I present an overview of theoretical expectations for detection of dark matter (DM) at the LHC, concentrating entirely on supersymmetric candidates. En route, I present a unified theory which explains dark matter signals at indirect and direct detection experiments. While direct DM detection is likely impossible at LHC, detection of SUSY matter states is robust, where LHC with \sqrt{s}=7 TeV and 1fb^{-1} can access m(gluino) 1 TeV for m(squark) m(gluino), and m(gluino) 640 GeV for m(squark)>> m(gluino). Models with well-tempered neutralinos will soon be tested by Xenon-100/LUX, and should provide a distinctive mass edge at LHC in the m(l+l-) distribution. In the case of SUSY, neutralino dark matter now seems highly disfavored by both the magnitude of the dark matter density, and also the gravitino problem. Alternatively, the PQMSSM yields a solution to the strong CP problem, provides all the benefits of SUSY, and solves several cosmological problems. Predictions for SUSY particles at the LHC from the PQMSSM are quite different from the case of neutralino dark matter. Compelling models such as Yukawa-unifed SUSY or Effective SUSY, which would be excluded with neutralino DM, are perfectly viable with mixed axion/axino DM.
I discuss the construction of Simplified Models for Dark Matter searches at the LHC. After reviewing the phylosophy and some simple example, I turn the attention to the aspect of the theoretical consistency of these models.
Cosmological and astrophysical measurements indicate that the universe contains a large amount of dark matter. A number of weak scale dark matter candidates have been proposed in extensions of the standard model. The potential to discover the dark matter particle and determine its properties at the upcoming LHC is summarized.
Searches for WIMP Dark Matter particle at the LHC are considered from the point of view of the existence of a Dark Matter particle which couples primarily through the heavy gauge boson Z, as suggested by recent tentative evidence for a 130 GeV gamma line in the FermiLAT data. We compare three models in which the WIMP is a neutrino-like particle and consider the limits on such particle and interactions from LHC.
The LHC lifetime frontier will probe dark sector in near future, and the visible decay searches at fixed-target experiments have been exploring dark sector. Composite asymmetric dark matter with dark photon portal is a promising framework explaining the coincidence problem between dark matter and visible matter. Dark strong dynamics provides rich structure in the dark sector: the lightest dark nucleon is the dark matter, while strong annihilation into dark pions depletes the symmetric components of the dark matter. Dark photons alleviate cosmological problems. Meanwhile, dark photons make dark…
Weak scale supersymmetry is a highly motivated extension of the Standard Model that has a strong degree of support from data. It provides several viable dark matter candidates: the lightest neutralino (a WIMP), the gravitino, and the axion/axino supermultiplet. The LHC turn-on is imminent. The discovery of supersymmetry at the LHC will go a long way towards establishing the nature of dark matter. I present arguments why mainly axion cold dark matter is a better fit for supersymmetric models than neutralinos. I also argue that Yukawa-unified SUSY GUT theories based on SO(10) with mixed axion/ax…
Vector boson fusion (VBF) processes at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provide a unique opportunity to search for new physics with electroweak couplings. A feasibility study for the search of supersymmetric dark matter in the final state of two VBF jets and large missing transverse energy is presented at 14 TeV. Prospects for determining the dark matter relic density are studied for the cases of Wino and Bino-Higgsino dark matter. The LHC could probe Wino dark matter with mass up to approximately 600 GeV with a luminosity of 1000 fb$^{-1}$.
We present the phenomenology of a supersymmetric model with sneutrino as the next to lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) in the gravitino dark matter scenario at the LHC. We focus on the leptonic signatures and study the feasibility of a particular trilepton signature as a possible discovery channel of supersymmetry.
Many extensions of the SM contain hidden sectors which are uncharged under the SM gauge group. The simplest model with an additional $U(1)$ group predicts the existence of the new gauge boson, dark photon $Z_D$. In this work we consider single production of dark photon $Z_D$ at the LHC and study its discovery potential via the process $pp\rightarrow Z_Dγ\rightarrow llγ$. After simulating the signal as well as the relevant backgrounds, the numerical results show that the signal of $Z_D$ might be detected at the 14TeV LHC.
