arXiv subjects

K. A. Olive

Publications and source records attributed to K. A. Olive.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Supersymmetry Parameter Analysis: SPA Convention and Project

High-precision analyses of supersymmetry parameters aim at reconstructing the fundamental supersymmetric theory and its breaking mechanism. A well defined theoretical framework is needed when higher-order corrections are included. We propose such a scheme, Supersymmetry Parameter Analysis SPA, based on a consistent set of conventions and input parameters. A repository for computer programs is provided which connect parameters in different schemes and relate the Lagrangian parameters to physical observables at LHC and high energy e+e- linear collider experiments, i.e., masses, mixings, decay widths and production cross sections for supersymmetric particles. In addition, programs for calculating high-precision low energy observables, the density of cold dark matter (CDM) in the universe as well as the cross sections for CDM search experiments are included. The SPA scheme still requires extended efforts on both the theoretical and experimental side before data can be evaluated in the future at the level of the desired precision. We take here an initial step of testing the SPA scheme by applying the techniques involved to a specific supersymmetry reference point.

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arXiv2005

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 χ, 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 τ}_1, with a lifetime between ~ 10^4 and 3 X 10^6 seconds. Every supersymmetric cascade would end in a {\tilde τ}_1, which would have a distinctive time-of-flight signature. Slow-moving {\tilde τ}_1's might be trapped in a collider detector or outside it, and the preferred detection strategy would depend on the {\tilde τ}_1 lifetime. We discuss the extent to which these mSUGRA GDM scenarios could be distinguished from gauge-mediated models.

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arXiv2005

Indirect Sensitivities to the Scale of Supersymmetry

Precision measurements, now and at a future linear electron-positron collider (ILC), can provide indirect information about the possible scale of supersymmetry. We illustrate the present-day and possible future ILC sensitivities within the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), in which there are three independent soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters m_{1/2}, m_0 and A_0. We analyze the present and future sensitivities separately for M_W, sin^2(theta_eff), (g-2)_mu, BR(b -> s gamma), BR(B_s -> mu+ mu-), M_h and Higgs branching ratios. We display the observables as functions of m_{1/2}, fixing m_0 so as to obtain the cold dark matter density allowed by WMAP and other cosmological data for specific values of A_0, tan beta and mu > 0. In a second step, we investigate the combined sensitivity of the currently available precision observables, M_W, sin^2(theta_eff), (g-2)_mu and BR(b -> s gamma), by performing a chi^2 analysis. The current data are in very good agreement with the CMSSM prediction for tan beta = 10, with a clear preference for relatively small values of m_{1/2} \sim 300 GeV. In this case, there would be good prospects for observing supersymmetry directly at both the LHC and the ILC, and some chance already at the Tevatron collider. For tan beta = 50, the quality of the fit is worse, and somewhat larger m_{1/2} values are favoured. With the prospective ILC accuracies the sensitivity to indirect effects of supersymmetry greatly improves. This may provide indirect access to supersymmetry even at scales beyond the direct reach of the LHC or the ILC.

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arXiv2003

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.

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arXiv2003

Phenomenological Constraints on Patterns of Supersymmetry Breaking

Specific models of supersymmetry breaking predict relations between the trilinear and bilinear soft supersymmetry breaking parameters A_0 and B_0 at the input scale. In such models, the value of tan beta can be calculated as a function of the scalar masses m_0 and the gaugino masses m_{1/2}, which we assume to be universal. The experimental constraints on sparticle and Higgs masses, b to s gamma decay and the cold dark matter density Omega_{CDM} h^2 can then be used to constrain tan beta in such specific models of supersymmetry breaking. In the simplest Polonyi model with A_0 = (3 - sqrt{3})m_0 = B_0 + m_0, we find 11 < tan beta < 20 (tan beta ~ 4.15) for mu > 0 (mu < 0). We also discuss other models with A_0 = B_0 + m_0, finding that only the range -1.9 < A_0/m_0 < 2.5 is allowed for mu > 0, and the range 1.25 < A_0/m_0 < 4.8 for mu < 0. In these models, we find no solutions in the rapid-annihilation `funnels' or in the `focus-point' region. We also discuss the allowed range of tan beta in the no-scale model with A_0 = B_0 = 0. In all these models, most of the allowed regions are in the chi - stau_1 coannihilation `tail'.

