in agreement with all present experimental results, and yet depends on only a few unknown parameters and therefore maintains considerable predictive power. From the theoretical side, it arises naturally in the context of supergravity models. We discuss radiative electroweak symmetry breaking and the superpartner spectrum in this scenario, with some added emphasis on regions of parameter space leading to unusual or interesting experimental signals at future colliders. We then examine how these results may be affected by various modifications and extensions of the minimal model, including GUT effects, extended gauge, Higgs, and matter sectors, non-universal supersymmetry breaking, non-conservation of R-parity, and dynamical supersymmetry breaking at low energies.Comment: Contribution to the DPF long range study, working group on 'Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and Beyond the SM Physics'; LaTeX file without figures, 60 pages. The complete PS file, including figures, can be obtained by anonymous ftp from ftp://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1995/madph-95-879.ps.

Probing Supersymmetry using Event Shape variables at 8 TeV LHC

We have revisited the prospects of Supersymmetry(SUSY) searches at the LHC with 7 TeV energy along with the prediction of the discovery potential at 8 TeV energy assuming an integrated luminosity 5 $fb ^{-1}$ and 20 \invfb with mSUGRA/CMSSM as a model framework. We discuss further optimization of our selection strategy which is based on the hadronic event shape variables. Evaluating the standard model backgrounds and signal rates in detail we predict the discovery reach in the $m_0 - m_{1/2}$ plane for 7 TeV with 5\invfb luminosity. We also present the discovery reach for 8 TeV energy with an integrated luminosity 5\invfb and 20 \invfb. A comparison is made between our results and the exclusion plots obtained by CMS and ATLAS. Finally, discovery reach in the gluino and squark mass plane at the 7 TeV and 8 TeV energy is also presented.Comment: 17 pages, 6 eps figures, 20/fb results and figures added, some references added, version accepted and to be published in Physical Review

Light Stop Searches at the LHC in Events with two b-Jets and Missing Energy

We propose a new method to discover light top squarks (stops) in the co-annihilation region at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The bino-like neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and the lighter stop is the next-to-LSP. Such scenarios can be consistent with electroweak baryogenesis and also with dark matter constraints. We consider the production of two stops in association with two b-quarks, including pure QCD as well as mixed electroweak-QCD contributions. The stops decay into a charm quark and the LSP. For a higgsino-like light chargino the electroweak contributions can exceed the pure QCD prediction. We show the size of the electroweak contributions as a function of the stop mass and present the LHC discovery reach in the stop-neutralino mass plane.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Zeroing in on Supersymmetric Radiation Amplitude Zeros

Radiation amplitude zeros have long been used to test the Standard Model. Here, we consider the supersymmetric radiation amplitude zero in chargino-neutralino associated production, which can be observed at the luminosity upgraded LHC. Such an amplitude zero only occurs if the neutralino has a large wino fraction and hence this observable can be used to determine the neutralino eigenstate content. We find that this observable can be measured by comparing the p_T spectrum of the softest lepton in the trilepton $\chi_1^\pm \chi_2^0$ decay channel to that of a control process such as $\chi_1^+ \chi_1^-$ or $\chi_2^0 \chi_2^0$. We test this technique on a previously generated model sample of the 19 dimensional parameter space of the phenomenological MSSM, and find that it is effective in determining the wino content of the neutralino.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

LHC discovery potential for supersymmetry with \sqrt{s}=7 TeV and 5-30 fb^{-1}

We extend our earlier results delineating the supersymmetry (SUSY) reach of the CERN Large Hadron Collider operating at a centre-of-mass energy \sqrt{s}=7 TeV to integrated luminosities in the range 5 - 30 fb^{-1}. Our results are presented within the paradigm minimal supergravity model (mSUGRA or CMSSM). Using a 6-dimensional grid of cuts for the optimization of signal to background ratio -- including missing E_T-- we find for m(gluino) \sim m(squark) an LHC 5\sigma SUSY discovery reach of m(gluino) \sim 1.3,\ 1.4,\ 1.5 and 1.6 TeV for 5, 10, 20 and 30 fb^{-1}, respectively. For m(squark)>> m(gluino), the corresponding reach is instead m(gluino)\sim 0.8,\ 0.9,\ 1.0 and 1.05 TeV, for the same integrated luminosities.Comment: 7 pages with 2 .eps figure. In version 2, a new figure has been added along with associated discussio

