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

Analytic Results for Virtual QCD Corrections to Higgs Production and Decay

We consider the production of a Higgs boson via gluon-fusion and its decay into two photons. We compute the NLO virtual QCD corrections to these processes in a general framework in which the coupling of the Higgs boson to the external particles is mediated by a colored fermion and a colored scalar. We present compact analytic results for these two-loop corrections that are expressed in terms of Harmonic Polylogarithms. The expansion of these corrections in the low and high Higgs mass regimes, as well as the expression of the new Master Integrals which appear in the reduction of the two-loop amplitudes, are also provided. For the fermionic contribution, we provide an independent check of the results already present in the literature concerning the Higgs boson and the production and decay of a pseudoscalar particle.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, version accepted by JHE

Slepton Oscillation at Large Hadron Collider

Measurement of Lepton-Flavor Violation (LFV) in the minimal SUSY Standard Model (MSSM) at Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is studied based on a realistic simulation. We consider the LFV decay of the second-lightest neutralino, $\tilde{\chi}^0_2 \to \tilde{l} l' \to l l' \tilde{\chi}^0_1$, in the case where the flavor mixing exists in the right-handed sleptons. We scan the parameter space of the minimal supergravity model (MSUGRA) and a more generic model in which we take the Higgsino mass $\mu$ as a free parameter. We find that the possibility of observing LFV at LHC is higher if $\mu$ is smaller than the MSUGRA prediction; the LFV search at LHC can cover the parameter range where the $\mu \to e \gamma$ decay can be suppressed by the cancellation among the diagrams for this case.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure

A Detailed Study of the Gluino Decay into the Third Generation Squarks at the CERN LHC

In supersymmetric models a gluino can decay into tb\tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_1 through a stop or a sbottom. The decay chain produces an edge structure in the m_{tb} distribution. Monte Carlo simulation studies show that the end point and the edge height would be measured at the CERN LHC by using a sideband subtraction technique. The stop and sbottom masses as well as their decay branching ratios are constrained by the measurement. We study interpretations of the measurement in the minimal supergravity model. We also study the gluino decay into tb and \tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_2 as well as the influence of the stop left-right mixing on the m_{bb} distribution of the tagged $tb$ events.Comment: revtex, 20 pages in PRD format, 35 eps file

Measurement of SUSY masses via cascade decays for SPS 1a

If R-parity conserving supersymmetry exists below the TeV-scale, new particles will be produced and decay in cascades at the LHC. The lightest supersymmetric particle will escape the detectors, thereby complicating the full reconstruction of the decay chains. In this paper we expand on existing methods for determining the masses of the particles in the cascade from endpoints of kinematical distributions. We perform scans in the mSUGRA parameter space to delimit the region where this method is applicable. From the examination of theoretical distributions for a wide selection of mass scenarios it is found that caution must be exerted when equating the theoretical endpoints with the experimentally obtainable ones. We provide analytic formulae for the masses in terms of the endpoints most readily available. Complications due to the composite nature of the endpoint expressions are discussed in relation to the detailed analysis of two points on the SPS 1a line. Finally we demonstrate how a Linear Collider measurement can improve dramatically on the precision of the masses obtained

A New Parametrization of the Seesaw Mechanism and Applications in Supersymmetric Models

We present a new parametrization of the minimal seesaw model, expressing the heavy-singlet neutrino Dirac Yukawa couplings $(Y_\nu)_{ij}$ and Majorana masses $M_{N_i}$ in terms of effective light-neutrino observables and an auxiliary Hermitian matrix $H.$ In the minimal supersymmetric version of the seesaw model, the latter can be related directly to other low-energy observables, including processes that violate charged lepton flavour and CP. This parametrization enables one to respect the stringent constraints on muon-number violation while studying the possible ranges for other observables by scanning over the allowed parameter space of the model. Conversely, if any of the lepton-flavour-violating process is observed, this measurement can be used directly to constrain $(Y_\nu)_{ij}$ and $M_{N_i}.$ As applications, we study flavour-violating $\tau$ decays and the electric dipole moments of leptons in the minimal supersymmetric seesaw model.Comment: Important references adde

Differential Cross Section for Higgs Boson Production Including All-Orders Soft Gluon Resummation

