arXiv subjects

T. G. Rizzo

Publications and source records attributed to T. G. Rizzo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

Simplified Models for Higgs Physics: Singlet Scalar and Vector-like Quark Phenomenology

Simplified models provide a useful tool to conduct the search and exploration of physics beyond the Standard Model in a model-independent fashion. In this work we consider the complementarity of indirect searches for new physics in Higgs couplings and distributions with direct searches for new particles, using a simplified model which includes a new singlet scalar resonance and vector-like fermions that can mix with the SM top-quark. We fit this model to the combined ATLAS and CMS 125 GeV Higgs production and coupling measurements and other precision electroweak constraints, and explore in detail the effects of the new matter content upon Higgs production and kinematics. We highlight some novel features and decay modes of the top partner phenomenology, and discuss prospects for Run II.

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arXiv2015

The ATLAS Z + MET Excess in the MSSM

We demonstrate that the $3σ$ excess observed by ATLAS in the Z + MET channel can be explained within the context of the MSSM. Using the freedom inherent in the pMSSM, we perform a detailed analysis of the parameter space and find a scenario that describes the excess while simultaneously complying with all other search constraints from the Run I data at 7 and 8 TeV, including the Z + MET analysis by CMS. We generate a small sample of simplified models, using promising models from our existing pMSSM sample as seeds, and study their properties. The successful region is described by the production of 1st/2nd generation squark pairs, followed by their decay into a bino-like neutralino which in turn decays into a Higgsino-like LSP triplet by emitting a Z boson, i.e., $\tilde q\to\tilde B\to\tilde h$ with $\tilde q = \tilde Q_L,\tilde u_R,$ or $\tilde d_R$. The sweet spot for the sparticle spectrum is found to have squark masses in the 500-750 GeV range, with bino masses near 350 GeV with a mass splitting of 150-200 GeV with the Higgsino LSP. If this excess holds, then this scenario predicts that a signal will be observed in the 0l + jets and/or 1l + jets searches in the early operations of Run II.

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arXiv2014

Lessons and Prospects from the pMSSM after LHC Run I: Neutralino LSP

We study SUSY signatures at the 7, 8 and 14 TeV LHC employing the 19-parameter, R-Parity conserving p(henomenological)MSSM, in the scenario with a neutralino LSP. Our results were obtained via a fast Monte Carlo simulation of the ATLAS SUSY analysis suite. The flexibility of this framework allows us to study a wide variety of SUSY phenomena simultaneously and to probe for weak spots in existing SUSY search analyses. We determine the ranges of the sparticle masses that are either disfavored or allowed after the searches with the 7 and 8 TeV data sets are combined. We find that natural SUSY models with light squarks and gluinos remain viable. We extrapolate to 14 TeV with both 300 fb$^{-1}$ and 3 ab$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity and determine the expected sensitivity of the jets + MET and stop searches to the pMSSM parameter space. We find that the high-luminosity LHC will be powerful in probing SUSY with neutralino LSPs and can provide a more definitive statement on the existence of natural Supersymmetry.

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arXiv2013

pMSSM Studies at the 7, 8 and 14 TeV LHC

The 19/20-parameter p(henomenological)MSSM with either a neutralino or gravitino LSP offers a flexible framework for the study of a wide variety of R-parity conserving MSSM SUSY phenomena at the 7, 8 and 14 TeV LHC. Here we present the results of a study of SUSY signatures at these facilities obtained via a fast Monte Carlo 'replication' of the ATLAS SUSY analysis suite. In particular, we show the ranges of the sparticle masses that are either disfavored or remain viable after all of the various searches at the 7 and 8 TeV runs are combined. We then extrapolate to 14 TeV with both 300 fb^-1 and 3 ab^-1 of integrated luminosity and determine the sensitivity of a jets + MET search to the pMSSM parameter space. We find that the high-luminosity LHC performs extremely well in probing natural SUSY models.

