arXiv subjects

Sabine Kraml

Publications and source records attributed to Sabine Kraml.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

SModelS v1.2: long-lived particles, combination of signal regions, and other novelties

SModelS is an automatised tool enabling the fast interpretation of simplified model results from the LHC within any model of new physics respecting a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. With the version 1.2 we announce several new features. First, previous versions were restricted to missing energy signatures and assumed prompt decays within each decay chain. SModelS v1.2 considers the lifetime of each $\mathbb{Z}_2$-odd particle and appropriately takes into account missing energy, heavy stable charge particle and R-hadron signatures. Second, the current version allows for a combination of signal regions in efficiency map results whenever a covariance matrix is available from the experiment. This is an important step towards fully exploiting the constraining power of efficiency map results. Several other improvements increase the user-friendliness, such as the use of wildcards in the selection of experimental results, and a faster database which can be given as a URL. Finally, smodelsTools provides an interactive plots maker to conveniently visualize the results of a model scan.

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arXiv2018

Constraining new physics with searches for long-lived particles: Implementation into SModelS

We present the implementation of heavy stable charge particle (HSCP) and R-hadron signatures into SModelS v1.2. We include simplified-model results from the 8 and 13 TeV LHC and demonstrate their impact on two new physics scenarios motivated by dark matter: the inert doublet model and a gravitino dark matter scenario. For the former, we find sensitivity up to dark matter masses of 580 GeV for small mass splittings within the inert doublet, while missing energy searches are not able to constrain any significant part of the cosmologically preferred parameter space. For the gravitino dark matter scenario, we show that both HSCP and R-hadron searches provide important limits, allowing to constrain the viable range of the reheating temperature.

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arXiv2018

SModelS extension with the CMS supersymmetry search results from Run 2

We present the update of the SModelS database with the simplified model results from CMS searches for supersymmetry at Run 2 with 36 fb$^{-1}$ of data. The constraining power of these new results is compared to that of the 8 TeV results within the context of a full model, the pMSSM. The new database, v1.1.2, is publicly available and can readily be employed for physics studies with SModelS.

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arXiv2018

On the coverage of the pMSSM by simplified model results

We investigate to which extent the SUSY search results published by ATLAS and CMS in the context of simplified models actually cover the more realistic scenarios of a full model. Concretely, we work within the phenomenological MSSM (pMSSM) with 19 free parameters and compare the constraints obtained from SModelSv1.1.1 with those from the ATLAS pMSSM study in arXiv:1508.06608. We find that about 40-45% of the points excluded by ATLAS escape the currently available simplified model constraints. For these points we identify the most relevant topologies which are not tested by the current simplified model results. In particular, we find that topologies with asymmetric branches, including 3-jet signatures from gluino-squark associated production, could be important for improving the current constraining power of simplified models results. Furthermore, for a better coverage of light stops and sbottoms, constraints for decays via heavier neutralinos and charginos, which subsequently decay visibly to the lightest neutralino are also needed.

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arXiv2018

SModelS v1.1 user manual

SModelS is an automatised tool for the interpretation of simplified model results from the LHC. It allows to decompose models of new physics obeying a Z2 symmetry into simplified model components, and to compare these against a large database of experimental results. The first release of SModelS, v1.0, used only cross section upper limit maps provided by the experimental collaborations. In this new release, v1.1, we extend the functionality of SModelS to efficiency maps. This increases the constraining power of the software, as efficiency maps allow to combine contributions to the same signal region from different simplified models. Other new features of version 1.1 include likelihood and chi-square calculations, extended information on the topology coverage, an extended database of experimental results as well as major speed upgrades for both the code and the database. We describe in detail the concepts and procedures used in SModelS, explaining in particular how upper limits and efficiency map results are dealt with in parallel. Detailed instructions for code usage are also provided.

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arXiv2017

Simplified dark matter models with a spin-2 mediator at the LHC

We consider simplified dark matter models where a dark matter candidate couples to the standard model (SM) particles via an $s$-channel spin-2 mediator, and study constraints on the model parameter space from the current LHC data. Our focus lies on the complementarity among different searches, in particular monojet and multijet plus missing energy searches and resonance searches. For universal couplings of the mediator to SM particles, missing-energy searches can give stronger constraints than $WW$, $ZZ$, dijet, dihiggs, $t\bar t$, $b\bar b$ resonance searches in the low-mass region and/or when the coupling of the mediator to dark matter is much larger than its couplings to SM particles. The strongest constraints however come from diphoton and dilepton resonance searches. Only if these modes are suppressed, missing-energy searches can be competitive in constraining dark matter models with a spin-2 mediator.

