arXiv subjects

Ulrich Ellwanger

Publications and source records attributed to Ulrich Ellwanger.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

NMSSM with a singlino LSP: possible challenges for searches for supersymmetry at the LHC

A light singlino in the NMSSM can reduce considerably the missing transverse energy at the end of sparticle decay cascades; instead, light NMSSM-specific Higgs bosons can be produced. Such scenarios can be consistent with present constraints from the LHC with all sparticle masses below ~1 TeV. We discuss search strategies, which do not rely on missing transverse energy, for such scenarios at the next run of the LHC near 14 TeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

The semi-constrained NMSSM satisfying bounds from the LHC, LUX and Planck

We study the parameter space of the semi-constrained NMSSM, compatible with constraints on the Standard Model like Higgs mass and signal rates, constraints from searches for squarks and gluinos, a dark matter relic density compatible with bounds from WMAP/Planck, and direct detection cross sections compatible with constraints from LUX. The remaining parameter space allows for a fine-tuning as low as about 100, an additional lighter Higgs boson in the 60-120 GeV mass range detectable in the diphoton mode or in decays into a pair of lighter CP-odd Higgs bosons, and dominantly singlino like dark matter with a mass down to 1 GeV, but possibly a very small direct detection cross section.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Testing the higgsino-singlino sector of the NMSSM with trileptons at the LHC

We propose a simplified light higgsino-singlino scenario in the NMSSM, in which the masses of the chargino and the lightest neutralino determine the masses and couplings of all 3 lightest neutralinos. This scenario is complementary to the simplified wino-like chargino/neutralino scenario used conventionally for the interpretation of results from trilepton searches, and motivated by lower bounds on the gluino mass in the case of GUT relations between the wino and gluino masses. We present all masses and mixing angles necessary for the determination of production cross sections of the chargino and the 3 neutralinos in the form of Tables in the M_{neutralino_1} - M_{chargino_1} plane, assuming Higgs mass motivated values for tan(beta)=2 and lambda=0.6. We show that this scenario leads to considerable signal rates, and present constraints in this plane from recent searches for trileptons at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Higgs pair production in the NMSSM at the LHC

In the NMSSM it is well possible to find an additional Higgs boson with a mass below 125 GeV which remains invisible in standard Higgs boson search channels. We study the Higgs pair production cross sections times branching fractions in this scenario, focusing on gluon fusion and the bb+tautau and bb+gammagamma final states. Summing over the SM-like and the lighter Higgs states, the production cross sections times branching fractions are never below the ones for SM Higgs pair production. Sizable enhancements of the signal rates are also possible, notably if a lighter Higgs state is produced. However, the rates involving at least one lighter Higgs boson are not always sufficiently large to guarantee its discovery.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

LHC constraints on M_1/2 and m_0 in the semi-constrained NMSSM

Constraints from searches for squarks and gluinos at the LHC at sqrt{s}=8 TeV are applied to the parameter space of the NMSSM with universal squark/slepton and gaugino masses at the GUT scale, but allowing for non-universal soft Higgs mass parameters (the sNMSSM). We confine ourselves to regions of the parameter space compatible with a 125 GeV Higgs boson with diphoton signal rates at least as large as the Standard Model ones, and a dark matter candidate compatible with WMAP and XENON100 constraints. Following the simulation of numerous points in the m_0-M_{1/2} plane, we compare the constraints on the sNMSSM from 3-5 jets + missing E_T channels as well as from multijet + missing E_T channels with the corresponding cMSSM constraints. Due to the longer squark decay cascades, lower bounds on M_{1/2} are alleviated by up to 50 GeV. For heavy squarks at large m_0, the dominant constraints originate from multijet + missing E_T channels due to gluino decays via stop pairs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Higgs Bosons at 98 and 125 GeV at LEP and the LHC

We discuss NMSSM scenarios in which the lightest Higgs boson $h_1$ is consistent with the small LEP excess at about 98 GeV in $e^+e^- \to Zh$ with $h\to b\anti b$ and the heavier Higgs boson $h_2$ has the primary features of the LHC Higgs-like signals at 125 GeV, including an enhanced $γγ$ rate. Verification or falsification of the 98 GeV $h_1$ may be possible at the LHC during the 14 TeV run. The detection of the other NMSSM Higgs bosons at the LHC and future colliders is also discussed, as well as dark matter properties of the scenario under consideration.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