The transverse momentum $Q_T$ distribution is computed for inclusive Higgs boson production at the energy of the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We focus on the dominant gluon-gluon subprocess in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and incorporate contributions from the quark-gluon and quark-antiquark channels. Using an impact-parameter $b$-space formalism, we include all-orders resummation of large logarithms associated with emission of soft gluons. Our resummed results merge smoothly at large $Q_T$ with the fixed-order expectations in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, as they should, with no need for a matching procedure. They show a high degree of stability with respect to variation of parameters associated with the non-perturbative input at low $Q_T$. We provide distributions $d\sigma/dy dQ_T$ for Higgs boson masses from $M_Z$ to 200 GeV. The average transverse momentum at zero rapidity $y$ grows approximately linearly with mass of the Higgs boson over the range $M_Z < m_h \simeq 0.18 m_h + 18$~GeV. We provide analogous results for $Z$ boson production, for which we compute $\simeq 25$ GeV. The harder transverse momentum distribution for the Higgs boson arises because there is more soft gluon radiation in Higgs boson production than in $Z$ production.Comment: 42 pages, latex, 26 figures. All figures replaced. Some changes in wording. Published in Phys. Rev. D67, 034026 (2003

Electroweak Symmetry Breaking via UV Insensitive Anomaly Mediation

Anomaly mediation solves the supersymmetric flavor and CP problems. This is because the superconformal anomaly dictates that supersymmetry breaking is transmitted through nearly flavor-blind infrared physics that is highly predictive and UV insensitive. Slepton mass squareds, however, are predicted to be negative. This can be solved by adding D-terms for U(1)_Y and U(1)_{B-L} while retaining the UV insensitivity. In this paper we consider electroweak symmetry breaking via UV insensitive anomaly mediation in several models. For the MSSM we find a stable vacuum when tanbeta < 1, but in this region the top Yukawa coupling blows up only slightly above the supersymmetry breaking scale. For the NMSSM, we find a stable electroweak breaking vacuum but with a chargino that is too light. Replacing the cubic singlet term in the NMSSM superpotential with a term linear in the singlet we find a stable vacuum and viable spectrum. Most of the parameter region with correct vacua requires a large superpotential coupling, precisely what is expected in the ``Fat Higgs'' model in which the superpotential is generated dynamically. We have therefore found the first viable UV complete, UV insensitive supersymmetry breaking model that solves the flavor and CP problems automatically: the Fat Higgs model with UV insensitive anomaly mediation. Moreover, the cosmological gravitino problem is naturally solved, opening up the possibility of realistic thermal leptogenesis.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Higgs Boson Decay into Hadronic Jets

The remarkable agreement of electroweak data with standard model (SM) predictions motivates the study of extensions of the SM in which the Higgs boson is light and couples in a standard way to the weak gauge bosons. Postulated new light particles should have small couplings to the gauge bosons. Within this context it is natural to assume that the branching fractions of the light SM-like Higgs boson mimic those in the standard model. This assumption may be unwarranted, however, if there are non-standard light particles coupled weakly to the gauge bosons but strongly to the Higgs field. In particular, the Higgs boson may effectively decay into hadronic jets, possibly without important bottom or charm flavor content. As an example, we present a simple extension of the SM, in which the predominant decay of the Higgs boson occurs into a pair of light bottom squarks that, in turn, manifest themselves as hadronic jets. Discovery of the Higgs boson remains possible at an electron-positron linear collider, but prospects at hadron colliders are diminished substantially.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figure

Tau Decays to Mu + Eta in Supersymmetric Models

The existence of large \nu_\mu-\nu_\tau mixing suggests the likelihood of large smuon-stau mixing in supersymmetric models, leading to \mu and \tau number violation. In addition to interesting signatures in slepton and neutralino production and decay, this will lead to rare \tau decays, such as \tau --> mu \gamma. Recently, it has been pointed out that the \tau --> 3\mu branching ratio could be substantial in the large \tan\beta region of parameter space, due to an induced \mu-\tau-Higgs vertex. In this paper, another signature, \tau --> \mu \eta is considered. In the large \tan\beta region, it is shown that the branching ratio of \tau --> \mu \eta is 8.4 times the branching ratio of \tau --> 3\mu, independent of any unknown parameters, and it will thus give the most stringent bound on Higgs-mediated lepton flavor violation, and may provide its first signature. In the other regions of parameter space, where \tau --> \mu \gamma is the most prominent decay, the branching ratio for \tau --> \mu \eta is always substantially lower.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Paragraph about CLEO measurements added. Version to appear in PR