Splitting the Wino Multiplet by Higher-Dimensional Operators in Anomaly Mediation

In a class of AMSB models, the splitting in the Wino multiplet turns out to be very small, such as the often-quoted 170 MeV in minimal AMSB, which originates from MSSM loops. Such a small mass gap is potentially a window into higher scale physics, as it may be sensitive to higher-dimensional operators. We show that still within AMSB one can get a much larger splitting in the Wino multiplet--a few GeV--if the scale of the new physics is comparable to the gravitino mass (which is indeed often the scale of new physics in anomaly mediation).Comment: 18 pages; v2: references added, matching journal versio

Relating direct CP violation in D decays and the forward-backward asymmetry in ttˉt\bar t production

The CDF and LHCb experiments have recently provided two intriguing hints for new physics: a large forward-backward asymmetry in $t\bar t$ production, and a direct CP asymmetry in D decays of order a percent. In both cases, flavor non-universal interactions are required in the up sector, raising the possibility that the two effects come from one and the same new physics source. We show that a minimal model, with an extra scalar doublet, previously suggested to explain the top data, gives -- without any modifications or additions -- a contribution to CP violation in charm decays that is of the right size.Comment: 4 pages. v3: A calculation of the contribution to epsilon^prime is presented; Conclusions unchange

SIMP Spectroscopy

We study the interactions between strongly interacting massive particle dark matter and the Standard Model via a massive vector boson that is kinetically mixed with the hypercharge gauge boson. The relic abundance is set by 3-to-2 self-interactions of the dark matter, while the interactions with the vector mediator enable kinetic equilibrium between the dark and visible sectors. We show that a wide range of parameters is phenomenologically viable and can be probed in various ways. Astrophysical and cosmological constraints are evaded due to the p-wave nature of dark matter annihilation into visible particles, while direct detection methods using electron recoils can be sensitive to parts of the parameter space. In addition, we propose performing spectroscopy of the strongly coupled dark sector at e+e- colliders, where the energy of a mono-photon can track the resonance structure of the dark sector. Alternatively, some resonances may decay back into Standard Model leptons or jets, realizing `hidden valley' phenomenology at the LHC and ILC in a concrete fashion.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures; v2: matches published version; v3: fixed typos in Eqs. (4.15), (6.7) and (6.9), results unchange

Displaced Vertices from X-ray Lines

We present a simple model of weak-scale thermal dark matter that gives rise to X-ray lines. Dark matter consists of two nearly degenerate states near the weak scale, which are populated thermally in the early universe via co-annihilation with slightly heavier states that are charged under the Standard Model. The X-ray line arises from the decay of the heavier dark matter component into the lighter one via a radiative dipole transition, at a rate that is slow compared to the age of the universe. The model predicts observable signatures at the LHC in the form of exotic events with missing energy and displaced leptons and jets. As an application, we show how this model can explain the recently observed 3.55 keV X-ray line.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Superconducting Detectors for Super Light Dark Matter

We propose and study a new class of superconducting detectors which are sensitive to O(meV) electron recoils from dark matter-electron scattering. Such devices could detect dark matter as light as the warm dark matter limit, mX > keV. We compute the rate of dark matter scattering off of free electrons in a (superconducting) metal, including the relevant Pauli blocking factors. We demonstrate that classes of dark matter consistent with terrestrial and cosmological/astrophysical constraints could be detected by such detectors with a moderate size exposure.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; v2: improved detection discussion, modified benchmark mode