A 130 GeV photon line from dark matter annihilation in the NMSSM

In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, neutralino dark matter can annihilate into a pair of photons through the exchange of a CP-odd Higgs boson in the s-channel. The CP-odd Higgs boson couples to two photons through a loop of dominantly higgsino-like charginos. We show that the parameter space of the NMSSM can accommodate simultaneously i) neutralino-like dark matter of a mass of about 130 GeV giving rise to a 130 GeV photon line; ii) an annihilation cross section of or larger than 10^{-27}cm^3s^{-1}; iii) a relic density in agreement with WMAP constraints; iv) a direct detection cross section compatible with bounds from XENON100, and v) a Standard Model like Higgs mass of about 125 GeV. However, the CP-odd Higgs mass has to lie accidentally close to 260 GeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Higgs bosons near 125 GeV in the NMSSM with constraints at the GUT scale

We study the NMSSM with universal Susy breaking terms (besides the Higgs sector) at the GUT scale. Within this constrained parameter space, it is not difficult to find a Higgs boson with a mass of about 125 GeV and an enhanced cross section in the diphoton channel. An additional lighter Higgs boson with reduced couplings and a mass <123 GeV is potentially observable at the LHC. The NMSSM-specific Yukawa couplings lambda and kappa are relatively large and tan(beta) is small, such that lambda, kappa and the top Yukawa coupling are of order 1 at the GUT scale. The lightest stop can be as light as 105 GeV, and the fine-tuning is modest. WMAP constraints can be satisfied by a dominantly higgsino-like LSP with substantial bino, wino and singlino admixtures and a mass of ~60-90 GeV, which would potentially be detectable by XENON100.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Modified Signals for Supersymmetry in the NMSSM with a Singlino-like LSP

In the framework of the NMSSM with a singlino-like LSP, we study quantitatively the impact of the additional bino -> singlino cascade on the efficiencies in several search channels for supersymmetry of the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. Compared to the MSSM, the additional cascade reduces the missing transverse energy, but leads to additional jets or leptons. For the NMSSM benchmark lines which generalize cMSSM benchmark points, the efficiencies in the most relevant 2/3 jet + missing energy search channels can drop by factors ~1/3 to ~1/7, and can reduce the present lower bounds on M_{1/2} by as much as ~0.9 - 0.75 in the NMSSM for large bino-singlino mass differences. The larger efficiencies in multijet or multilepton search channels are not strong enough to affect this conclusion. In the fully constrained cNMSSM, sparticle decay cascades via the lightest stau can lead to signal cross sections in multilepton and 2tau search channels which are potentially visible at the LHC with 7 TeV center of mass energy.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

A Higgs boson near 125 GeV with enhanced di-photon signal in the NMSSM

A natural region in the parameter space of the NMSSM can accomodate a CP-even Higgs boson with a mass of about 125 GeV and, simultaneously, an enhanced cross section times branching ratio in the di-photon channel. This happens in the case of strong singlet-doublet mixing, when the partial width of a 125 GeV Higgs boson into bb is strongly reduced. In this case, a second lighter CP-even Higgs boson is potentially also observable at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Naturalness and Fine Tuning in the NMSSM: Implications of Early LHC Results

We study the fine tuning in the parameter space of the semi-constrained NMSSM, where most soft Susy breaking parameters are universal at the GUT scale. We discuss the dependence of the fine tuning on the soft Susy breaking parameters M_1/2 and m0, and on the Higgs masses in NMSSM specific scenarios involving large singlet-doublet Higgs mixing or dominant Higgs-to-Higgs decays. Whereas these latter scenarios allow a priori for considerably less fine tuning than the constrained MSSM, the early LHC results rule out a large part of the parameter space of the semi-constrained NMSSM corresponding to low values of the fine tuning.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

The Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

We review the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model: the Higgs sector including radiative corrections and the 2-loop beta-functions for all parameters of the general NMSSM; the tadpole and domain wall problems, baryogenesis; NMSSM phenomenology at colliders, B physics and dark matter; specific scenarios as the constrained NMSSM, Gauge Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking, U(1)'-extensions, CP and R-parity violation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Higgs Bosons in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model at the LHC

