We suggest an NMSSM scenario, motivated by dark matter constraints, that may disguise itself as a much simpler mSUGRA scenario at the LHC. We show how its non-minimal nature can be revealed, and the bino--singlino mass difference measured, by looking for soft leptons.
Singlino-dominated dark matter properties are investigated in the $Z_3$ Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, producing superweak interactions with nucleons involved in dark matter direct detection experiments. Approximate analytical formulas describing the dark matter abundance and cross section in the scattering with nucleons are used to illustrate a dependence on theoretical parameters in neutralino and Higgs sectors. It is shown that the measured abundance requires a sizable singlet--doublet Higgs coupling parameter $lambda$, while the experimental detection results prefer a small $lambda$. The parameter space is then surveyed using a nest sampling technique guided by a likelihood function containing various observables in dark matter, Higgs, and B physics, such as the abundance and the scattering cross section. It is demonstrated that dark matter can achieve the correct abundance through $tilde{chi}_1^0 tilde{chi}_1^0 to t bar{t}$ or co-annihilation with higgsinos. The former process provides significantly larger Bayesian evidence than the latter, but this will be examined by the near-future PandaX-4T experiment. If the experiment shows no signs of dark matter, it will become highly disfavored. Furthermore, four cases are summarized to suppress dark matter scattering with nucleons, namely, a small $lambda$ and three kinds of cancellation between different contributions.
The general Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) describes the singlino-dominated dark-matter (DM) property by four independent parameters: singlet-doublet Higgs coupling coefficient $lambda$, Higgsino mass $mu_{tot}$, DM mass $m_{tilde{chi}_1^0}$, and singlet Higgs self-coupling coefficient $kappa$. The first three parameters strongly influence the DM-nucleon scattering rate, while $kappa$ usually affects the scattering only slightly. This characteristic implies that singlet-dominated particles may form a secluded DM sector. Under such a theoretical structure, the DM achieves the correct abundance by annihilating into a pair of singlet-dominated Higgs bosons by adjusting $kappa$s value. Its scattering with nucleons is suppressed when $lambda v/mu_{tot}$ is small. This speculation is verified by sophisticated scanning of the theorys parameter space with various experiment constraints considered. In addition, the Bayesian evidence of the general NMSSM and that of $Z_3$-NMSSM is computed. It is found that, at the cost of introducing one additional parameter, the former is approximately $3.3 times 10^3$ times the latter. This result corresponds to Jeffreys scale of 8.05 and implies that the considered experiments strongly prefer the general NMSSM to the $Z_3$-NMSSM.
Inspired by the fact that relatively small values of the effective higgsino mass parameter of the $Z_3$-symmetric Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) could render the scenario `natural, we explore the plausibility of having relatively light neutralinos and charginos (the electroweakinos or the ewinos) in such a scenario with a rather light singlino-like Lightest Supersymmetric Particle (LSP), which is a Dark Matter (DM) candidate, and singlet-dominated scalar excitations. By first confirming the indications in the existing literature that finding simultaneous compliance with results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and those from various DM experiments with such light states is, in general, a difficult ask, we proceed to demonstrate, with the help of a few representative benchmark points, how exactly and to what extent could such a highly motivated `natural setup with a singlino-like DM candidate still remains plausible.
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 scenarios with higgsino masses below $sim 250$ GeV as well as singlino masses below $sim 100$ GeV are strongly constrained depending, however, on assumptions on the bino mass parameter $M_1$. Benchmark points and branching fractions for future searches at the LHC are proposed.
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.