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arXiv2003

Supersymmetric Dark Matter in Light of WMAP

We re-examine the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), taking account of the restricted range of Ω_{CDM} h^2 consistent with the WMAP data. This provides a significantly reduced upper limit on the mass of the lightest supersymmetric particle LSP: m_χ< 500 GeV for \tan β< 45 and μ> 0, or \tan β< 30 and μ< 0, thereby improving the prospects for measuring supersymmetry at the LHC, and increasing the likelihood that a 1-TeV linear e^+ e^- collider would be able to measure the properties of some supersymmetric particles.

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arXiv2003

Direct Detection of Dark Matter in the MSSM with Non-Universal Higgs Masses

We calculate dark matter scattering rates in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), allowing the soft supersymmetry-breaking masses of the Higgs multiplets, m_{1,2}, to be non-universal (NUHM). Compared with the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) in which m_{1,2} are required to be equal to the soft supersymmetry-breaking masses m_0 of the squark and slepton masses, we find that the elastic scattering cross sections may be up to two orders of magnitude larger than values in the CMSSM for similar LSP masses. We find the following preferred ranges for the spin-independent cross section: 10^{-6} pb \ga σ_{SI} \ga 10^{-10} pb, and for the spin-dependent cross section: 10^{-3} pb \ga σ_{SD}, with the lower bound on σ_{SI} dependent on using the putative constraint from the muon anomalous magnetic moment. We stress the importance of incorporating accelerator and dark matter constraints in restricting the NUHM parameter space, and also of requiring that no undesirable vacuum appear below the GUT scale. In particular, values of the spin-independent cross section another order of magnitude larger would appear to be allowed, for small \tan β, if the GUT vacuum stability requirement were relaxed, and much lower cross-section values would be permitted if the muon anomalous magnetic moment constraint were dropped.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Exploration of the MSSM with Non-Universal Higgs Masses

We explore the parameter space of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), allowing the soft supersymmetry-breaking masses of the Higgs multiplets, m_{1,2}, to be non-universal (NUHM). Compared with the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) in which m_{1,2} are required to be equal to the soft supersymmetry-breaking masses m_0 of the squark and slepton masses, the Higgs mixing parameter mu and the pseudoscalar Higgs mass m_A, which are calculated in the CMSSM, are free in the NUHM model. We incorporate accelerator and dark matter constraints in determining allowed regions of the (mu, m_A), (mu, M_2) and (m_{1/2}, m_0) planes for selected choices of the other NUHM parameters. In the examples studied, we find that the LSP mass cannot be reduced far below its limit in the CMSSM, whereas m_A may be as small as allowed by LEP for large tan β. We present in Appendices details of the calculations of neutralino-slepton, chargino-slepton and neutralino-sneutrino coannihilation needed in our exploration of the NUHM.

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arXiv2002

Frequentist Estimation of Cosmological Parameters from the MAXIMA-1 Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Data

We use a frequentist statistical approach to set confidence intervals on the values of cosmological parameters using the MAXIMA-1 and COBE measurements of the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background. We define a $Δχ^{2}$ statistic, simulate the measurements of MAXIMA-1 and COBE, determine the probability distribution of the statistic, and use it and the data to set confidence intervals on several cosmological parameters. We compare the frequentist confidence intervals to Bayesian credible regions. The frequentist and Bayesian approaches give best estimates for the parameters that agree within 15%, and confidence interval-widths that agree within 30%. The results also suggest that a frequentist analysis gives slightly broader confidence intervals than a Bayesian analysis. The frequentist analysis gives values of Ω=0.89{+0.26\atop -0.19}, Ω_{\rm B}h^2=0.026{+0.020\atop -0.011} and n=1.02{+0.31\atop -0.10}, and the Bayesian analysis gives values of Ω=0.98{+0.14\atop -0.19}, Ω_{\rm B}h^2=0.0.029{+0.015\atop-0.010}, and $n=1.18{+0.10\atop -0.23}$, all at the 95% confidence level.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