Next-to-leading order QCD predictions for A0γA^{0}\gamma associated production at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

We calculate the complete next-to-leading-order (NLO) QCD corrections (including SUSY QCD corrections) to the inclusive total cross sections of the associated production processes $pp\rightarrow A^{0}\gamma+X$ in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our results show that the enhancement of the total cross sections from the NLO QCD corrections can reach $15$ for 200 GeV$<m_{A}<500$ GeV and $\tan\beta=50$. The scale dependence of the total cross section is improved by the NLO corrections, which is less than 5%. We also show the Monte Carlo simulation results for the $\tau^{+}\tau^{-}+\gamma$ signature including the complete NLO QCD effects, and find an observable signature above the standard model (SM) background for a normal luminosity of 100 fb$^{-1}$ at the LHC.Comment: Published version in Phys.Rev.

Determining the squark mass at the LHC

We propose a new way to determine the squark mass based on the shape of di-jet invariant mass distribution of supersymmetry (SUSY) di-jet events at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our algorithm, which is based on event kinematics, requires that the branching ratio $B(\tilde{q} \rightarrow q \tilde{z}_1)$ is substantial for at least some types of squarks, and that $m_{\tilde{z}_1}^2/m_{\tilde{q}}^2 \ll 1$. We select di-jet events with no isolated leptons, and impose cuts on the total jet transverse energy, $E_T^{tot}=E_T(j_1)+E_T(j_2)$, on $\alpha = E_T(j_2)/m_{jj}$, and on the azimuthal angle between the two jets to reduce SM backgrounds. The shape of the resulting di-jet mass distribution depends sensitively on the squark mass, especially if the integrated luminosity is sufficient to allow a hard enough cut on $E_T^{tot}$ and yet leave a large enough signal to obtain the $m_{jj}$ distribution. We simulate the signal and Standard Model (SM) backgrounds for 100 fb$^{-1}$ integrated luminosity at 14 TeV requiring $E_T^{tot}> 700$ GeV. We show that it should be possible to extract $m_{\tilde{q}}$ to within about 3% at 95% CL --- similar to the precision obtained using $m_{T2}$ --- from the di-jet mass distribution if $m_{\tilde{q}} \sim 650$ GeV, or to within $\sim 5$% if $m_{\tilde{q}}\sim 1$ TeV.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures. Footnote added, updated reference

Squark and slepton masses as probes of supersymmetric SO(10) unification

We carry out an analysis of the non-universal supersymmetry breaking scalar masses arising in SO(10) supersymmetric unification. By considering patterns of squark and slepton masses, we derive a set of sum rules for the sfermion masses which are independent of the manner in which SO(10) breaks to the Standard Model gauge group via its SU(5) subgroups. The phenomenology arising from such non-universality is unaffected by the symmetry breaking pattern, so long as the breaking occurs via any of the SU(5) subgroups of the SO(10) group.Comment: 15 pages using RevTe

Probing SO(10) symmetry breaking patterns through sfermion mass relations

We consider supersymmetric SO(10) grand unification where the unified gauge group can break to the Standard Model gauge group through different chains. The breaking of SO(10) necessarily involves the reduction of the rank, and consequent generation of non-universal supersymmetry breaking scalar mass terms. We derive squark and slepton mass relations, taking into account these non-universal contributions to the sfermion masses, which can help distinguish between the different chains through which the SO(10) gauge group breaks to the Standard Model gauge group. We then study some implications of these non-universal supersymmetry breaking scalar masses for the low energy phenomenology.Comment: 13 pages, latex using revtex4, contains 2 figures, replaced with version accepted for publicatio

Right-handed Sneutrinos as Nonthermal Dark Matter

When the minimal supersymmetric standard model is augmented by three right-handed neutrino superfields, one generically predicts that the neutrinos acquire Majorana masses. We postulate that all supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking masses as well as the Majorana masses of the right-handed neutrinos are around the electroweak scale and, motivated by the smallness of neutrino masses, assume that the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is an almost-pure right-handed sneutrino. We discuss the conditions under which this LSP is a successful dark matter candidate. In general, such an LSP has to be nonthermal in order not to overclose the universe, and we find the conditions under which this is indeed the case by comparing the Hubble expansion rate with the rates of the relevant thermalizing processes, including self-annihilation and co-annihilation with other SUSY and standard model particles.Comment: 17 pages v.2: References adde