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arXiv2012

SUSY Without Prejudice at the 7 and 8 TeV LHC: Gravitino LSPs

We have examined the capability of the LHC, running at both 7 and 8 TeV, to explore the 19(20)-dimensional parameter space of the pMSSM with neutralino(gravitino) LSPs and soft masses up to 4 TeV employing the ATLAS SUSY analysis suite. Here we present some preliminary results for the gravitino model set, following the ATLAS analyses whose data were publically available as of mid-September 2012. We find that the impact of the reduced MET, resulting from models with gravitino LSPs on sparticle searches is more than off-set by the detectability of the many possible long-lived NLSPs.

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arXiv2012

Bounds on Dark Matter Interactions with Electroweak Gauge Bosons

We investigate scenarios in which dark matter interacts with the Standard Model primarily through electroweak gauge bosons. We employ an effective field theory framework wherein the Standard Model and the dark matter particle are the only light states in order to derive model-independent bounds. Bounds on such interactions are derived from dark matter production by weak boson fusion at the LHC, indirect detection searches for the products of dark matter annihilation and from the measured invisible width of the $Z^0$. We find that limits on the UV scale, $Λ$, reach weak scale values for most operators and values of the dark matter mass, thus probing the most natural scenarios in the WIMP dark matter paradigm. Our bounds suggest that light dark matter ($m_χ\lsim m_Z/2$ or $m_χ\lsim 100-200\gev$, depending on the operator) cannot interact only with the electroweak gauge bosons of the Standard Model, but rather requires additional operator contributions or dark sector structure to avoid overclosing the universe.

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arXiv2011

Constraints on the pMSSM from LAT Observations of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

We examine the ability for the Large Area Telescope (LAT) to constrain Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) dark matter through a combined analysis of Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We examine the Lightest Supersymmetric Particles (LSPs) for a set of ~71k experimentally valid supersymmetric models derived from the phenomenological-MSSM (pMSSM). We find that none of these models can be excluded at 95% confidence by the current analysis; nevertheless, many lie within the predicted reach of future LAT analyses. With two years of data, we find that the LAT is currently most sensitive to light LSPs (m_LSP < 50 GeV) annihilating into tau-pairs and heavier LSPs annihilating into b-bbar. Additionally, we find that future LAT analyses will be able to probe some LSPs that form a sub-dominant component of dark matter. We directly compare the LAT results to direct detection experiments and show the complementarity of these search methods.

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arXiv2011

Dissecting the Wjj Anomaly: Diagnostic Tests of a Leptophobic Z'

We examine the scenario where a leptophobic Z' boson accounts for the excess of events in the Wjj channel as observed by CDF. We assume generation independent couplings for the Z' and obtain allowed regions for the four hadronic couplings using the cross section range quoted by CDF as well as constraints from dijet production at UA2. These coupling regions translate into well-determined rates for the associated production of Z/γ+Z' at the Tevatron and LHC, as well as W+Z' at the LHC,that are directly correlated with the Wjj rate observed at the Tevatron. The Wjj rate at the LHC is large and this channel should be observed soon once the SM backgrounds are under control. The rates for Z/γ+Z' associated production are smaller, and these processes should not yet have been observed at the Tevatron given the expected SM backgrounds. In addition, we also show that valuable coupling information is obtainable from the distributions of other kinematic variables, e.g., M_{WZ'}, p_T^W, and \cos θ_W^*. Once detected, these associated production processes and the corresponding kinematic distributions examined here will provide further valuable information on the Z' boson couplings.

