Weak scale supersymmetry (SUSY) remains a prime explanation for the radiative stability of the Higgs field. A natural account of the Higgs boson mass, however, strongly favors extensions of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). A plausibl
e option is to introduce a new supersymmetric sector coupled to the MSSM Higgs fields, whose associated states resolve the little hierarchy problem between the third generation squark masses and the weak scale. SUSY also accomodates a weakly interacting cold dark matter (DM) candidate in the form of a stable neutralino. In minimal realizations, the thus-far null results of direct DM searches, along with the DM relic abundance constraint, introduce a level of fine-tuning as severe as the one due to the SUSY little hierarchy problem. We analyse the generic implications of new SUSY sectors parametrically heavier than the minimal SUSY spectrum, devised to increase the Higgs boson mass, on this little neutralino DM problem. We focus on the SUSY operator of smallest scaling dimension in an effective field theory description, which modifies the Higgs and DM sectors in a correlated manner. Within this framework, we show that recent null results from the LUX experiment imply a tree-level fine-tuning for gaugino DM which is parametrically at least a few times larger than that of the MSSM. Higgsino DM whose relic abundance is generated through a thermal freeze-out mechanism remains also severely fine-tuned, unless the DM lies below the weak boson pair-production threshold. As in the MSSM, well-tempered gaugino-Higgsino DM is strongly disfavored by present direct detection results.
micrOMEGAs is a code to compute dark matter observables in generic extensions of the standard model. This version of micrOMEGAs includes a generalization of the Boltzmann equations to take into account the possibility of two dark matter candidates. T
he modification of the relic density calculation to include interactions between the two DM sectors as well as semi-annihilation is presented. Both DM signals in direct and indirect detection are computed as well. An extension of the standard model with two scalar doublets and a singlet is used as an example.
These lecture notes describe the micrOMEGAs code for the calculation of Dark Matter observables in extensions of the standard model.
We study a simple model that can give rise to isospin-violating interactions of Dirac fermion asymmetric dark matter to protons and neutrons through the interference of a scalar and U(1)$$ gauge boson contribution. The model can yield a large suppres
sion of the elastic scattering cross section off Xenon relative to Silicon thus reconciling CDMS-Si and LUX results while being compatible with LHC findings on the 126 GeV Higgs, electroweak precision tests and flavour constraints.
micrOMEGAs is a code to compute dark matter observables in generic extensions of the standard model. This new version of micrOMEGAs is a major update which includes a generalization of the Boltzmann equations to accommodate models with asymmetric dar
k matter or with semi-annihilation and a first approach to a generalization of the thermodynamics of the Universe in the relic density computation. Furthermore a switch to include virtual vector bosons in the final states in the annihilation cross sections or relic density computations is added. Effective operators to describe loop-induced couplings of Higgses to two-photons or two-gluons are introduced and reduced couplings of the Higgs are provided allowing for a direct comparison with recent LHC results. A module that computes the signature of DM captured in celestial bodies in neutrino telescopes is also provided. Moreover the direct detection module has been improved as concerns the implementation of the strange content of the nucleon. New extensions of the standard model are included in the distribution.
We survey the expected polarization of the top produced in the decay of a scalar top quark, $tilde t rightarrow {tilde t}chi_i^0, i =1-2$. The phenomenology is quite interesting, since the expected polarization depends both on the mixing in the stop
and neutralino sectors and on the mass differences between the stop and the neutralino. We find that a mixed stop behaves almost like a right-handed stop due to the larger hypercharge that enters the stop/top/gaugino coupling and that these polarisation effects disappear, when $m_{tilde t_1} approx m_t+m_{tildechi^0_i}$. After a discussion on the expected top polarization from the decay of a scalar top quark, we focus on the interplay of polarization and kinematics at the LHC. We discuss different probes of the top polarization in terms of lab-frame observables. We find that these observables faithfully reflect the polarization of the parent top-quark, but also have a non-trivial dependence on the kinematics of the stop production and decay process. In addition, we illustrate the effect of top polarization on the energy and transverse momentum of the decay lepton in the laboratory frame. Our results show that both spectra are softened substantially in case of a negatively polarized top, particularly for a large mass difference between the stop and the neutralino. Thus, the search strategies, and the conclusions that can be drawn from them, depends not just on the mass difference $m_{tilde t} - m_{tildechi_{i}^{0}}$ due to the usual kinematic effects but also on the effects of top polarization on the decay kinematics the extent of which depends in turn on the said mass difference.
We present a new module of micrOMEGAs devoted to the computation of indirect signals from dark matter annihilation in any new model with a stable weakly interacting particle. The code provides the mass spectrum, cross-sections, relic density and exot
ic fluxes of gamma rays, positrons and antiprotons. The propagation of charged particles in the Galactic halo is handled with a new module that allows to easily modify the propagation parameters.
