Adding a fermion to the standard model particle content which is a fiveplet under $SU(2)_L$ gives a dark matter candidate. The lightest state in the multiplet is neutral and automatically stable. The charged component of the multiplet is only slightly heavier and can travel a finite distance in the LHC detectors before decaying, leaving a charged track which disappears before the edge of the detector. We use the recent ATLAS and CMS searches to exclude a Majorana fiveplet with a mass up to 267 GeV. We estimate that with 3 ab$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV data this could be pushed to a mass 520 GeV. These exclusions are $\sim 10\%$ greater than what is achieved for wino-like dark matter. We also discuss how the doubly charged states could be used to distinguish a disappearing track signal from that given by a triplet such as the pure wino.
The Georgi-Machacek (GM) model is used to motivate and interpret LHC searches for doubly charged scalars decaying to vector bosons pairs. The doubly charged scalars are part of a degenerate fermiophobic custodial fiveplet with states $H_5^{\pm\pm}$, $H_5^\pm$, and $H_5^0$ and common mass $m_5$. The GM model has been extensively studied at the LHC for $m_5 > 200$ GeV but there is a largely unprobed region of parameter space from $120$ GeV $< m_5 < 200$ GeV where light doubly-charged scalars could exist. This region has been neglected by experimental searches due in part to the lack of a benchma…
Many researches from both the theoretical and experimental sides have been performed to search for a new Higgs Boson lighter than the 125 $GeV$ Higgs boson which was discovered at the LHC in 2012. In this paper we explore the possibility of constraining a lighter neutral custodial fiveplet scalar $H_{5}^{0}$ in the Georgi-Machacek (GM) model by the latest results of the search for a lighter Higgs boson decaying into two photons from LHC data. The custodial-singlet mass eigenstate $h$ or $H$ is considered to be the LHC observed 125 $GeV$ Higgs boson. A new set of constrained parameters that is …
Considering the supersymmetric model with the long-lived charged Higgsino, we discuss how Higgsino kink signals can show up in the latest LHC Disappearing Track (DT) and stable chargino searches. We derive constraints on the Higgsino kink signal, and characterize it in comparison to the Wino DT and the slepton kink track. We also discuss how to infer Higgsino model kinematics.
The Tevatron collaborations have searched for associated production of charginos and neutralinos via trilepton final states. No events above the Standard Model prediction were observed. We employ these results to put stringent bounds on R-parity violating models with a right-handed scalar electron as the lightest supersymmetric particle. We work in the framework of lepton number violating minimal supergravity. We find that within these models the complete parameter space consistent with the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon can be excluded at 90% confidence level. We also give prospects fo…
It is very easy to write down models in which long-lived particles decaying to standard model states are pair-produced via Higgs decays, resulting in the signature of approximately back-to-back pairs of displaced narrow hadronic jets and/or lepton jets at the LHC. The LHC collaborations have already searched for such signatures with no observed excess. This paper describes a Monte Carlo method to reinterpret the searches. The method relies on (ideally multidimensional) efficiency tables, thus we implore collaborations to include them in any future work. Exclusion regions in mixing-mass paramet…
Quirks are particles that are both charged under the standard model and under a new confining group. The quirk setup assumes there are no light flavors of the new confining group so that while the theory is in a confining phase, the distance between quirk-antiquirk pairs can be macroscopic. In this work, we reinterpret existing collider limits, those from monojet and heavy stable charged particle searches, as limits on quirks. Additionally, we propose a new search in the magnetic-field-less CMS data for quirks and estimate the sensitivity. We focus on the region where the confinement scale is …
The mono-jet search, looking for events involving missing transverse energy (MET) plus one or two jets, is the most prominent collider dark matter search. We show that multi-jet searches, which look for MET plus two or more jets, are significantly more sensitive than the mono-jet search for pseudoscalar- and scalar-mediated interactions. We demonstrate this in the context of a simplified model with a pseudoscalar interaction that explains the excess in GeV energy gamma rays observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We show that multi-jet searches already constrain a pseudoscalar interpretati…
Superluminal neutrinos are expected to lose energy due to bremstrauhlung. It is dominated by e+e--pair production if kinematically allowed. The same signature was used in searches for 3-body decays of hypothetical heavy sterile neutrinos. From the absence of these processes in CERN PS191 and CHARM experiments we set upper limits on the neutrino velocity in the energy range from 0.2 GeV to 280 GeV. Our limits are well below the neutrino velocity favored by the recent OPERA results. For energy-independent neutrino velocity the limits obtained in this paper are stronger than those coming from ICA…