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arXiv2011

Higgs Properties in the Fourth Generation MSSM: Boosted Signals Over the 3G Plan

The generalization of the MSSM to the case of four chiral fermion generations (4GMSSM) can lead to significant changes in the phenomenology of the otherwise familiar Higgs sector. In most of the 3GMSSM parameter space, the lighter CP-even $h$ is $\sim 115-125$ GeV and mostly Standard Model-like while $H,A,H^\pm$ are all relatively heavy. Furthermore, the ratio of Higgs vevs, $\tan β$, is relatively unconstrained. In contrast to this, in the 4GMSSM, heavy fourth generation fermion loops drive the masses of $h,H,H^\pm$ to large values while the CP-odd boson, $A$, can remain relatively light and $\tan β$ is restricted to the range $1/2 \lsim \tan β\lsim 2$ due to perturbativity requirements on Yukawa couplings. We explore this scenario in some detail, concentrating on the collider signatures of the light CP-odd Higgs at both the Tevatron and LHC. We find that while $gg \to A$ may lead to a potential signal in the $τ^+τ^-$ channel at the LHC, $A$ may first be observed in the $γγ$ channel due to a highly loop-enhanced cross section that can be more than an order of magnitude greater than that of a SM Higgs for $A$ masses of $\sim 115-120$ and $\tanβ<1$. We find that the CP-even states $h,H$ are highly mixed and can have atypical branching fractions. Precision electroweak constraints, particularly for the light $A$ parameter space region, are examined in detail.

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arXiv2011

pMSSM Dark Matter Searches on Ice

We explore the capability of the IceCube/Deepcore array to discover signal neutrinos resulting from the annihilations of Supersymmetric WIMPS that may be captured in the solar core. In this analysis, we use a previously generated set of /sim 70k model points in the 19-dimensional parameter space of the pMSSM which satisfy existing experimental and theoretical constraints. Our calculations employ a realistic estimate of the IceCube/DeepCore effective area that has been modeled by the IceCube collaboration. We find that a large fraction of the pMSSM models are shown to have significant signal rates in the anticipated IceCube/DeepCore 1825 day dataset, including some prospects for an early discovery. Many models where the LSP only constitutes a small fraction of the total dark matter relic density are found to have observable rates. We investigate in detail the dependence of the signal neutrino fluxes on the LSP mass, weak eigenstate composition, annihilation products and thermal relic density, as well as on the spin-independent and spin-dependent scattering cross sections. Lastly, We compare the model coverage of IceCube/DeepCore to that obtainable in near-future direct detection experiments and to pMSSM searches at the 7 TeV LHC.

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arXiv2010

Cosmic Ray Anomalies from the MSSM?

The recent positron excess in cosmic rays (CR) observed by the PAMELA satellite may be a signal for dark matter (DM) annihilation. When these measurements are combined with those from FERMI on the total ($e^++e^-$) flux and from PAMELA itself on the $\bar p/p$ ratio, these and other results are difficult to reconcile with traditional models of DM, including the conventional mSUGRA version of Supersymmetry even if boosts as large as $10^{3-4}$ are allowed. In this paper, we combine the results of a previously obtained scan over a more general 19-parameter subspace of the MSSM with a corresponding scan over astrophysical parameters that describe the propagation of CR. We then ascertain whether or not a good fit to this CR data can be obtained with relatively small boost factors while simultaneously satisfying the additional constraints arising from gamma ray data. We find that a specific subclass of MSSM models where the LSP is mostly pure bino and annihilates almost exclusively into $τ$ pairs comes very close to satisfying these requirements. The lightest $\tilde τ$ in this set of models is found to be relatively close in mass to the LSP and is in some cases the nLSP. These models lead to a significant improvement in the overall fit to the data by an amount $Δχ^2 \sim 1/$dof in comparison to the best fit without Supersymmetry while employing boosts $\sim 100$. The implications of these models for future experiments are discussed.

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arXiv2010

The Hunt for New Physics at the Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider presents an unprecedented opportunity to probe the realm of new physics in the TeV region and shed light on some of the core unresolved issues of particle physics. These include the nature of electroweak symmetry breaking, the origin of mass, the possible constituent of cold dark matter, new sources of CP violation needed to explain the baryon excess in the universe, the possible existence of extra gauge groups and extra matter, and importantly the path Nature chooses to resolve the hierarchy problem - is it supersymmetry or extra dimensions. Many models of new physics beyond the standard model contain a hidden sector which can be probed at the LHC. Additionally, the LHC will be a top factory and accurate measurements of the properties of the top and its rare decays will provide a window to new physics. Further, the LHC could shed light on the origin of neutralino masses if the new physics associated with their generation lies in the TeV region. Finally, the LHC is also a laboratory to test the hypothesis of TeV scale strings and D-brane models. An overview of these possibilities is presented in the spirit that it will serve as a companion to the Technical Design Reports (TDRs) by the particle detector groups ATLAS and CMS to facilitate the test of the new theoretical ideas at the LHC. Which of these ideas stands the test of the LHC data will govern the course of particle physics in the subsequent decades.