We consider non-abelian kinetic mixing between the Standard Model SU(2$)_L$ and a dark sector U(1$)^\prime$ gauge group associated with the presence of a scalar SU(2$)_L$ triplet. The magnitude of the resulting dark photon coupling $ε$ is determined by the ratio of the triplet vacuum expectation value, constrained to by $\lsim 4$ GeV by electroweak precision tests, to the scale $Λ$ of the effective theory. The corresponding effective operator Wilson coefficient can be $\mathcal{O}(1)$ while accommodating null results for dark photon searches, allowing for a distinctive LHC dark photon phenomen…
A mass dimension one fermion, also known as Elko, constitutes a dark matter candidate which might interact with photons at the tree level in a specific fashion. In this work, we investigate the constraints imposed by unitarity and LHC data on this type of interactions using the search for new physics in monophoton events. We found that Elkos which can explain the dark matter relic abundance mainly through electromagnetic interactions are excluded at the 95\%CL by the 8 TeV LHC data for masses up to 1 TeV.
Motivated by the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess in the Fermi-LAT data, we study the signatures of a class of tau portal dark matter (DM) models where DM particles preferentially couple to tau leptons at the LHC. We consider the constraints from the DM direct detection and investigate the sensitivity of the LHC to di-tau plus missing energy signatures. We find that the LHC with a high luminosity of 3000 fb$^{-1}$ can test the tau portal DM models with fermionic mediators in the mass range of $120\sim450$ GeV.
We derive precision predictions for the production of dark-matter particles recoiling against a jet with large transverse momentum at the LHC. The dark-matter fermions are described within a simplified model and couple to the Standard Model via a vector mediator. Our predictions for the mono-jet signature include the resummation of the leading and next-to-leading threshold logarithms. The corresponding matching coefficient is evaluated at NLO. The resummed result is matched to the fixed-order NLO cross section obtained from the MadGraph framework. We discuss numerical results for several bench…
We discuss the implications of a gauged Abelian hidden-sector communicating with the Standard Model (SM) fields via kinetic mixing with the SM hypercharge gauge field, or via the Higgs quartic interaction. We discuss signatures of the hidden-sector gauge boson at the LHC in the four-lepton channel. We show that a hidden-sector fermion can be a natural dark-matter candidate with the correct relic-density, discuss direct-detection prospects, and show how Higgs signatures may be altered at the LHC.
While the paradigm of a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) has guided our search strategies for dark matter in the past decades, their null-results have stimulated growing interest in alternative explanations pointing towards non-standard signatures. In this article we discuss the phenomenology of dark matter models that predict long-lived particle at the LHC. We focus on models with a $Z_2$-odd dark sector where - in decreasing order of the dark matter coupling - a coannihilation, conversion-driven freeze-out or superWIMP/freeze-in scenario could be realized.
We present an interpretation of searches for Dark Matter in a simplified model approach. Considering Majorana fermion Dark Matter and a neutral vector mediator with axial-vector interactions we explore mono-jet searches at the LHC and searches for neutrinos from Dark Matter annihilation in the Sun at IceCube and place new limits on model parameter space. Further, we compare the simplified model with its effective field theory approximation and discuss the validity of the latter one.
We consider the possibility that dark matter can communicate with the Standard Model fields via flavor interactions. We take the dark matter to belong to a "dark sector" which contains at least two types, or "flavors", of particles and then hypothesize that the Standard Model fields and dark matter share a common interaction which depends on flavor. As, generically, interaction eigenstates and mass eigenstates need not coincide, we consider both flavor-changing and flavor-conserving interactions. These interactions are then constrained by meson decays, kaon mixing, and current collider bounds,…
The quest for the Higgs boson of the Standard Model, which was a cornerstone in the physics programme at particle colliders operating at the energy frontier for several decades, is the subject of this review. After reviewing the formulation of electroweak symmetry breaking via the Higgs mechanism within the Standard Model, the phenomenology of the Higgs boson at colliders and the theoretical and phenomenological constraints on the Standard Model Higgs sector are discussed. General remarks on experimental searches and the methodology of statistical interpretation are followed by a description o…
Recently a model has been proposed that links dark matter and neutrino masses. The dark matter candidate which is dubbed as SLIM has a mass of MeV scale and can show up at low energy experiments. The model also has a high energy sector which consists of a scalar doublet, $(ϕ^-, ϕ^0)$. We discuss the potential of the LHC for discovering the new scalars. We focus on the $ϕ^+ϕ^-$ and $ϕ^{\pm} ϕ^0$ production and the subsequent decay of the charged scalar to a charged lepton and the SLIM which appears as missing energy. Identifying the background, we estimate the signal significance and find that …
We propose a new search for Dark Matter at the LHC, characteristic of scenarios beyond the Standard Model with a pseudoscalar portal between the visible and dark sectors. This search, leading to a $\bar{b} b Z( \rightarrow \ell\ell) + E_{T} \hspace{-4mm}/\hspace{2mm}$ final state, reaches large regions of parameter space not probed by Dark Matter searches via multi-jet $+ E_{T} \hspace{-4mm}/\hspace{2mm}$, searches for new scalars and flavour bounds. We show that this search could be used to test the Dark Matter origin of the gamma ray Galactic Centre excess with LHC Run 2 data.
