Updated Post-WMAP Benchmarks for Supersymmetry

We update a previously-proposed set of supersymmetric benchmark scenarios, taking into account the precise constraints on the cold dark matter density obtained by combining WMAP and other cosmological data, as well as the LEP and b -> s gamma constraints. We assume that R parity is conserved and work within the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking scalar and gaugino masses m_0 and m_1/2. In most cases, the relic density calculated for the previous benchmarks may be brought within the WMAP range by reducing slightly m_0, but in two cases more substantial changes in m_0 and m_1/2 are made. Since the WMAP constraint reduces the effective dimensionality of the CMSSM parameter space, one may study phenomenology along `WMAP lines' in the (m_1/2, m_0) plane that have acceptable amounts of dark matter. We discuss the production, decays and detectability of sparticles along these lines, at the LHC and at linear e+ e- colliders in the sub- and multi-TeV ranges, stressing the complementarity of hadron and lepton colliders, and with particular emphasis on the neutralino sector. Finally, we preview the accuracy with which one might be able to predict the density of supersymmetric cold dark matter using collider measurements.Comment: 43 pages LaTeX, 13 eps figure

Matching parton showers to NLO computations

We give a prescription for attaching parton showers to next-to-leading order (NLO) partonic jet cross sections in electron-positron annihilation. Our method effectively extends to NLO the scheme of Catani, Krauss, Kuhn, and Webber for matching between m hard jets and (m+1) hard jets. The matching between parton splitting as part of a shower and parton splitting as part of NLO matrix elements is based on the Catani-Seymour dipole subtraction method that is commonly used for removing the singularities from the NLO matrix elements.}Comment: 45 pages, new introduction, more detailed discussion of the Sudakov reweightin

Bounds on R-Parity Violating Parameters from Fermion EDM's

We study one-loop contributions to the fermion electric dipole moments in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with explicit R-parity violating interactions. We obtain new individual bounds on R-parity violating Yukawa couplings and put more stringent limits on certain parameters than those obtained previously.Comment: 16 pages, LaTe

Challenging SO(10) SUSY GUTs with family symmetries through FCNC processes

We perform a detailed analysis of the SO(10) SUSY GUT model with D3 family symmetry of Dermisek and Raby (DR). The model is specified in terms of 24 parameters and predicts, as a function of them, the whole MSSM set of parameters at low energy scales. Concerning the SM subset of such parameters, the model is able to give a satisfactory description of the quark and lepton masses, of the PMNS matrix and of the CKM matrix. We perform a global fit to the model, including flavour changing neutral current (FCNC) processes Bs --> mu+ mu-, B --> Xs gamma, B --> Xs l+ l- and the B(d,s) - bar B(d,s) mass differences Delta M(d,s) as well as the flavour changing (FC) process B+ --> tau+ nu. These observables provide at present the most sensitive probe of the SUSY mass spectrum and couplings predicted by the model. Our analysis demonstrates that the simultaneous description of the FC observables in question represents a serious challenge for the DR model, unless the masses of the scalars are moved to regions which are problematic from the point of view of naturalness and probably beyond the reach of the LHC. We emphasize that this problem could be a general feature of SUSY GUT models with third generation Yukawa unification and weak-scale minimal flavour violation.Comment: 1 + 37 pages, 5 figures, 11 tables. v3: minor typos fixed. Matches JHEP published versio

T-odd Correlations in the Decay of Scalar Fermions

We define a CP sensitive asymmetry in the sfermion decays \ti f \to f \ti\chi^0_j \ell \bar \ell, f \ti\chi^0_j q \bar q, based on triple product correlations between the momenta of the outgoing fermions. We study this asymmetry in the MSSM with complex parameters. We show that the asymmetry is sensitive to the phases of the parameters $\mu$ and $M_1$. The leading contribution stems from the decay chain \ti f\to f \ti\chi^0_j\to f \ti\chi^0_1 Z\to f \ti\chi^0_1 \ell \bar \ell (f \ti\chi^0_1 q \bar q), for which we obtain analytic formulae for the amplitude squared. The asymmetry can go up to 3% for \ti f\to f \ti\chi^0_1 \ell \bar \ell, and up to 20% for \ti f\to f \ti\chi^0_1 q \bar q. We also estimate the rates necessary to measure the asymmetry.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; comments and references added; two tables added; version to appear in Eur. Phys.

