7 research outputs found
Gamma rays from the annihilation of singlet scalar dark matter
We consider an extension of the Standard Model by a singlet scalar that
accounts for the dark matter of the Universe. Within this model we compute the
expected gamma ray flux from the annihilation of dark matter particles in a
consistent way. To do so, an updated analysis of the parameter space of the
model is first presented. By enforcing the relic density constraint from the
very beginning, the viable parameter space gets reduced to just two variables:
the singlet mass and the higgs mass. Current direct detection constraints are
then found to require a singlet mass larger than 50 GeV. Finally, we compute
the gamma ray flux and annihilation cross section and show that a large
fraction of the viable parameter space lies within the sensitivity of
Fermi-GLAST.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures. v2: minor modifications to text and figures;
main results unchanged. v3: some references adde
Collider and Dark Matter Phenomenology of Models with Mirage Unification
We examine supersymmetric models with mixed modulus-anomaly mediated SUSY
breaking (MM-AMSB) soft terms which get comparable contributions to SUSY
breaking from moduli-mediation and anomaly-mediation. The apparent (mirage)
unification of soft SUSY breaking terms at Q=mu_mir not associated with any
physical threshold is the hallmark of this scenario. The MM-AMSB structure of
soft terms arises in models of string compactification with fluxes, where the
addition of an anti-brane leads to an uplifting potential and a de Sitter
universe, as first constructed by Kachru {\it et al.}. The phenomenology mainly
depends on the relative strength of moduli- and anomaly-mediated SUSY breaking
contributions, and on the Higgs and matter field modular weights, which are
determined by the location of these fields in the extra dimensions. We
delineate the allowed parameter space for a low and high value of tan(beta),
for a wide range of modular weight choices. We calculate the neutralino relic
density and display the WMAP-allowed regions. We show the reach of the CERN LHC
and of the International Linear Collider. We discuss aspects of MM-AMSB models
for Tevatron, LHC and ILC searches, muon g-2 and b->s \gamma branching
fraction. We also calculate direct and indirect dark matter detection rates,
and show that almost all WMAP-allowed models should be accessible to a
ton-scale noble gas detector. Finally, we comment on the potential of colliders
to measure the mirage unification scale and modular weights in the difficult
case where mu_mir>>M_GUT.Comment: 34 pages plus 42 EPS figures; version with high resolution figures is
at http://www.hep.fsu.edu/~bae
Phenomenology of GUT-less Supersymmetry Breaking
We study models in which supersymmetry breaking appears at an intermediate
scale, M_{in}, below the GUT scale. We assume that the soft
supersymmetry-breaking parameters of the MSSM are universal at M_{in}, and
analyze the morphology of the constraints from cosmology and collider
experiments on the allowed regions of parameter space as M_{in} is reduced from
the GUT scale. We present separate analyses of the (m_{1/2},m_0) planes for
tan(beta)=10 and tan(beta)=50, as well as a discussion of non-zero trilinear
couplings, A_0. Specific scenarios where the gaugino and scalar masses appear
to be universal below the GUT scale have been found in mirage-mediation models,
which we also address here. We demand that the lightest neutralino be the LSP,
and that the relic neutralino density not conflict with measurements by WMAP
and other observations. At moderate values of M_{in}, we find that the allowed
regions of the (m_{1/2},m_0) plane are squeezed by the requirements of
electroweak symmetry breaking and that the lightest neutralino be the LSP,
whereas the constraint on the relic density is less severe. At very low M_{in},
the electroweak vacuum conditions become the dominant constraint, and a
secondary source of astrophysical cold dark matter would be necessary to
explain the measured relic density for nearly all values of the soft
SUSY-breaking parameters and tan(beta). We calculate the neutralino-nucleon
cross sections for viable scenarios and compare them with the present and
projected limits from direct dark matter searches.Comment: 35 pages, 9 figures; typos corrected, references adde
Neutralino Dark Matter in Mirage Mediation
We study the phenomenology of neutralino dark matter (DM) in mirage mediation
scenario of supersymmetry breaking which results from the moduli stabilization
in some string/brane models. Depending upon the model parameters, especially
the anomaly to modulus mediation ratio determined by the moduli stabilization
mechanism, the nature of the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) changes
from Bino-like neutralino to Higgsino-like one via Bino-Higgsino mixing region.
For the Bino-like LSP, the standard thermal production mechanism can give a
right amount of relic DM density through the stop/stau-neutralino
coannihilation or the pseudo-scalar Higgs resonance process. We also examine
the prospect of direct and indirect DM detection in various parameter regions
of mirage mediation. Neutralino DM in galactic halo might be detected by near
future direct detection experiments in the case of Bino-Higgsino mixed LSP. The
gamma ray flux from Galactic Center might be detectable also if the DM density
profile takes a cuspy shape.Comment: One reference adde
Collider, direct and indirect detection of supersymmetric dark matter
We present an overview of supersymmetry searches, both at collider
experiments and via searches for dark matter (DM). We focus on three DM
possibilities in the SUSY context: the thermally produced neutralino, a mixture
of axion and axino, and the gravitino, and compare and contrast signals that
may be expected at colliders, in direct detection (DD) experiments searching of
DM relics left over from the Big Bang, and indirect detection (ID) experiments
designed to detect the products of DM annihilations within the solar interior
or galactic halo. Detection of DM particles using multiple strategies provides
complementary information that may shed light on the new physics associated
with the dark matter sector. In contrast to the mSUGRA model where the measured
cold DM relic density restricts us to special regions mostly on the edge of the
m_0-m_{1/2} plane, the entire parameter plane becomes allowed if the
universality assumption is relaxed in models with just one additional
parameter. Then, thermally produced neutralinos with a well-tempered mix of
wino, bino and higgsino components, or with a mass adjusted so that their
annihilation in the early universe is Higgs-resonance-enhanced, can be the DM.
Well-tempered neutralinos typically yield heightened rates for DD and ID
experiments compared to generic predictions from minimal supergravity. If
instead DM consists of axinos (possibly together with axions) or gravitinos,
then there exists the possibility of detection of quasi-stable next-to-lightest
SUSY particles at colliding beam experiments, with especially striking
consequences if the NLSP is charged, but no DD or ID detection. The exception
for mixed axion/axino DM is that DD of axions may be possible.Comment: 28 pages, 11 eps figures; invited contribution to NJP Focus Issue on
"Dark Matter and Particle Physics
Demonstration of surface electron rejection with interleaved germanium detectors for dark matter searches
The SuperCDMS experiment in the Soudan Underground Laboratory searches for dark matter with a 9-kg array of cryogenic germanium detectors. Symmetric sensors on opposite sides measure both charge and phonons from each particle interaction, providing excellent discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils, and between surface and interior events. Surface event rejection capabilities were tested with two 210 Pb sources producing ∼130 beta decays/hr. In ∼800 live hours, no events leaked into the 8–115 keV signal region, giving upper limit leakage fraction 1.7 × 10−5 at 90% C.L., corresponding to < 0.6 surface event background in the future 200-kg SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment