Search

We report on a search for magnetic monopoles (MMs) produced in ultraperipheral Pb--Pb collisions during Run-1 of the LHC. The beam pipe surrounding the interaction region of the CMS experiment was exposed to 184.07 \textmu b$^{-1}$ of Pb--Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV center-of-mass energy per collision in December 2011, before being removed in 2013. It was scanned by the MoEDAL experiment using a SQUID magnetometer to search for trapped MMs. No MM signal was observed. The two distinctive features of this search are the use of a trapping volume very close to the collision point and ultra-high magnetic fields generated during the heavy-ion run that could produce MMs via the Schwinger effect. These two advantages allowed setting the first reliable, world-leading mass limits on MMs with high magnetic charge. In particular, the established limits are the strongest available in the range between 2 and 45 Dirac units, excluding MMs with masses of up to 80 GeV at 95\% confidence level., Comment: As accepted by PRL. 7 pages, 4 figures

A search for highly electrically charged objects (HECOs) and magnetic monopoles is presented using 2.2 fb-1 of p - p collision data taken at a centre of mass energy (ECM) of 8 TeV by the MoEDAL detector during LHC's Run-1. The data were collected using MoEDAL's prototype Nuclear Track Detector array and the Trapping Detector array. The results are interpreted in terms of Drell-Yan pair production of stable HECO and monopole pairs with three spin hypotheses (0, 1/2 and 1). The search provides constraints on the direct production of magnetic monopoles carrying one to four Dirac magnetic charges (4gD) and with mass limits ranging from 590 GeV/c^2 to 1 TeV/c^2. Additionally, mass limits are placed on HECOs with charge in the range 10e to 180e, where e is the charge of an electron, for masses between 30 GeV/c^2 and 1 TeV/c^2.

Schwinger showed that electrically-charged particles can be produced in a strong electric field by quantum tunnelling through the Coulomb barrier. By electromagnetic duality, if magnetic monopoles (MMs) exist, they would be produced by the same mechanism in a sufficiently strong magnetic field. Unique advantages of the Schwinger mechanism are that its rate can be calculated using semiclassical techniques without relying on perturbation theory, and the finite MM size and strong MM-photon coupling are expected to enhance their production. Pb-Pb heavy-ion collisions at the LHC produce the strongest known magnetic fields in the current Universe, and this article presents the first search for MM production by the Schwinger mechanism. It was conducted by the MoEDAL experiment during the 5.02 TeV/nucleon heavy-ion run at the LHC in November 2018, during which the MoEDAL trapping detectors (MMTs) were exposed to 0.235 nb$^{-1}$ of Pb-Pb collisions. The MMTs were scanned for the presence of magnetic charge using a SQUID magnetometer. MMs with Dirac charges 1$g_D$ $\leq$ $g$ $\leq$ 3$g_D$ and masses up to 75 GeV/c$^2$ were excluded by the analysis. This provides the first lower mass limit for finite-size MMs from a collider search and significantly extends previous mass bounds., Comment: Minor fixes to the authorship list found during production

We report some highlights from the ARIES APEC workshop on ``Storage Rings and Gravitational Waves'' (SRGW2021), held in virtual space from 2 February to 18 March 2021, and sketch a tentative landscape for using accelerators and associated technologies for the detection or generation of gravitational waves., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, highlights from the ARIES APEC workshop on "Storage Rings and Gravitational Waves"(SRGW2021)

The MoEDAL trapping detector, consists of approximately 800 kg of aluminium volumes. It was exposed during Run-2 of the LHC program to 6.46 fb^-1 of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHCb interaction point. Evidence for dyons (particles with electric and magnetic charge) captured in the trapping detector was sought by passing the aluminium volumes comprising the detector through a SQUID magnetometer. The presence of a trapped dyon would be signalled by a persistent current induced in the SQUID magnetometer. On the basis of a Drell-Yan production model, we exclude dyons with a magnetic charge ranging up to 5 Dirac charges, and an electric charge up to 200 times the fundamental electric charge for mass limits in the range 790 - 3130 GeV., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1903.08491

In this paper, which is of programmatic rather than quantitative nature, we aim to further delineate and sharpen the future potential of the LISA mission in the area of fundamental physics. Given the very broad range of topics that might be relevant to LISA, we present here a sample of what we view as particularly promising directions, based in part on the current research interests of the LISA scientific community in the area of fundamental physics. We organize these directions through a "science-first" approach that allows us to classify how LISA data can inform theoretical physics in a variety of areas. For each of these theoretical physics classes, we identify the sources that are currently expected to provide the principal contribution to our knowledge, and the areas that need further development. The classification presented here should not be thought of as cast in stone, but rather as a fluid framework that is amenable to change with the flow of new insights in theoretical physics., Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure, to appear in General Relativity and Gravitation

We report the results of a global analysis of dark matter simplified models (DMSMs) with leptophobic mediator particles of spin one, considering the cases of both vector and axial-vector interactions with dark matter (DM) particles and quarks. We require the DMSMs to provide all the cosmological DM density indicated by Planck and other observations, and we impose the upper limits on spin-independent and -dependent scattering from direct DM search experiments. We also impose all relevant LHC constraints from searches for monojet events and measurements of the dijet mass spectrum. We model the likelihood functions for all the constraints and combine them within the MasterCode framework, and probe the full DMSM parameter spaces by scanning over the mediator and DM masses and couplings, not fixing any of the model parameters. We find, in general, two allowed regions of the parameter spaces: one in which the mediator couplings to Standard Model (SM) and DM particles may be comparable to those in the SM and the cosmological DM density is reached via resonant annihilation, and one in which the mediator couplings to quarks are $\lesssim 10^{-3}$ and DM annihilation is non-resonant. We find that the DM and mediator masses may well lie within the ranges accessible to LHC experiments. We also present predictions for spin-independent and -dependent DM scattering, and present specific results for ranges of the DM couplings that may be favoured in ultraviolet completions of the DMSMs., Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures

MoEDAL is designed to identify new physics in the form of stable or pseudostable highly ionizing particles produced in high-energy Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collisions. Here we update our previous search for magnetic monopoles in Run 2 using the full trapping detector with almost four times more material and almost twice more integrated luminosity. For the first time at the LHC, the data were interpreted in terms of photon-fusion monopole direct production in addition to the Drell-Yan-like mechanism. The MoEDAL trapping detector, consisting of 794 kg of aluminum samples installed in the forward and lateral regions, was exposed to 4.0 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHCb interaction point and analyzed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges equal to or above the Dirac charge are excluded in all samples. Monopole spins 0, 1/2 and 1 are considered and both velocity-independent and -dependent couplings are assumed. This search provides the best current laboratory constraints for monopoles with magnetic charges ranging from two to five times the Dirac charge., Comment: 7 pages REVTeX 4, 11 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review Letters

We update our previous search for trapped magnetic monopoles in LHC Run 2 using nearly six times more integrated luminosity and including additional models for the interpretation of the data. The MoEDAL forward trapping detector, comprising 222~kg of aluminium samples, was exposed to 2.11~fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions near the LHCb interaction point and analysed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges equal to the Dirac charge or above are excluded in all samples. The results are interpreted in Drell-Yan production models for monopoles with spins 0, 1/2 and 1: in addition to standard point-like couplings, we also consider couplings with momentum-dependent form factors. The search provides the best current laboratory constraints for monopoles with magnetic charges ranging from two to five times the Dirac charge., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B

We describe a likelihood analysis using MasterCode of variants of the MSSM in which the soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters are assumed to have universal values at some scale $M_{in}$ below the supersymmetric grand unification scale $M_{GUT}$, as can occur in mirage mediation and other models. In addition to $M_{in}$, such `sub-GUT' models have the 4 parameters of the CMSSM, namely a common gaugino mass $m_{1/2}$, a common soft supersymmetry-breaking scalar mass $m_0$, a common trilinear mixing parameter $A$ and the ratio of MSSM Higgs vevs $\tan\beta$, assuming that the Higgs mixing parameter $\mu > 0$. We take into account constraints on strongly- and electroweakly-interacting sparticles from $\sim 36$/fb of LHC data at 13 TeV and the LUX and 2017 PICO, XENON1T and PandaX-II searches for dark matter scattering, in addition to the previous LHC and dark matter constraints as well as full sets of flavour and electroweak constraints. We find a preference for $M_{in} \sim 10^5$ to $10^9$ GeV, with $M_{in} \sim M_{GUT}$ disfavoured by $\Delta \chi^2 \sim 3$ due to the ${\rm BR}(B_{s, d} \to \mu^+\mu^-)$ constraint. The lower limits on strongly-interacting sparticles are largely determined by LHC searches, and similar to those in the CMSSM. We find a preference for the LSP to be a Bino or Higgsino with $\tilde{\chi^0_1} \sim 1$ TeV, with annihilation via heavy Higgs bosons $H/A$ and stop coannihilation, or chargino coannihilation, bringing the cold dark matter density into the cosmological range. We find that spin-independent dark matter scattering is likely to be within reach of the planned LUX-Zeplin and XENONnT experiments. We probe the impact of the $(g-2)_\mu$ constraint, finding similar results whether or not it is included., Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, 42 plots, 4 tables. Exploratory study considering \mu < 0

We use MasterCode to perform a frequentist analysis of the constraints on a phenomenological MSSM model with 11 parameters, the pMSSM11, including constraints from ~ 36/fb of LHC data at 13 TeV and PICO, XENON1T and PandaX-II searches for dark matter scattering, as well as previous accelerator and astrophysical measurements, presenting fits both with and without the $(g-2)_{\mu}$ constraint. The pMSSM11 is specified by the following parameters: 3 gaugino masses $M_{1,2,3}$, a common mass for the first-and second-generation squarks $m_{\tilde{q}}$ and a distinct third-generation squark mass $m_{\tilde{q}_3}$, a common mass for the first-and second-generation sleptons $m_{\tilde l}$ and a distinct third-generation slepton mass $m_{\tilde \tau}$, a common trilinear mixing parameter $A$, the Higgs mixing parameter $\mu$, the pseudoscalar Higgs mass $M_A$ and $\tan\beta$. In the fit including $(g-2)_{\mu}$, a Bino-like $\tilde\chi^0_1$ is preferred, whereas a Higgsino-like $\tilde \chi^0_1$ is favoured when the $(g-2)_{\mu}$ constraint is dropped. We identify the mechanisms that operate in different regions of the pMSSM11 parameter space to bring the relic density of the lightest neutralino, $\tilde\chi^0_1$, into the range indicated by cosmological data. In the fit including $(g-2)_{\mu}$, coannihilations with $\tilde \chi^0_2$ and the Wino-like $\tilde\chi^{\pm}_1$ or with nearly-degenerate first- and second-generation sleptons are favoured, whereas coannihilations with the $\tilde \chi^0_2$ and the Higgsino-like $\tilde\chi^{\pm}_1$ or with first- and second-generation squarks may be important when the $(g-2)_{\mu}$ constraint is dropped. Prospects remain for discovering strongly-interacting sparticles at the LHC as well as for discovering electroweakly-interacting sparticles at a future linear $e^+ e^-$ collider such as the ILC or CLIC., Comment: 48 pages, 24 figures, 65 plots, 6 tables; version published on EPJC

We perform a likelihood analysis of the minimal Anomaly-Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking (mAMSB) model using constraints from cosmology and accelerator experiments. We find that a wino-like or a Higgsino-like neutralino LSP, $m_{\tilde \chi^0_{1}}$, may provide the cold dark matter (DM) with similar likelihood. The upper limit on the DM density from Planck and other experiments enforces $m_{\tilde \chi^0_{1}} \lesssim 3~TeV$ after the inclusion of Sommerfeld enhancement in its annihilations. If most of the cold DM density is provided by the $\tilde \chi_0^1$, the measured value of the Higgs mass favours a limited range of $\tan \beta \sim 5$ (or for $\mu > 0$, $\tan \beta \sim 45$) but the scalar mass $m_0$ is poorly constrained. In the wino-LSP case, $m_{3/2}$ is constrained to about $900~TeV$ and ${m_{\tilde \chi^0_{1}}}$ to $2.9\pm0.1~TeV$, whereas in the Higgsino-LSP case $m_{3/2}$ has just a lower limit $\gtrsim 650TeV$ ($\gtrsim 480TeV$) and $m_{\tilde \chi^0_{1}}$ is constrained to $1.12 ~(1.13) \pm0.02~TeV$ in the $\mu>0$ ($\mu<0$) scenario. In neither case can the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, ${(g-2)_\mu}$, be improved significantly relative to its Standard Model (SM) value, nor do flavour measurements constrain the model significantly, and there are poor prospects for discovering supersymmetric particles at the LHC, {though there} are some prospects for direct DM detection. On the other hand, if the ${m_{\tilde \chi^0_{1}}}$ contributes only a fraction of the cold DM density, {future LHC $E_T$-based searches for gluinos, squarks and heavier chargino and neutralino states as well as disappearing track searches in the wino-like LSP region will be relevant}, and interference effects enable ${\rm BR}(B_{s, d} \to \mu^+\mu^-)$ to agree with the data better than in the SM in the case of wino-like DM with $\mu > 0$.

MoEDAL is designed to identify new physics in the form of long-lived highly-ionising particles produced in high-energy LHC collisions. Its arrays of plastic nuclear-track detectors and aluminium trapping volumes provide two independent passive detection techniques. We present here the results of a first search for magnetic monopole production in 13 TeV proton-proton collisions using the trapping technique, extending a previous publication with 8 TeV data during LHC run-1. A total of 222 kg of MoEDAL trapping detector samples was exposed in the forward region and analysed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges exceeding half the Dirac charge are excluded in all samples and limits are placed for the first time on the production of magnetic monopoles in 13 TeV $pp$ collisions. The search probes mass ranges previously inaccessible to collider experiments for up to five times the Dirac charge., Comment: 6 pages, 1 table, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett

We perform a likelihood analysis of the constraints from accelerator experiments and astrophysical observations on supersymmetric (SUSY) models with SU(5) boundary conditions on soft SUSY-breaking parameters at the GUT scale. The parameter space of the models studied has 7 parameters: a universal gaugino mass $m_{1/2}$, distinct masses for the scalar partners of matter fermions in five- and ten-dimensional representations of SU(5), $m_5$ and $m_{10}$, and for the $\mathbf{5}$ and $\mathbf{\bar 5}$ Higgs representations $m_{H_u}$ and $m_{H_d}$, a universal trilinear soft SUSY-breaking parameter $A_0$, and the ratio of Higgs vevs $\tan \beta$. In addition to previous constraints from direct sparticle searches, low-energy and flavour observables, we incorporate constraints based on preliminary results from 13 TeV LHC searches for jets + MET events and long-lived particles, as well as the latest PandaX-II and LUX searches for direct Dark Matter detection. In addition to previously-identified mechanisms for bringing the supersymmetric relic density into the range allowed by cosmology, we identify a novel ${\tilde u_R}/{\tilde c_R} - \tilde{\chi}^0_1$ coannihilation mechanism that appears in the supersymmetric SU(5) GUT model and discuss the role of ${\tilde \nu_\tau}$ coannihilation. We find complementarity between the prospects for direct Dark Matter detection and SUSY searches at the LHC., Comment: 38 pages, 22 figures, version published on EPJC

The MoEDAL experiment is designed to search for magnetic monopoles and other highly-ionising particles produced in high-energy collisions at the LHC. The largely passive MoEDAL detector, deployed at Interaction Point 8 on the LHC ring, relies on two dedicated direct detection techniques. The first technique is based on stacks of nuclear-track detectors with surface area $\sim$18 m$^2$, sensitive to particle ionisation exceeding a high threshold. These detectors are analysed offline by optical scanning microscopes. The second technique is based on the trapping of charged particles in an array of roughly 800 kg of aluminium samples. These samples are monitored offline for the presence of trapped magnetic charge at a remote superconducting magnetometer facility. We present here the results of a search for magnetic monopoles using a 160 kg prototype MoEDAL trapping detector exposed to 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, for an integrated luminosity of 0.75 fb$^{-1}$. No magnetic charge exceeding $0.5g_{\rm D}$ (where $g_{\rm D}$ is the Dirac magnetic charge) is measured in any of the exposed samples, allowing limits to be placed on monopole production in the mass range 100 GeV$\leq m \leq$ 3500 GeV. Model-independent cross-section limits are presented in fiducial regions of monopole energy and direction for $1g_{\rm D}\leq|g|\leq 6g_{\rm D}$, and model-dependent cross-section limits are obtained for Drell-Yan pair production of spin-1/2 and spin-0 monopoles for $1g_{\rm D}\leq|g|\leq 4g_{\rm D}$. Under the assumption of Drell-Yan cross sections, mass limits are derived for $|g|=2g_{\rm D}$ and $|g|=3g_{\rm D}$ for the first time at the LHC, surpassing the results from previous collider experiments., Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, under review by JHEP

