No Arabic abstract
We consider simplified models for dark matter (DM) at the LHC, focused on mono-Higgs, -Z, or -b produced in the final state. Our primary purpose is to study the LHC reach of a relatively complete set of simplified models for these final states, while comparing the reach of the mono-X DM search against direct searches for the mediating particle. We find that direct searches for the mediating particle, whether in di-jets, jets+MET, multi-b+MET, or di-boson+MET, are usually stronger. We draw attention to the cases that the mono-X search is strongest, which include regions of parameter space in inelastic DM, two Higgs doublet, and squark mediated production models with a compressed spectrum.
The study of collision events with missing energy as searches for the dark matter (DM) component of the Universe are an essential part of the extensive program looking for new physics at the LHC. Given the unknown nature of DM, the interpretation of such searches should be made broad and inclusive. This report reviews the usage of simplified models in the interpretation of missing energy searches. We begin with a brief discussion of the utility and limitation of the effective field theory approach to this problem. The bulk of the report is then devoted to several different simplified models and their signatures, including s-channel and t-channel processes. A common feature of simplified models for DM is the presence of additional particles that mediate the interactions between the Standard Model and the particle that makes up DM. We consider these in detail and emphasize the importance of their inclusion as final states in any coherent interpretation. We also review some of the experimental progress in the field, new signatures, and other aspects of the searches themselves. We conclude with comments and recommendations regarding the use of simplified models in Run-II of the LHC.
This document outlines a set of simplified models for dark matter and its interactions with Standard Model particles. It is intended to summarize the main characteristics that these simplified models have when applied to dark matter searches at the LHC, and to provide a number of useful expressions for reference. The list of models includes both s-channel and t-channel scenarios. For s-channel, spin-0 and spin-1 mediation is discussed, and also realizations where the Higgs particle provides a portal between the dark and visible sectors. The guiding principles underpinning the proposed simplified models are spelled out, and some suggestions for implementation are presented.
We study the collider phenomenology of dark matter pair production at the LHC in simplified dark matter models and in the MSSM. Among the large space of dark matter models, we focus on two particular models where a fermionic dark matter candidate interacts with the Standard Model via the exchange of either a vector mediator in the s-channel or coloured scalar mediators in the t-channel. We find that the simplified models are capable of reproducing the predictions of the MSSM to some extent in simplified supersymmetric scenarios, but lack the complexity to descibe the complete theory over the full supersymmetric parameter space.
The vector boson fusion (VBF) event topology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) allows efficient suppression of dijet backgrounds and is therefore a promising target for new physics searches. We consider dark matter models which interact with the Standard Model through the electroweak sector: either through new scalar and pseudoscalar mediators which can be embedded into the Higgs sector, or via effective operators suppressed by some higher scale, and therefore have significant VBF production cross-sections. Using realistic simulations of the ATLAS and CMS analysis chain, including estimates of major error sources, we project the discovery and exclusion potential of the LHC for these models over the next decade.
We propose a new approach to the LHC dark matter search analysis within the effective field theory (EFT) framework by utilising the K-matrix unitarisation formalism. This approach provides a reasonable estimate of the dark matter production cross section at high energies, and hence allows reliable bounds to be placed on the cut-off scale of relevant operators without running into the problem of perturbative unitarity violation. We exemplify this procedure for the effective operator D5 in monojet dark matter searches in the collinear approximation. We compare our bounds to those obtained using the truncation method and identify a parameter region where the unitarisation prescription leads to more stringent bounds.