An Effective Field Theory for dark matter at a TeV-scale hadron collider should include contact interactions of dark matter with the partons, the Higgs and the Z. This note estimates the impact of including dark matter-Z interactions on the complementarity of spin dependent direct detection and LHC monojet searches for dark matter. Their effect is small, because they are suppressed by electroweak couplings and the contact interaction self-consistency condition $C/Λ^2 < 4π/\hat{s}$. In this note, the contact interactions between the Z and dark matter are parametrised by derivative operators; th…
We suggest trying to count the number of invisible particles produced in missing energy events at the LHC, arguing that multiple production of such particles provides evidence that they constitute stable Dark Matter and that counting them could yield further insights into the nature of Dark Matter. We propose a method to count invisible particles, based on fitting the shapes of certain transverse- or invariant-mass distributions, discuss various effects that may affect the measurement, and simulate the use of the method to count neutrinos in Standard Model processes and Dark Matter candidates …
A very light (GeV scale) dark gauge boson ($Z'$) is a recently highlighted hypothetical particle that can address some astrophysical anomalies as well as the $3.6 σ$ deviation in the muon $g$-2 measurement. We suggest top quark decays as a venue to search for light dark force carriers at the LHC. Such $Z'$s can be easily boosted, and they can decay into highly collimated leptons (lepton-jet) with large branching ratio. We investigate a scenario where a top quark decays to $b W$ accompanied by one or multiple dark force carriers and find that such a scenario could be easily probed at the early …
We consider the production of dark matter in association with a pair of top quarks, mediated by a scalar or pseudoscalar particle in a generic Simplified Model. We demonstrate that the difference of azimuthal angle between the two leptons $Δϕ_{ll}$, in the dileptonic top decay mode, can directly probe the CP-properties of the mediator. We estimate the constraints to strength and CP-structure of dark matter production for these well-motivated Simplified Models from the LHC Run II.
We present the updated version of MadDM, a new dark matter tool based on MadGraph5_aMC@NLO framework. New version includes direct detection capability in addition to relic abundance computation. In this article, we provide short description of the implementation of relevant effective operators and validations against existing results in literature.
We study collider phenomenology of inert triplet scalar dark matter at the LHC. We discuss possible decay of Higgs boson to dark matter candidate and apply current experimental data for invisible Higgs decay and $R_{γγ}$ to constrain parameter space of our model. We also investigate constraints on dark matter coming from forthcoming measurement, $R_{Zγ}$ and mono-Higgs production. We analytically calculate the annihilation cross section of dark matter candidate into $2γ$ and $Zγ$ and then use FermiLAT data to put constraints on parameter space of Inert Triplet Model. We found that this limit c…
We study a gauge-singlet vector-like fermion hidden-sector dark matter model, in which the communication between the dark matter and the visible standard model sector is via the Higgs-portal scalar-Higgs mixing, and also via a hidden-sector scalar with loop-level couplings to two gluons and also to two hypercharge gauge bosons induced by a vector-like quark. We find that the Higgs-portal possibility is stringently constrained to be small by the recent LHC di-Higgs search limits, and the loop-induced couplings are important to include. In the model parameter space, we present the dark matter re…
We consider a dark sector containing a pair of almost degenerate states coupled to the Standard Model through a dark photon mediator. This set-up constitutes a simple realization of the inelastic dark matter scenario. The heaviest dark state is long-lived, in the limit of a small kinetic mixing among the dark photon and the Standard Model hypercharge gauge boson, and/or of a small mass splitting among the dark states. We study the prospects for detection of this scenario at proposed LHC experiments dedicated to search for long-lived particles, namely FASER, MATHUSLA, CODEX-b, AL3X, MAPP, ANUBI…
This paper proposes a new search program for dark sector parton showers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These signatures arise in theories characterized by strong dynamics in a hidden sector, such as Hidden Valley models. A dark parton shower can be composed of both invisible dark matter particles as well as dark sector states that decay to Standard Model particles via a portal. The focus here is on the specific case of 'semi-visible jets,' jet-like collider objects where the visible states in the shower are Standard Model hadrons. We present a Simplified Model-like parametrization for the…