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arXiv2017

Scrutinizing the Alignment Limit in Two-Higgs-Doublet Models. Part 1: $m_h = 125$ GeV

In the alignment limit of a multi-doublet Higgs sector, one of the Higgs mass eigenstates aligns with the direction of the scalar field vacuum expectation values, and its couplings approach those of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson. We consider CP-conserving Two-Higgs-Doublet Models (2HDMs) of Type I and Type II near the alignment limit in which the lighter of the two CP-even Higgs bosons, $h$, is the SM-like state observed at 125 GeV. In particular, we focus on the 2HDM parameter regime where the coupling of $h$ to gauge bosons approaches that of the SM. We review the theoretical structure and analyze the phenomenological implications of the regime of alignment limit without decoupling, in which the other Higgs scalar masses are not significantly larger than $m_h$ and thus do not decouple from the effective theory at the electroweak scale. For the numerical analysis, we perform scans of the 2HDM parameter space employing the software packages 2HDMC and Lilith, taking into account all relevant pre-LHC constraints, the latest constraints from the measurements of the 125 GeV Higgs signal at the LHC, as well as the most recent limits coming from searches for heavy Higgs-like states. We contrast these results with the alignment limit achieved via the decoupling of heavier scalar states, where $h$ is the only light Higgs scalar. Implications for Run 2 at the LHC, including expectations for observing the other scalar states, are also discussed.

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arXiv2016

Scalar versus fermionic top partner interpretations of $t\bar t + E_T^{\rm miss}$ searches at the LHC

We assess how different ATLAS and CMS searches for supersymmetry in the $t\bar t + E_T^{\rm miss}$ final state at Run 1 of the LHC constrain scenarios with a fermionic top partner and a dark matter candidate. We find that the efficiencies of these searches in all-hadronic, 1-lepton and 2-lepton channels are quite similar for scalar and fermionic top partners. Therefore, in general, efficiency maps for stop-neutralino simplified models can also be applied to fermionic top-partner models, provided the narrow width approximation holds in the latter. Owing to the much higher production cross-sections of heavy top quarks as compared to stops, masses up to $m_T\approx 850$ GeV can be excluded from the Run 1 stop searches. Since the simplified-model results published by ATLAS and CMS do not extend to such high masses, we provide our own efficiency maps obtained with CheckMATE and MadAnalysis 5 for these searches. Finally, we also discuss how generic gluino/squark searches in multi-jet final states constrain heavy top partner production.

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arXiv2016

Characterising the 750 GeV diphoton excess

We study kinematic distributions that may help characterise the recently observed excess in diphoton events at 750 GeV at the LHC Run 2. Several scenarios are considered, including spin-0 and spin-2 750 GeV resonances that decay directly into photon pairs as well as heavier parent resonances that undergo three-body or cascade decays. We find that combinations of the distributions of the diphoton system and the leading photon can distinguish the topology and mass spectra of the different scenarios, while patterns of QCD radiation can help differentiate the production mechanisms. Moreover, missing energy is a powerful discriminator for the heavy parent scenarios if they involve (effectively) invisible particles. While our study concentrates on the current excess at 750 GeV, the analysis is general and can also be useful for characterising other potential diphoton signals in the future.

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arXiv2016

Constraints on sneutrino dark matter from LHC Run 1

A mostly right-handed sneutrino as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is an interesting dark matter candidate, leading to LHC signatures which can be quite distinct from those of the conventional neutralino LSP. Using SModelSv1.0.1 for testing the model against the limits published by ATLAS and CMS in the context of so-called Simplified Model Spectra (SMS), we investigate to what extent the supersymmetry searches at Run 1 of the LHC constrain the sneutrino-LSP scenario. Moreover, we discuss the most relevant topologies for which no SMS results are provided by the experimental collaborations but which would allow to put more stringent constraints on sneutrino LSPs. These include, for instance, the mono-lepton signature which should be particularly interesting to consider at Run 2 of the LHC.

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arXiv2015

Constraints on and future prospects for Two-Higgs-Doublet Models in light of the LHC Higgs signal

We analyze the Two-Higgs-Doublet Models (2HDMs) of Type I and II for consistency with the latest measurements of the ~125.5 GeV Higgs-like signal at the LHC. To this end, we perform scans of the 2HDM parameter space taking into account all relevant pre-LHC constraints as well as the most recent limits coming from searches for heavy Higgs-like states at the LHC. The current status of the 2HDMs of Type I and II is discussed assuming that the observed 125.5 GeV state is one of the two CP-even Higgs bosons, either the lighter h or the heavier H. Implications for future experiments, including expectations regarding other lighter or heavier Higgs bosons are given. The possible importance of heavier Higgs bosons feeding the signals for the 125.5 GeV state is also evaluated.