Ultra-High Energy Neutrino Fluxes: New Constraints and Implications

We apply new upper limits on neutrino fluxes and the diffuse extragalactic component of the GeV gamma-ray flux to various scenarios for ultra high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos. As a result we find that extra-galactic top-down sources can not contribute significantly to the observed flux of highest energy cosmic rays. The Z-burst mechanism where ultra-high energy neutrinos produce cosmic rays via interactions with relic neutrinos is practically ruled out if cosmological limits on neutrino mass and clustering apply.Comment: 10 revtex pages, 9 postscript figure

Supersymmetric Benchmarks with Non-Universal Scalar Masses or Gravitino Dark Matter

We propose and examine a new set of benchmark supersymmetric scenarios, some of which have non-universal Higgs scalar masses (NUHM) and others have gravitino dark matter (GDM). The scalar masses in these models are either considerably larger or smaller than the narrow range allowed for the same gaugino mass m_{1/2} in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal scalar masses m_0 and neutralino dark matter. The NUHM and GDM models with larger m_0 may have large branching ratios for Higgs and/or $Z$ production in the cascade decays of heavier sparticles, whose detection we discuss. The phenomenology of the GDM models depends on the nature of the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP), which has a lifetime exceeding 10^4 seconds in the proposed benchmark scenarios. In one GDM scenario the NLSP is the lightest neutralino \chi, and the supersymmetric collider signatures are similar to those in previous CMSSM benchmarks, but with a distinctive spectrum. In the other GDM scenarios based on minimal supergravity (mSUGRA), the NLSP is the lighter stau slepton {\tilde \tau}_1, with a lifetime between ~ 10^4 and 3 X 10^6 seconds. Every supersymmetric cascade would end in a {\tilde \tau}_1, which would have a distinctive time-of-flight signature. Slow-moving {\tilde \tau}_1's might be trapped in a collider detector or outside it, and the preferred detection strategy would depend on the {\tilde \tau}_1 lifetime. We discuss the extent to which these mSUGRA GDM scenarios could be distinguished from gauge-mediated models.Comment: 52 pages LaTeX, 13 figure

A Window on the CP-violating Phases of MSSM from Lepton Flavor Violating Processes

It has recently been shown that by measuring the transverse polarization of the final particles in the LFV processes $\mu \to e\gamma$, $\mu \to eee$ and $\mu N\to e N$, one can derive information on the CP-violating phases of the underlying theory. We derive formulas for the transverse polarization of the final particles in terms of the couplings of the effective potential leading to these processes. We then study the dependence of the polarizations of $e$ and $\gamma$ in the $\mu \to e \gamma$ and $\mu N \to e N$ on the parameters of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We show that combining the information on various observables in the $\mu \to e\gamma$ and $\mu N\to e N$ search experiments with the information on the electric dipole moment of the electron can help us to solve the degeneracies in parameter space and to determine the values of certain phases.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Neutralino-Nucleon Cross Section and Charge and Colour Breaking Constraints

We compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section in several supersymmetric scenarios, taking into account all kind of constraints. In particular, the constraints that the absence of dangerous charge and colour breaking minima imposes on the parameter space are studied in detail. In addition, the most recent experimental constraints, such as the lower bound on the Higgs mass, the $b\to s\gamma$ branching ratio, and the muon $g-2$ are considered. The astrophysical bounds on the dark matter density are also imposed on the theoretical computation of the relic neutralino density, assuming thermal production. This computation is relevant for the theoretical analysis of the direct detection of dark matter in current experiments. We consider first the supergravity scenario with universal soft terms and GUT scale. In this scenario the charge and colour breaking constraints turn out to be quite important, and \tan\beta\lsim 20 is forbidden. Larger values of $\tan\beta$ can also be forbidden, depending on the value of the trilinear parameter $A$. Finally, we study supergravity scenarios with an intermediate scale, and also with non-universal scalar and gaugino masses where the cross section can be very large.Comment: Final version to appear in JHE

Observational Cosmology in Macroscopic Gravity

We discuss the construction of cosmological models within the framework of Macroscopic Gravity (MG), which is a theory that models the effects of averaging the geometry of space-time on large scales. We find new exact spatially homogeneous and isotropic FLRW solutions to the MG field equations, and investigate large-scale perturbations around them. We find that any inhomogeneous perturbations to the averaged geometry are severely restricted, but that possible anisotropies in the correlation tensor can have dramatic consequences for the measurement of distances. These calculations are a first step within the MG approach toward developing averaged cosmological models to a point where they can be used to interpret real cosmological data, and hence to provide a working alternative to the "concordance" LCDM model.Comment: 22 page