We present version 2 of SModelS, a program package for the fast reinterpretation of LHC searches for new physics on the basis of simplified model results. The major novelty of the SModelS v2 series is an extended topology description with a flexible number of particle attributes, such as spin, charge, decay width, etc. This enables, in particular, the treatment of a wide range of signatures with long-lived particles. Moreover, constraints from prompt and long-lived searches can be evaluated simultaneously in the same run. The current database includes results from searches for heavy stable cha…
We consider dark sector particles (DSPs) that obtain sizeable interactions with Standard Model fermions from a new mediator. While these particles can avoid observation in direct detection experiments, they are strongly constrained by LHC measurements. We demonstrate that there is an important complementarity between searches for DSP production and searches for the mediator itself, in particular bounds on (broad) dijet resonances. This observation is crucial not only in the case where the DSP is all of the dark matter but whenever - precisely due to its sizeable interactions with the visible s…
The search at hadron colliders for new massive resonances of a few 100 GeVs that couple effectively to colored states is an extremely challenging issue, due principally to the presence of large QCD multijet backgrounds at this energy, rendering the searches at the LHC particularly difficult. Recently, it was realized that these large backgrounds could be overcome by demanding one high-$p_T$ jet from initial-state radiation (ISR) and by means of novel jet-reconstruction techniques through which the resulting hadronized products of the massive resonances are reconstructed as a fat-jet, a unique …
We provide a comprehensive analysis of the power of including top quark-polarisation information to kinematically challenging $t\bar t$ resonance searches, for which ATLAS and CMS start losing sensitivity. Following the general modeling and analysis strategies pursued by the experiments, we analyse the semi-leptonic and the di-lepton $t\bar t$ channels and show that including polarisation information can lead to large improvements in the limit setting procedures with large data sets. This will allow us to set limits for parameter choices where sensitivity from $m(t\bar t)$ is not sufficient. T…
We overview the construction of Nonforward Parton Distributions (NPD) in Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS). Then we turn to the analysis of similar constructs in the weak sector (electroweak NPD's). We argue in favour of a possible use of electroweak DVCS (EWDVCS) as a rare process for the study of neutrinos in cosmic rays and for light dark matter detection in underground experiments
We study the impact of the multi-lepton searches at the LHC on supersymmetric models with compressed mass spectra. For such models the acceptances of the usual search strategies are significantly reduced due to requirement of large effective mass and missing E_T. On the other hand, lepton searches do have much lower thresholds for missing E_T and p_T of the final state objects. Therefore, if a model with a compressed mass spectrum allows for multi-lepton final states, one could derive constraints using multi-lepton searches. For a class of simplified models we study the exclusion limits using …
Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, we find the allowed parameter space of a MSSM model with seven free parameters. In this model universality conditions at the GUT scale are imposed on the gaugino sector. We require in particular that the relic density of dark matter saturates the value extracted from cosmological measurements assuming a standard cosmological scenario. We characterize the parameter space of the model that satisfies experimental constraints and illustrate the complementarity of the LHC searches, B-physics observables and direct dark matter searches for further probing t…
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 …
We study a scenario in which the dilaton, a pseudo-Goldstone boson of the spontaneous breaking of conformal symmetry, provides a portal between dark matter and the visible sector. We consider the low-energy description of the theory in which the dilaton mixes with the Standard Model Higgs boson, thereby predicting a second scalar at or above the weak scale. We derive the collider and dark matter constraints on the corresponding parameter space and find that existing experimental data point towards the decoupling limit in which the CFT scale is well above the electroweak scale. Moreover, the th…
In a large class of models we show that the light scalar field responsible for the Sommerfeld enhancement in the annihilation of dark matter leads to observable direct detection rates, due to its mixing with the standard model Higgs. As a result the large annihilation cross-section of dark matter at present epoch, required to explain the observed cosmic ray anomalies, can be strongly constrained by direct searches. In particular Sommerfeld boost factors of order of a few hundred are already out of the CDMS-II upper bound at 90% confidence level for reasonable values of the model parameters.
In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model light neutralinos can satisfy the dark matter (DM) abundance constraint by resonant annihilation via a $Z$ or a light Higgs ($h$) boson. In this work we study the current and future status of this scenario by investigating relevant experimental constraints, including DM direct detection, measurements of $Z$ and Higgs invisible decays, and direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). To take full advantage of the LHC data, we combine the results of all relevant electroweakino searches performed by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration.…
New physics can manifest itself by an appreciable increase of the decay rate of top quarks in rare flavour-changing final states. Exploiting the large top quark production rate at the LHC, we bound four-fermion operators contributing to non-resonant $t\rightarrow \ell^+\ell^- j$ using different signal regions of the latest LHC searches for $t\rightarrow Zj$. We also provide prospects for the high-luminosity LHC to test these as well as four-fermion operators contributing to $t\rightarrow b\overline{b}j$, based on improved analysis strategies of existing searches. We single out all weakly-coupl…
An important tool for interpreting LHC searches for new physics are simplified models. They are characterized by a small number of parameters and thus often rely on a simplified description of particle production and decay dynamics. Considering the production of squarks of the first two generations we compare the interpretation of current LHC searches for hadronic jets plus missing energy signatures within simplified models with the interpretation within a complete supersymmetric model. Although we find sizable differences in the signal efficiencies, in particular for large supersymmetric part…
We review constraints on the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) coming from direct searches at accelerators such as LEP, indirect measurements such as b -> s gamma decay and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. The recently corrected sign of pole light-by-light scattering contributions to the latter is taken into account. We combine these constraints with those due to the cosmological density of stable supersymmetric relic particles. The possible indications on the supersymmetric mass scale provided by fine-tuning arguments are reviewed critically. We discuss b…
We investigate indirect constraints on the top partner within the minimal fermionic top partner model. By performing a global fit of the latest Higgs data, $B_s \to μ^+μ^-$ measurements and the electroweak precision observables we find that the top partner with the mass up to 830 GeV is excluded at $2σ$ level. Our bound on the top partner mass is much stronger than the bounds obtained from the direct searches at the LHC. Under the current constraints the fine-tuning measure is less than 9% and the branching ratio of $T \to tZ$ is bounded between 14% and 25%. We also find that precise measureme…
We investigate the power of low-energy, high-luminosity electron--positron colliders to probe hidden sectors with a mass below ~10 GeV that couple to Standard Model particles through a light mediator. Such sectors provide well-motivated dark matter candidates, and can give rise to distinctive mono-photon signals at B-factories and similar experiments. We use data from an existing mono-photon search by BaBar to place new constraints on this class of models, and give projections for the sensitivity of a similar search at a future B-factory such as Belle II. We find that the sensitivity of such s…
We outline and investigate a set of benchmark simplified models with the aim of providing a minimal simple framework for an interpretation of the existing and forthcoming searches of dark matter particles at the LHC. The simplified models we consider provide microscopic QFT descriptions of interactions between the Standard Model partons and the dark sector particles mediated by the four basic types of messenger fields: scalar, pseudo-scalar, vector or axial-vector. Our benchmark models are characterised by four to five parameters, including the mediator mass and width, the dark matter mass and…
We study the processes $pp \to t\bar{t}Z$ and $pp \to tZj$ in the framework of Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), employing conventional cut-and-count as well as machine learning techniques to take advantage of kinematic information in complex final states involving multiple leptons and $b$ jets. We explore the projected sensitivity for two SMEFT operators, $\mathcal{O}_{tZ}$ and $\mathcal{O}_{tW}$, that induce electroweak dipole moment interactions for top quarks, through direct searches in these electroweak top production processes at the HL-LHC. New physics modifications to domi…
Precision electroweak data, a light higgs and LHC searches for new spin one particles are all very constraining on technicolor models. We use a holographic model of walking techicolor (WTC) gauge dynamics, tuned to produce a light higgs and low $S$ parameter, to estimate the range of possible vector($ρ$) and pseudo-vector($A$) resonance masses and couplings as a function of the number of colours and the number of flavours of techni-singlet and techni-doublet quarks. The resulting models predict techni-hadron masses and couplings above the current limits from dilepton resonance searches at the …
Triggered by ongoing dark matter searches in the top quark sector at the Large Hadron Collider we report on the calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the Standard Model process $pp\to t\bar{t}+ Z(\to ν_\ell \barν_\ell)$. This calculation is based on matrix elements for $e^+ν_e \, μ^- \barν_μ\, b\bar{b} \, ν_τ\barν_τ$ production and includes all non-resonant diagrams, interferences, and off-shell effects of the top quarks. Non-resonant and off-shell effects due to the finite $W$-boson width are also consistently taken into account. As it is common for such studies, we pres…
Uncovering the physics of electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) is the raison-d'etre of the LHC. Flavor questions, it would seem, are of minor relevance for this quest, apart from their role in constraining the possible structure of EWSB physics. In this short review article, we outline, using flavor-dependent sleptons as an example, how flavor can affect both searches for supersymmetry, and future measurements aimed at understanding the nature of any new discoveries. If the production cross-sections for supersymmetry are relatively low, as indicated by the fact that it has not revealed itself …
We perform a model-independent search for leptoquarks (LQs) at the Large Hadron Collider through their pair-production and subsequent decay into $t\bar t ττ$ intermediate states. We show that, assuming full luminosity of the Run 2, a fully hadronic signal emerging from this intermediate state can surpass in sensitivity the established searches relying on leptons in the final state. Our conclusion is supported by a thorough Monte-Carlo analysis, and we advocate the deployment of our proposed search channel in the proper experimental setting of the Run 3. Furthermore, in order to highlight the f…
In this work we confront dark matter models to constraints that may be derived from radio synchrotron radiation from the Galaxy, taking into account the astrophysical uncertainties and we compare these to bounds set by accelerator and complementary indirect dark matter searches. Specifically we apply our analysis to three popular particle physics models. First, a generic effective operator approach, in which case we set bounds on the corresponding mass scale, and then, two specific UV completions, the Z' and Higgs portals. We show that for many candidates, the radio synchrotron limits are comp…
We study the constraints on $t\to u$ flavor changing neutral Higgs (FCNH) coupling, and how it may be explored further at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In the general two Higgs doublet model, such transitions can be induced by a nonzero $ρ_{tu}$ Yukawa coupling. We show that such couplings can be constrained by existing searches at the LHC for $m_H$, $m_A$ and, $m_{H^+}$ in the sub-TeV range, where $H$, $A$ and $H^+$ are the exotic $CP$-even, $CP$-odd and charged scalars. We find that a dedicated $ug\to t H/tA \to t t \bar u$ search can probe the available parameter space of $ρ_{tu}$ down t…
In this work, we derive lower mass bounds on the Z' gauge boson based on the dilepton data from LHC with 13 TeV of center-of-mass energy, and forecast the sensitivity of the High-Luminosity-LHC with $L=3000 fb^{-1}$, the High-Energy LHC with $\sqrt{s}=27$ TeV, and also at the Future Circular Collider with $\sqrt{s}=100$ TeV. We take into account the presence of exotic and invisible decays of the Z' gauge boson to find a more conservative and robust limit, different from previous studies. We investigate the impact of these new decays channels for several benchmark models in the scope of two dif…
In the Georgi-Machacek model with a custodial symmetry in the Higgs potential and vacuum alignment, the triplet vacuum expectation value is allowed to be of ${\cal O}(10)$ GeV, which leads to the possibility of significant modifications in the couplings of the SM-like Higgs bosons $h$ with other SM particles. In this talk given at the HPNP2015 conference held at Toyama University, we review constraints on the model based on the latest LHC data of the SM-like Higgs boson, like-sign $W$ boson events, and searches for additional neutral Higgs bosons. In particular, we concentrate on the parameter…
We study the implication of the LHC Higgs search results on the Type II Two Higgs-Doublet Model. In particular, we explore the scenarios in which the observed 126 GeV Higgs signal is interpreted as either the light CP-even Higgs $h^0$ or the heavy CP-even Higgs $H^0$. Imposing both theoretical and experimental constraints, we analyze the surviving parameter regions in $m_H$ ($m_h$), $m_A$, $m_{H^\pm}$, $\tanβ$ and $\sin(β- α)$. We further identify the regions that could accommodate a 126 GeV Higgs with cross sections consistent with the observed Higgs signal. We find that in the $h^0$-126 case…
Collider signals of dark photons are an exciting probe for new gauge forces and are characterized by events with boosted lepton jets. Existing techniques are efficient in searching for muonic lepton jets but due to substantial backgrounds have difficulty constraining lepton jets containing only electrons. This is unfortunate since upcoming intensity frontier experiments are sensitive to dark photon masses which only allow electron decays. Analyzing a recently proposed model of kinetic mixing, with new scalar particles decaying into dark photons, we find that existing techniques for electron je…
The high statistics that will be collected during the LHC Run-II (and beyond) open the path to precision measurements at the TeV scale, where the PDFs will play a crucial role in BSM searches. In the di-lepton final state accurate measurements of the Forward-Backward Asymmetry (AFB) will be available, particularly in the invariant mass region around the Z peak. We show that this observable displays a statistical error which is competitive with that assigned to the existing PDF sets and which will rapidly become smaller than the latter as the integrated luminosity grows, thereby offering a mean…
Supersymmetry searches at the LHC are both highly varied and highly constraining, but the vast majority are focused on cases where the final-stage visible decays are prompt. Scenarios featuring superparticles with detector-scale lifetimes have therefore remained a tantalizing possibility for sub-TeV SUSY, since explicit limits are relatively sparse. Nonetheless, the extremely low backgrounds of the few existing searches for collider-stable and displaced new particles facilitates recastings into powerful long-lived superparticle searches, even for models for which those searches are highly non-…
Long-lived particles have become a new frontier in the exploration of physics beyond the Standard Model. In this paper, we present the implementation of four types of long-lived particle searches, viz. displaced leptons, disappearing track, displaced vertex (together with muons or with missing energy), and heavy charged tracks. These four categories cover the signatures of a large range of physics models. We illustrate their potential for exclusion and discuss their mutual overlaps in mass-lifetime space for two simple phenomenological models involving either a U(1)-charged or a coloured scala…
Dark Matter direct detection experiments are able to exclude interesting parameter space regions of particle models which predict an important amount of thermal relics. We use recent data to constrain the branon model and to compute the region that is favored by CDMS measurements. Within this work, we also update present colliders constraints with new studies coming from the LHC. Despite the present low luminosity, it is remarkable that for heavy branons, CMS and ATLAS measurements are already more constraining than previous analyses performed with TEVATRON and LEP data.