We present a simple extension of the standard model (SM) to explain the diphoton excess, reported by CMS and ATLAS at CERN LHC. The SM is extended by a dark sector including a vector-like lepton doublet and a singlet of zero electromagnetic charge, which are odd under a $Z_2$ symmetry. These vector-like leptons assist the additional scalar, different from SM Higgs, to decay to di-photons of invariant mass around 750 GeV and thus explaining the excess observed at LHC. The admixture of neutral component of the vector-like lepton doublet and singlet constitute the dark matter component of the Uni…
Dark matter associated visible particle production at high energy colliders provides a unique way to determine the microscopic properties of the dark matter. We investigate a pair of fermionic dark matter particles associated with a b-jet production at the LHC, through a mediator which couples to standard model or dark matter particles via either a vector or axial-vector coupling. The calculation is performed by implementing these simplified models in the FeynRules/MadGraph5 aMC@NLO framework. In our calculation, next-to-leading order QCD corrections and parton-shower effects are considered. W…
Under R-parity, the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is stable and may serve as a good dark matter candidate. The R-parity can be naturally introduced with a gauge origin at TeV scale. We go over why a TeV scale B-L gauge extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) is one of the most natural, if not demanded, low energy supersymmetric models. In the presence of a TeV scale Abelian gauge symmetry, the (predominantly) right-handed sneutrino LSP can be a good dark matter candidate. Its identification at the LHC is challenging because it does not carry any standard model ch…
In this thesis we examine three different models in the MSSM context, all of which have significant supergravity anomaly contributions to their soft masses. These models are the so-called Minimal, Hypercharged, and Gaugino Anomaly Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking models. We explore some of the string theoretical motivations for these models and proceed by understanding how they would appear at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our major results include calculating the LHC reach for each model's parameter space and prescribing a method for distinguishing the models after the collection of 100 fb^…
We construct a model containing a viable dark matter candidate, in the framework of left-right symmetry, which can explain both width and cross-section of the observed 750 GeV diphoton excess at the LHC. We introduce a fermion quintuplet whose neutral component can be a possible dark matter candidate, whereas the charged components enhance the loop induced coupling of a 750 GeV singlet scalar with a pair of photons. We study the photo-production of the singlet scalar and its various decay modes, successfully addressing both the ATLAS and the CMS diphoton excess.
Pseudo-Goldstone dark matter coupled to the Standard Model via the Higgs portal offers an attractive framework for phenomenologically viable pseudo-scalar dark matter. It enjoys natural suppression of the direct detection rate due to the vanishing of the relevant (tree level) Goldstone boson vertex at zero momentum transfer, which makes light WIMP-like dark matter consistent with the strong current bounds. In this work, we explore prospects of detecting pseudo-Goldstone dark matter at the LHC, focusing on the vector boson fusion (VBF) channel with missing energy. We find that, in substantial r…
We study the Singlet-Doublet dark matter model in the regime of feeble couplings, where the dark matter abundance is obtained via the freeze-in mechanism. As a consequence of the small couplings, the heavier particles in the model are long-lived with decay length at typical scales of collider experiments. We analyse the collider signatures of the model, characterised by displaced $h$ and $Z$ bosons plus missing momentum, employing current LHC searches for displaced vertices and missing energy to significantly constrain the parameter space of the model. We also take into account the cosmologica…
We present accurate and up-to-date constraints on the complete set of dimension five and six operators with scalar, fermion and vector Dark Matter (DM). We find limits using LHC mono-jet data, spin inde- pendent and spin dependent direct searches, relic density and CMB, and show the interplay between high and low energy data in setting bounds on the parameter space. In order to properly compare data taken at different energies, we take into account the effect of the running and mixing of operators. We also take into account the local density uncertainties affecting direct detection data, and a…
We propose some scenarios to pursue dark matter searches at the LHC in a fairly model-independent way. The first benchmark case is dark matter co-annihilations with coloured particles (gluinos or squarks being special examples). We determine the masses that lead to the correct thermal relic density including, for the first time, strong Sommerfeld corrections taking into account colour decomposition. In the second benchmark case we consider dark matter that couples to SM particles via the Z or the Higgs. We determine the couplings allowed by present experiments and discuss future prospects. Fin…