The Snowmass Points and Slopes: Benchmarks for SUSY Searches

The ``Snowmass Points and Slopes'' (SPS) are a set of benchmark points and parameter lines in the MSSM parameter space corresponding to different scenarios in the search for Supersymmetry at present and future experiments. This set of benchmarks was agreed upon at the 2001 ``Snowmass Workshop on the Future of Particle Physics'' as a consensus based on different existing proposals.

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arXiv2001

Post-LEP CMSSM Benchmarks for Supersymmetry

We introduce a set of CMSSM benchmark scenarios that take into account the constraints from LEP, Tevatron, $b \to s γ$, $g_μ- 2$ and cosmology. The benchmark points are chosen to span the range of different generic possibilities, including focus-point models, points where coannihilation effects on the relic density are important, and points with rapid relic annihilation via direct-channel Higgs poles, as well as points with smaller sparticle masses. We make initial estimates of the physics reaches of different accelerators, including the LHC, and $e^+ e^-$ colliders in the sub- and multi-TeV ranges. We stress the complementarity of hadron and lepton colliders, with the latter favoured for non-strongly-interacting particles and precision measurements.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

B -> X_s gamma in Supersymmetry with Explicit CP Violation

We discuss B -> X_s gamma decay in both constrained and unconstrained supersymmetric models with explicit CP violation within the minimal flavor violation scheme by including tan(beta) -enhanced large contributions beyond the leading order. In this analysis, we take into account the relevant cosmological and collider bounds, as well as electric dipole moment constraints. In the unconstrained model, there are portions of the parameter space yielding a large CP asymmetry at leading order (LO). In these regions, we find that the CP phases satisfy certain sum rules, e.g., the sum of the phases of the μparameter and the stop trilinear coupling centralize around πwith a width determined by the experimental bounds. In addition, at large values of tan(beta), the sign of the CP asymmetry tracks the sign of the gluino mass, and the CP asymmetry is significantly larger than the LO prediction. In the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model based on minimal supergravity, we find that the decay rate is sensitive to the phase of the universal trilinear coupling. This sensitivity decreases at large values of the universal gauino mass. We also show that for a given set of the mass parameters, there exists a threshold value of the phase of the universal trilinear coupling which grows with tan(beta) and beyond which the experimental bounds are satisfied. In both supersymmetric scenarios, the allowed ranges of the CP phases are wide enough to have phenomenological consequences.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Proposed Post-LEP Benchmarks for Supersymmetry

We propose a new set of supersymmetric benchmark scenarios, taking into account the constraints from LEP, b to s gamma, g_mu - 2 and cosmology. We work in the context of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal soft supersymetry-breaking masses and assume that R parity is conserved. We propose benchmark points that exemplify the different generic possibilities, including focus-point models, points where coannihilation effects on the relic density are important, and points with rapid relic annihilation via direct-channel Higgs poles. We discuss the principal decays and signatures of the different classes of benchmark scenarios, and make initial estimates of the physics reaches of different accelerators, including the Tevatron collider, the LHC, and e+ e- colliders in the sub- and multi-TeV ranges. We stress the complementarity of hadron and lepton colliders, with the latter favoured for non-strongly-interacting particles and precision measurements. We mention features that could usefully be included in future versions of supersymmetric event generators.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Observability of the Lightest CMSSM Higgs Boson at Hadron Colliders

We discuss the observability of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM), with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters, at hadron colliders such as the Tevatron and the LHC. We take account of the constraints on parameter space provided by LEP, the measured rate of b to s gamma decay, the cosmological relic density Omega h^2, and the recent measurement of g_mu - 2. We normalize products of the expected CMSSM Higgs production cross sections and decay branching ratios (sigma B)_CMSSM relative to those expected for a Standard Model Higgs boson of the same mass. In the h to gamma gamma channel, we find that (sigma B)_CMSSM > 0.85 (sigma B)_SM. In the W/t tbar + h, h to b bbar channels, we find that (sigma B)_CMSSM \~ 1.05 (sigma B)_SM. We conclude that the lightest CMSSM Higgs boson should be almost as easy to see as the Standard Model Higgs boson: in particular, it should be discoverable with about 15/fb of luminosity at the Tevatron or 10/fb of luminosity at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

How Finely Tuned is Supersymmetric Dark Matter?