In this work, we use a recast of the Run II search for invisible Higgs decays within Vector Boson Fusion to constrain the parameter space of the Inert Doublet model, a two Higgs doublet model with a dark matter candidate. When including all known theoretical as well as collider constraints, we find that the above can rule out a relatively large part in the mH-lambda345 parameter space, for dark scalar masses mH <= 100 GeV. Including the latest dark matter constraints, a smaller part of parameter space remains which is solely excluded from the above analysis. We also discuss the sensitivity of …
In the present work we study the branon dark matter particles impact on compact objects, and we provide the first constraints of the parameter space using white dwarf stars. The branon dark matter model is characterized by two free parameters, namely the branon mass particle M and the brane tension factor $f$. The latter determines the strength of the interaction of branon dark matter particles with baryons. By considering a typical white dwarf star we were able to obtain constraints on branon dark matter and compare with current limits obtained by direct detection searches and dark matter abu…
In the left-right twin Higgs (LRTH) model, the neutral $\hat{S}$ is a candidate for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter (DM). If its mass is lighter than half of the SM-like Higgs boson $h$, the new invisible decay $h \to \hat{S}\hat{S}$ will become open. In this paper, we examine the status of a light dark matter ($\hat{S}$) under current experimental constraints including the latest LHC Higgs data, the XENON100 and LUX limit on the dark matter scattering off the nucleon. The following observations have been obtained: (i) The current ATLAS (CMS) measurements of $R_{γγ}$ can…
We show that Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) significantly constrains axion-like dark matter. The axion acts like an oscillating QCD $θ$ angle that redshifts in the early universe, increasing the neutron-proton mass difference at neutron freeze-out. An axion-like particle that couples too strongly to QCD results in the underproduction of 4He during BBN and is thus excluded. The BBN bound overlaps with much of the parameter space that would be covered by proposed searches for time-varying neutron EDMs. The QCD axion does not couple strongly enough to affect BBN.
Studies of dark matter lie at the interface of collider physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Constraining models featuring dark matter candidates entails the capability to provide accurate predictions for large sets of observables and compare them to a wide spectrum of data. We present a framework which, starting from a model lagrangian, allows one to consistently and systematically make predictions, as well as to confront those predictions with a multitude of experimental results. As an application, we consider a class of simplified dark matter models where a scalar mediator couples only to t…
Within the context of vector mediators, is a new signal observed in flavor changing interactions, particularly in the neutral mesons systems $K^{0}-\bar{K}^{0}$, $D^{0}-\bar{D}^{0}$ and $B^0-\bar{B^0}$, consistent with dilepton resonance searches at the LHC? In the attempt to address this very simple question, we discuss the complementarity between flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) and dilepton resonance searches at the LHC run 2 at $13$TeV with $3.2\, {\rm fb^{-1}}$ of integrated luminosity, in the context of vector mediators at tree level. Vector mediators, are often studied in the flav…
We give a brief overview of beyond the Standard Model (BSM) theories with an extended scalar sector and their phenomenological status in the light of recent experimental results. We discuss the relevant theoretical and experimental constraints, and show their impact on the allowed parameter space of two specific models: the real scalar singlet extension of the Standard Model (SM) and the Inert Doublet Model. We emphasize the importance of the LHC measurements, both the direct searches for additional scalar bosons, as well as the precise measurements of properties of the Higgs boson of mass 125…
We examine the current lower bound on the charged Higgs boson mass in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. By applying direct search constraints on the neutral Higgs bosons and other supersymmetric states, as well as a number of indirect constraints (b -> s gamma, B_s -> mu mu, B -> tau nu, B -> D tau nu), we find that it is possible to push the charged Higgs boson mass as low as 140 GeV. We work in a completely low-energy approach with no assumptions about scalar mass unification, examining two of the most popular limits for neutral Higgs boson searches: the Max-Mixing and No-Mixing sce…
We perform an analysis of Higgs portal models of dark matter (DM), where DM is light enough to contribute to invisible Higgs decays. Using effective field theory we show that DM can be a thermal relic only if there are additional light particles present with masses below a few 100 GeV. We give three concrete examples of viable Higgs portal models of light DM: (i) the SM extended by DM scalar along with an electroweak triplet and a singlet, (ii) a Two Higgs Doublet Model of type II with additional scalar DM, (iii) SM with DM and an extra scalar singlet that is lighter than DM. In all three exam…
Constraining magnetic monopoles and multiply charged particles with diphoton events at the LHC
Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), CSIC – Universitat de València（粒子物理研究所，西班牙科学理事会-瓦伦西亚大学）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama（阿拉巴马大学物理与天文学系）