Different mechanisms operate in various regions of the MSSM parameter space to bring the relic density of the lightest neutralino, neutralino_1, assumed here to be the LSP and thus the Dark Matter (DM) particle, into the range allowed by astrophysics and cosmology. These mechanisms include coannihilation with some nearly-degenerate next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) such as the lighter stau (stau_1), stop (stop_1) or chargino (chargino_1), resonant annihilation via direct-channel heavy Higgs bosons H/A, the light Higgs boson h or the Z boson, and enhanced annihilation via a larger Higgsino component of the LSP in the focus-point region. These mechanisms typically select lower-dimensional subspaces in MSSM scenarios such as the CMSSM, NUHM1, NUHM2 and pMSSM10. We analyze how future LHC and direct DM searches can complement each other in the exploration of the different DM mechanisms within these scenarios. We find that the stau_1 coannihilation regions of the CMSSM, NUHM1, NUHM2 can largely be explored at the LHC via searches for missing E_T events and long-lived charged particles, whereas their H/A funnel, focus-point and chargino_1 coannihilation regions can largely be explored by the LZ and Darwin DM direct detection experiments. We find that the dominant DM mechanism in our pMSSM10 analysis is chargino_1 coannihilation: {parts of its parameter space can be explored by the LHC, and a larger portion by future direct DM searches., Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures

We present a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of the pMSSM10, in which the following 10 soft SUSY-breaking parameters are specified independently at the mean scalar top mass scale Msusy = Sqrt[M_stop1 M_stop2]: the gaugino masses M_{1,2,3}, the 1st-and 2nd-generation squark masses M_squ1 = M_squ2, the third-generation squark mass M_squ3, a common slepton mass M_slep and a common trilinear mixing parameter A, the Higgs mixing parameter mu, the pseudoscalar Higgs mass M_A and tan beta. We use the MultiNest sampling algorithm with 1.2 x 10^9 points to sample the pMSSM10 parameter space. A dedicated study shows that the sensitivities to strongly-interacting SUSY masses of ATLAS and CMS searches for jets, leptons + MET signals depend only weakly on many of the other pMSSM10 parameters. With the aid of the Atom and Scorpion codes, we also implement the LHC searches for EW-interacting sparticles and light stops, so as to confront the pMSSM10 parameter space with all relevant SUSY searches. In addition, our analysis includes Higgs mass and rate measurements using the HiggsSignals code, SUSY Higgs exclusion bounds, the measurements B-physics observables, EW precision observables, the CDM density and searches for spin-independent DM scattering. We show that the pMSSM10 is able to provide a SUSY interpretation of (g-2)_mu, unlike the CMSSM, NUHM1 and NUHM2. As a result, we find (omitting Higgs rates) that the minimum chi^2/dof = 20.5/18 in the pMSSM10, corresponding to a chi^2 probability of 30.8 %, to be compared with chi^2/dof = 32.8/24 (31.1/23) (30.3/22) in the CMSSM (NUHM1) (NUHM2). We display 1-dimensional likelihood functions for SUSY masses, and show that they may be significantly lighter in the pMSSM10 than in the CMSSM, NUHM1 and NUHM2. We discuss the discovery potential of future LHC runs, e+e- colliders and direct detection experiments., Comment: 47 pages, 29 figures

We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of the NUHM2, in which the soft supersymmetry (SUSY)-breaking contributions to the masses of the two Higgs multiplets, $m^2_{H_{u,d}}$, vary independently from the universal soft SUSY-breaking contributions $m^2_0$ to the masses of squarks and sleptons. Our analysis uses the MultiNest sampling algorithm with over $4 \times 10^8$ points to sample the NUHM2 parameter space. It includes the ATLAS and CMS Higgs mass measurements as well as their searches for supersymmetric jets + MET signals using the full LHC Run~1 data, the measurements of $B_s \to \mu^+ \mu^-$ by LHCb and CMS together with other B-physics observables, electroweak precision observables and the XENON100 and LUX searches for spin-independent dark matter scattering. We find that the preferred regions of the NUHM2 parameter space have negative SUSY-breaking scalar masses squared for squarks and sleptons, $m_0^2 < 0$, as well as $m^2_{H_u} < m^2_{H_d} < 0$. The tension present in the CMSSM and NUHM1 between the supersymmetric interpretation of $g_\mu - 2$ and the absence to date of SUSY at the LHC is not significantly alleviated in the NUHM2. We find that the minimum $\chi^2 = 32.5$ with 21 degrees of freedom (dof) in the NUHM2, to be compared with $\chi^2/{\rm dof} = 35.0/23$ in the CMSSM, and $\chi^2/{\rm dof} = 32.7/22$ in the NUHM1. We find that the one-dimensional likelihood functions for sparticle masses and other observables are similar to those found previously in the CMSSM and NUHM1., Comment: 20 pages latex, 13 figures

The MoEDAL experiment at Point 8 of the LHC ring is the seventh and newest LHC experiment. It is dedicated to the search for highly ionizing particle avatars of physics beyond the Standard Model, extending significantly the discovery horizon of the LHC. A MoEDAL discovery would have revolutionary implications for our fundamental understanding of the Microcosm. MoEDAL is an unconventional and largely passive LHC detector comprised of the largest array of Nuclear Track Detector stacks ever deployed at an accelerator, surrounding the intersection region at Point 8 on the LHC ring. Another novel feature is the use of paramagnetic trapping volumes to capture both electrically and magnetically charged highly-ionizing particles predicted in new physics scenarios. It includes an array of TimePix pixel devices for monitoring highly-ionizing particle backgrounds. The main passive elements of the MoEDAL detector do not require a trigger system, electronic readout, or online computerized data acquisition. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the MoEDAL physics reach, which is largely complementary to the programs of the large multi-purpose LHC detectors ATLAS and CMS.

We analyze the impact of data from the full Run 1 of the LHC at 7 and 8 TeV on the CMSSM with mu > 0 and < 0 and the NUHM1 with mu > 0, incorporating the constraints imposed by other experiments such as precision electroweak measurements, flavour measurements, the cosmological density of cold dark matter and the direct search for the scattering of dark matter particles in the LUX experiment. We use the following results from the LHC experiments: ATLAS searches for events with MET accompanied by jets with the full 7 and 8 TeV data, the ATLAS and CMS measurements of the mass of the Higgs boson, the CMS searches for heavy neutral Higgs bosons and a combination of the LHCb and CMS measurements of B_s to mu+mu- and B_d to mu+mu-. Our results are based on samplings of the parameter spaces of the CMSSM for both mu>0 and mu<0 and of the NUHM1 for mu > 0 with 6.8 x 10^6, 6.2 x 10^6 and 1.6 x 10^7 points, respectively, obtained using the MultiNest tool. The impact of the Higgs mass constraint is assessed using FeynHiggs 2.10.0, which provides an improved prediction for the masses of the MSSM Higgs bosons in the region of heavy squark masses. It yields in general larger values of M_h than previous versions of FeynHiggs, reducing the pressure on the CMSSM and NUHM1. We find that the global chi^2 functions for the supersymmetric models vary slowly over most of the parameter spaces allowed by the Higgs mass and the MET searches, with best-fit values that are comparable to the chi^2/dof for the best Standard Model fit. We provide 95% CL lower limits on the masses of various sparticles and assess the prospects for observing them during Run 2 of the LHC., Comment: 28 pages, 40 figures

The discovery by the ATLAS and CMS experiments of a new boson with mass around 125 GeV and with measured properties compatible with those of a Standard-Model Higgs boson, coupled with the absence of discoveries of phenomena beyond the Standard Model at the TeV scale, has triggered interest in ideas for future Higgs factories. A new circular e+e- collider hosted in a 80 to 100 km tunnel, TLEP, is among the most attractive solutions proposed so far. It has a clean experimental environment, produces high luminosity for top-quark, Higgs boson, W and Z studies, accommodates multiple detectors, and can reach energies up to the t-tbar threshold and beyond. It will enable measurements of the Higgs boson properties and of Electroweak Symmetry-Breaking (EWSB) parameters with unequalled precision, offering exploration of physics beyond the Standard Model in the multi-TeV range. Moreover, being the natural precursor of the VHE-LHC, a 100 TeV hadron machine in the same tunnel, it builds up a long-term vision for particle physics. Altogether, the combination of TLEP and the VHE-LHC offers, for a great cost effectiveness, the best precision and the best search reach of all options presently on the market. This paper presents a first appraisal of the salient features of the TLEP physics potential, to serve as a baseline for a more extensive design study., Comment: 43 pages, 18 figures, 11 tables, 85 references. Changes with respect to version V2: The comments from the JHEP referee are now included