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arXiv2009

Dark Matter in the MSSM

We have recently examined a large number of points in the parameter space of the phenomenological MSSM, the 19-dimensional parameter space of the CP-conserving MSSM with Minimal Flavor Violation. We determined whether each of these points satisfied existing experimental and theoretical constraints. This analysis provides insight into general features of the MSSM without reference to a particular SUSY breaking scenario or any other assumptions at the GUT scale. This study opens up new possibilities for SUSY phenomenology both in colliders and in astrophysical experiments. Here we shall discuss the implications of this analysis relevant to the study of dark matter.

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arXiv2009

No Prejudice in Space

We present a summary of recent results obtained from a scan of the 19-dimensional parameter space of the pMSSM and its implications for dark matter searches.

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arXiv2009

Supersymmetry Without Prejudice

We begin an exploration of the physics associated with the general CP-conserving MSSM with Minimal Flavor Violation, the pMSSM. The 19 soft SUSY breaking parameters in this scenario are chosen so as to satisfy all existing experimental and theoretical constraints assuming that the WIMP is a conventional thermal relic, ie, the lightest neutralino. We scan this parameter space twice using both flat and log priors for the soft SUSY breaking mass parameters and compare the results which yield similar conclusions. Detailed constraints from both LEP and the Tevatron searches play a particularly important role in obtaining our final model samples. We find that the pMSSM leads to a much broader set of predictions for the properties of the SUSY partners as well as for a number of experimental observables than those found in any of the conventional SUSY breaking scenarios such as mSUGRA. This set of models can easily lead to atypical expectations for SUSY signals at the LHC.

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arXiv2007

The LHC Inverse Problem, Supersymmetry, and the ILC

We address the question whether the ILC can resolve the LHC Inverse Problem within the framework of the MSSM. We examine 242 points in the MSSM parameter space which were generated at random and were found to give indistinguishable signatures at the LHC. After a realistic simulation including full Standard Model backgrounds and a fast detector simulation, we find that roughly only one third of these scenarios lead to visible signatures of some kind with a significance $\geq 5$ at the ILC with $\sqrt s=500$ GeV. Furthermore, we examine these points in parameter space pairwise and find that only one third of the pairs are distinguishable at the ILC at $5σ$.

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arXiv2005

Probing the Universal Randall-Sundrum Model at the ILC

The Randall-Sundrum model with all Standard Model (SM) fields in the bulk, including the Higgs, can be probed by precision measurements at the ILC. In particular, the couplings of the Higgs to the gauge bosons of the SM can be determined with high accuracy at the ILC. Here we examine the deviations in these couplings from their SM values within the framework of the Universal Randall-Sundrum Model (URSM) as well as the corresponding couplings of the first Higgs Kaluza-Klein excitation.

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arXiv2005

The role of polarized positrons and electrons in revealing fundamental interactions at the Linear Collider

The proposed International Linear Collider (ILC) is well-suited for discovering physics beyond the Standard Model and for precisely unraveling the structure of the underlying physics. The physics return can be maximized by the use of polarized beams. This report shows the paramount role of polarized beams and summarizes the benefits obtained from polarizing the positron beam, as well as the electron beam. The physics case for this option is illustrated explicitly by analyzing reference reactions in different physics scenarios. The results show that positron polarization, combined with the clean experimental environment provided by the linear collider, allows to improve strongly the potential of searches for new particles and the identification of their dynamics, which opens the road to resolve shortcomings of the Standard Model. The report also presents an overview of possible designs for polarizing both beams at the ILC, as well as for measuring their polarization.

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