Searching for a squark LSP of the first two families at the LHC

Abstract

We analyse relevant signals expected at the LHC for a squark of the first two families as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). The discussion is established in the framework of the $\mu\nu$SSM, where the presence of $R$-parity violating couplings involving right-handed neutrinos solves simultaneously the $\mu$-problem and the accommodation of neutrino masses and mixing angles. The squarks are pair produced and decay dominantly to a neutrino and a quark. They also have two sub-dominant three body decays to quark, Higgs and neutrino/charged lepton. The decays can be prompt or displaced, depending on the regions of the parameter space of the model. We focus the analyses on squarks of right up-type, right down-type, and left up-type; since squarks of left down-type cannot be the LSP because of D-term contributions. We compare the predictions of these scenarios with ATLAS and CMS searches for prompt and long-lived particles. To analyse the parameter space we sample the $\mu\nu$SSM for a squark LSP, paying special attention to reproduce the current experimental data on neutrino and Higgs physics, as well as flavour observables. Because of the contribution of squark-squark final states to the production cross section, the results depend on the squark family. In particular, for a right strange squark LSP, the lower limit on the mass is $1646$ GeV, corresponding to an upper limit on the decay length of $54.7$ mm, and for a right (left) scharm LSP, the limits are $1625$ ($1357$) GeV and $13.4$ ($1.9$) mm. However, the first family of squarks as LSP turns out to be excluded, unless the gluino is heavier than $7$ TeV, which produces a limit on the squark mass of $1800$ GeV.