We review possible properties of Higgs bosons in the NMSSM, which allow to discriminate this model from the MSSM: masses of mostly Standard-Model-like Higgs bosons at or above 140 GeV, or enhanced branching fractions into two photons, or Higgs-to-Higgs decays. In the case of a Standard-Model-like Higgs boson above 140 GeV, it is necessarily accompagnied by a lighter state with a large gauge singlet component. Examples for such scenarios are presented. Available studies on Higgs-to-Higgs decays are discussed according to the various Higgs production modes, light Higgs masses and decay channels.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

NMSDECAY: A Fortran Code for Supersymmetric Particle Decays in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

The code NMSDECAY allows to compute widths and branching ratios of sparticle decays in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. It is based on a generalization of SDECAY, to include the extended Higgs and neutralino sectors of the NMSSM. Slepton 3-body decays, possibly relevant in the case of a singlino-like lightest supersymmetric particle, have been added. NMSDECAY will be part of the NMSSMTools package, which computes Higgs, sparticle masses and Higgs decays in the NMSSM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Reduced branching ratio for H -> AA -> 4 tau from A - eta_b mixing

Models with an extended Higgs sector, as the NMSSM, allow for scenarios where the Standard Model-like CP-even Higgs boson H decays dominantly as H -> AA -> 4 tau where A is a light CP-odd Higgs boson. Tight constraints on this scenario in the form of lower bounds on M_H have recently been published by the ALEPH group. We show that, due to A - eta_b mixing, the branching ratio H -> AA -> 4 tau is strongly reduced for M_A in the range 9 - 10.5 GeV. This is the range of M_A in which the tension between the observed eta_b(1S) mass and its prediction based on QCD can be resolved due to mixing, and which is thus still consistent with a light CP-even Higgs boson H satisfying LEP constraints with a mass well below 114 GeV. This result is practically independent from the coupling of A to b quarks.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Enhanced di-photon Higgs signal in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, CP-even Higgs bosons can have masses in the range of 80-110 GeV in agreement with constraints from LEP due to their sizeable singlet component. Nevertheless their branching ratio into two photons can be 10 times larger than the one of a Standard Model Higgs boson of similar mass due to a reduced coupling to b quarks. This can lead to a spectacular enhancement of the Higgs signal rate in the di-photon channel at hadron colliders by a factor 6. Corresponding scenarios can occur in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model for a relatively low Susy breaking scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Discovering the constrained NMSSM with tau leptons at the LHC

The constrained Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (cNMSSM) with mSugra-like boundary conditions at the GUT scale implies a singlino-like LSP with a mass just a few GeV below a stau NLSP. Hence, most of the squark/gluino decay cascades contain two tau leptons. The gluino mass >~ 1.2 TeV is somewhat larger than the squark masses of >~ 1 TeV. We simulate signal and background events for such a scenario at the LHC, and propose cuts on the transverse momenta of two jets, the missing transverse energy and the transverse momentum of a hadronically decaying tau lepton. This dedicated analysis allows to improve on the results of generic supersymmetry searches for a large part of the parameter space of the cNMSSM. The distribution of the effective mass and the signal rate provide sensitivity to distinguish the cNMSSM from the constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in the stau-coannihilation region.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Light dark matter in the NMSSM: upper bounds on direct detection cross sections

In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, a bino-like LSP can be as light as a few GeV and satisfy WMAP constraints on the dark matter relic density in the presence of a light CP-odd Higgs scalar. We study upper bounds on the direct detection cross sections for such a light LSP in the mass range 2-20 GeV in the NMSSM, respecting all constraints from B-physics and LEP. The OPAL constraints on e^+ e^- -> χ^0_1 χ^0_i (i > 1) play an important role and are discussed in some detail. The resulting upper bounds on the spin-independent and spin-dependent nucleon cross sections are ~ 10^{-42} cm^{-2} and ~ 4\times 10^{-40} cm^{-2}, respectively. Hence the upper bound on the spin-independent cross section is below the DAMA and CoGeNT regions, but could be compatible with the two events observed by CDMS-II.

hep-ph↗