Spectral features in LHC dileptonic events may signal radiative corrections coming from new degrees of freedom, notably dark matter and mediators. Using simplified models, we show how these features can reveal the fundamental properties of the dark sector, such as self-conjugation, spin and mass of dark matter, and the quantum numbers of the mediator. Distributions of both the invariant mass $m_{\ell \ell}$ and the Collins-Soper scattering angle $cosθ_{CS}$ are studied to pinpoint these properties. We derive constraints on the models from LHC measurements of $m_{\ell \ell}$ and $cosθ_{CS}$, wh…
We consider LHC searches for dark matter in the mono-Higgs channel using the tools of effective field theory. This channel takes unique advantage of the presence of $SU(2)_L$ breaking in those operators to avoid the need for any initial-state radiation, usually necessary to tag the production of invisible particles. We find that sensitivities to parameters describing dark matter interactions with standard model particles are comparable to those from monojet searches for a subset of the usually-considered operators, and we present for the first time bounds from collider searches on operators wh…
We study how collider data and electroweak precision observables affect the parameter space of models including a new dark force mediated by a massive U(1) gauge boson. It acquires mass via a Higgs mechanism in the dark sector which is connected to the Standard Model through kinetic mixing of the two U(1) gauge bosons and the Higgs potential. We assess the impact of the 7 TeV LHC and show that most of the parameter space of the model can be probed with an integrated luminosity of 15 fb^-1.
Gravitino Dark Matter represents a compelling scenario in Supersymmetry, which brings together a variety of data from cosmology and collider physics. We discuss the constraints obtained from the LHC on supersymmetric models with gravitino dark matter and neutralino NLSP, which is the case most difficult to disentangle at colliders from a neutralino LSP forming DM. The phenomenological SUSY model with 19+1 free parameters is adopted. Results are obtained from broad scans of the phase space of these uncorrelated parameters. The relation between gravitino mass, gluino mass and reheating temperatu…
The inert Two Higgs Doublet Model (i2HDM) is a theoretically well-motivated example of a minimal consistent Dark Matter(DM) model which provides mono-jet, mono-Z, mono-Higgs and Vector-Boson-Fusion+Missing Transverse Momentum signatures at the LHC, complemented by signals in direct and indirect DM search experiments. In this paper we have performed a detailed analysis of the constraints in the full 5D parameter space of the i2HDM, coming from perturbativity, unitarity, electroweak precision data, Higgs data from LHC, DM relic density, direct/indirect DM detection and LHC mono-jet analysis, as …
We explore a variant on the MT2 kinematic variable which enables dark matter mass measurements for simple, one stage, cascade decays. This will prove useful for constraining a subset of supersymmetric processes, or a class of leptophilic dark matter models at the LHC. We investigate the statistical reach of these measurements and discuss which sources of error have the largest effects. For example, we find that using only single stage cascade decays with initial state radiation, a measurement of a 150 GeV dark matter candidate can be made to O(10%) for a parent mass of 300 GeV with a productio…
The scenario of the compressed mass spectrum between heavy quark and dark matter is a challenge for LHC searches. However, the elastic scattering cross section between dark matter and nuclei in dark matter direct detection experiments can be enhanced with nearly degenerate masses between heavy quarks and dark matter. In this paper, we illustrate such scenario with a vector dark matter, using the latest result from LUX 2016. The mass constraints on heavy quarks can be more stringent than current limits from LHC, unless the coupling strength is very small. However, the compress mass spectrum wit…
We introduce an in-depth study of an unprobed pMSSM region offering a natural solution to dark matter. Since the 1980s this region has been referred to as the "bulk", consisting of sub 200 GeV neutralinos and right-handed smuons. The bulk satisfies recent muon $g_μ-2$ measurements and sustains consistency with $all$ presently operating SUSY experiments and LHC constraints. Initial ingress into the bulk will arrive soon via the LUX-ZEPLIN 1000-day experiment. The ATLAS Collaboration at the LHC has confirmed that observation of these light right-handed smuon events can occur at the ongoing LHC R…
A light singlino is a promising candidate for dark matter, and a light higgsino is natural in the parameter space of the NMSSM. We study the combined constraints on this scenario resulting from the dark matter relic density, the most recent results from direct detection experiments, LEP and the LHC. In particular limits from a recent search for electroweak production of charginos and neutralinos at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV after 35.9 fb$^{-1}$ by CMS and constraints on spin-independent dark matter-nucleon cross sections from XENON1T after one tonne$\times$year exposure are considered. We find that sc…