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arXiv2015

Light Higgs bosons in Two-Higgs-Doublet Models

We explore the possibilities in two-Higgs-doublet models (2HDMs) of Type I and Type II for Higgs states with mass below about 60 GeV, i.e. less than half of the ~125 GeV mass of the observed SM-like Higgs boson. We identify the latter as either the lighter or the heavier CP-even state, h or H, and employ scans of the 2HDM parameter space taking into account all relevant theoretical and experimental constraints, including the most up-to-date Higgs signal strength measurements. We find that, in both Type I and Type II models, such light Higgs states are phenomenologically viable and can lead to interesting signatures. Part of the relevant parameter space may be testable with the existing 8 TeV LHC data, e.g. by looking for direct production of the light state via gg-fusion or bb-associated-production using its τ^+ τ^- and μ^+ μ^- decays at low invariant mass.

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arXiv2014

SModelS v1.0: a short user guide

SModelS is a tool for the automatic interpretation of simplified-model results from the LHC. Version 1.0 of the code is now publicly available. This document provides a quick user guide for installing and running SModelS v1.0.

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arXiv2014

The Flavour of Natural SUSY

An inverted mass hierarchy in the squark sector, as in so-called "natural supersymmetry", requires non-universal boundary conditions at the mediation scale of supersymmetry breaking. We propose a formalism to define such boundary conditions in a basis-independent manner and apply it to generic scenarios where the third-generation squarks are light, while the first two generation squarks are heavy and near-degenerate. We show that not only is our formalism particularly well-suited to study such hierarchical squark mass patterns, but in addition the resulting soft terms at the TeV scale are manifestly compatible with the principle of minimal flavour violation, and thus automatically obey constraints from flavour physics.

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arXiv2014

Addendum to "Constraints on and future prospects for Two-Higgs-Doublet Models in light of the LHC Higgs signal"

We update the constraints on Two-Higgs-Doublet Models of Type I and II discussed in arXiv:1405.3584 using the latest LHC measurements of the ~125.5 GeV Higgs signal as of Summer 2014. We provide explicit comparisons of the results before and after the Summer 2014 ATLAS and CMS updates. Overall, the changes with respect to arXiv:1405.3584 are rather small; to a large extent this is due to the fact that both the ATLAS and the CMS updates of the $γγ$ decay mode moved closer to SM expectations.

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arXiv2014

Status of Higgs couplings after Run-1 of the LHC using Lilith 1.0

We provide an update of the global fits of the couplings of the 125.5 GeV Higgs boson using all publicly available experimental results from Run-1 of the LHC as per Summer 2014. The fits are done by means of the new public code Lilith 1.0. We present a selection of results given in terms of signal strengths, reduced couplings, and for the Two-Higgs-Doublet Models of Type I and II.

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arXiv2014

SModelS: a tool for interpreting simplified-model results from the LHC and its application to supersymmetry

We present a general procedure to decompose Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) collider signatures presenting a Z2 symmetry into Simplified Model Spectrum (SMS) topologies. Our method provides a way to cast BSM predictions for the LHC in a model independent framework, which can be directly confronted with the relevant experimental constraints. Our concrete implementation currently focusses on supersymmetry searches with missing energy, for which a large variety of SMS results from ATLAS and CMS are available. As show-case examples we apply our procedure to two scans of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We discuss how the SMS limits constrain various particle masses and which regions of parameter space remain unchallenged by the current SMS interpretations of the LHC results.

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arXiv2014

The phenomenological MSSM in view of the 125 GeV Higgs data

The parameter space of the phenomenological MSSM (pMSSM) is explored by means of Markov Chain Monte Charlo (MCMC) methods, taking into account the latest LHC results on the Higgs signal at 125 GeV in addition to relevant low-energy observables and LEP constraints. We use a Bayesian approach to derive posterior densities for the parameters and observables of interests. We find in particular that the Higgs measurements have a significant impact on the parameters mu and tan beta due to radiative corrections to the bottom Yukawa coupling. We show moreover the impact of the most recent dark matter measurements on the probability distributions, and we discuss prospects for the next run of the LHC at 13-14 TeV.

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