We introduce a quantification of the question in the title: the logarithmic sensitivity of the relic neutralino density Omega-hsquared to variations in input parameters such as the supersymmetric mass scales m_0, m_1/2 and A_0, tan beta and the top and bottom quark masses. In generic domains of the CMSSM parameter space with a relic density in the preferred range 0.1 < Omega-hsquared < 0.3, the sensitivities to all these parameters are moderate, so an interesting amount of supersymetric dark matter is a natural and robust prediction. Within these domains, the accuracy in measuring the CMSSM and other input parameters at the LHC may enable the relic density to be predicted quite precisely. However, in the coannihilation regions, this might require more information on the supersymetric spectrum than the LHC is able to provide. There are also exceptional domains, such as those where direct-channel pole annihilation dominates, and in the `focus-point' region, where the logarithmic sensitivity to the input parameters is greatly increased, and it would be more difficult to predict Omega-hsquared accurately.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

The CMSSM Parameter Space at Large tan beta

We extend previous combinations of LEP and cosmological relic density constraints on the parameter space of the constrained MSSM, with universal input supersymmetry-breaking parameters, to large tan beta. We take account of the possibility that the lightest Higgs boson might weigh about 115 GeV, but also retain the possibility that it might be heavier. We include the most recent implementation of the b to s gamma constraint at large tan beta. We refine previous relic density calculations at large tan beta by combining a careful treatment of the direct-channel Higgs poles in annihilation of pairs of neutralinos chi with a complete treatment of chi - stau coannihilation, and discuss carefully uncertainties associated with the mass of the b quark. We find that coannihilation and pole annihilations allow the CMSSM to yield an acceptable relic density at large tan beta, but it is consistent with all the constraints only if m_chi > 140 (180) GeV for mu > 0 (mu < 0) for our default choices m_b(m_b) = 4.25 GeV, m_t = 175 GeV, and A_0 = 0.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Combining the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment with other Constraints on the CMSSM

We combine the constraint suggested by the recent BNL E821 measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon on the parameter space of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with those provided previously by LEP, the measured rate of b to s gamma decay and the cosmological relic density Omega-hsquared. Our treatment of Omega-hsquared includes carefully the direct-channel Higgs poles in annihilation of pairs of neutralinos chi and a complete analysis of chi - slepton coannihilation. We find excellent consistency between all the constraints for tan beta > 10 and mu > 0, for restricted ranges of the CMSSM parameters m_0 and m_1/2. All the preferred CMSSM parameter space is within reach of the LHC, but may not be accessible to the Tevatron collider, or to a first-generation e^+ e^- linear collider with centre-of-mass energy below 1.2 TeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

What if the Higgs Boson Weighs 115 GeV?

If the Higgs boson indeed weighs about 114 to 115 GeV, there must be new physics beyond the Standard Model at some scale \la 10^6 GeV. The most plausible new physics is supersymmetry, which predicts a Higgs boson weighing \la 130 GeV. In the CMSSM with R and CP conservation, the existence, production and detection of a 114 or 115 GeV Higgs boson is possible if \tanβ\ga 3. However, for the radiatively-corrected Higgs mass to be this large, sparticles should be relatively heavy: m_{1/2} \ga 250 GeV, probably not detectable at the Tevatron collider and perhaps not at a low-energy e^+ e^- linear collider. In much of the remaining CMSSM parameter space, neutralino-stau coannihilation is important for calculating the relic neutralino density, and we explore implications for the elastic neutralino-nucleon scattering cross section.

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