The discovery of H(126) has renewed interest in circular e+e- colliders that can operate as Higgs factories, which benefit from three unique characteristics: i) high luminosity and reliability, ii) the availability of several interaction points, iii) superior beam energy accuracy. TLEP is an e+e- storage ring of 80-km circumference that can operate with very high luminosity from the Z peak (90 GeV) to the top quark pair threshold (350 GeV). It can achieve transverse beam polarization at the Z peak and WW threshold, giving it unparalleled accuracy on the beam energy. A preliminary study indicates that an 80 km tunnel could be constructed around CERN. Such a tunnel would allow a 100 TeV proton-proton collider to be established in the same ring (VHE-LHC), offering a long term vision., Comment: This is a contribution to the the Snowmass process 2013: Frontier Capabilities

The recent discovery of a light Higgs boson has opened up considerable interest in circular e+e- Higgs factories around the world. We report on the progress of the TLEP concept since last year. TLEP is an e+e- circular collider capable of very high luminosities in a wide centre-of-mass (ECM) spectrum from 90 to 350 GeV. TLEP could be housed in a new 80 to 100 km tunnel in the Geneva region. The design can be adapted to different ring circumference (e.g. LEP3 in the 27 km LHC tunnel). TLEP is an ideal complementary machine to the LHC thanks to high luminosity, exquisite determination of ECM and the possibility of four interaction points, both for precision measurements of the Higgs boson properties and for precision tests of the closure of the Standard Model from the Z pole to the top threshold., Comment: Contribution to IPAC13, 12-17 May 2013, Shanghai, China

We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of the CMSSM and NUHM1, using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) with 95 (221) million points to sample the CMSSM (NUHM1) parameter spaces. Our analysis includes the ATLAS search for supersymmetric jets + MET signals using ~ 5/fb of LHC data at 7 TeV, which we apply using PYTHIA and a Delphes implementation that we validate in the relevant parameter regions of the CMSSM and NUHM1. Our analysis also includes the constraint imposed by searches for B_s to mu+mu- by LHCb, CMS, ATLAS and CDF, and the limit on spin-independent dark matter scattering from 225 live days of XENON100 data. We assume M_h ~ 125 GeV, and use a full set of electroweak precision and other flavour-physics observables, as well as the cold dark matter density constraint. The ATLAS 5/fb constraint has relatively limited effects on the 68 and 95% CL regions in the (m_0, m_1/2) planes of the CMSSM and NUHM1. The new B_s to mu+mu- constraint has greater impacts on these CL regions, and also impacts significantly the 68 and 95% CL regions in the (M_A, tan beta) planes of both models, reducing the best-fit values of tan beta. The recent XENON100 data eliminate the focus-point region in the CMSSM and affect the 68 and 95% CL regions in the NUHM1. In combination, these new constraints reduce the best-fit values of m_0, m_1/2 in the CMSSM, and increase the global chi^2 from 31.0 to 32.8, reducing the p-value from 12% to 8.5%. In the case of the NUHM1, they have little effect on the best-fit values of m_0, m_1/2, but increase the global chi^2 from 28.9 to 31.3, thereby reducing the p-value from 15% to 9.1%., Comment: 27 pages, 17 pdf figures

We present a set of recommendations for the presentation of LHC results on searches for new physics, which are aimed at providing a more efficient flow of scientific information between the experimental collaborations and the rest of the high energy physics community, and at facilitating the interpretation of the results in a wide class of models. Implementing these recommendations would aid the full exploitation of the physics potential of the LHC., Comment: 17 pages, no figures; v2: author added

Global frequentist fits to the CMSSM and NUHM1 using the MasterCode framework predicted m_h \simeq 119 GeV in fits incorporating the g_mu-2 constraint and \simeq 126 GeV without it. Recent results by ATLAS and CMS could be compatible with a Standard Model-like Higgs boson around m_h \simeq 125 GeV. We use the previous MasterCode analysis to calculate the likelihood for a measurement of any nominal Higgs mass within the range of 115 to 130 GeV. Assuming a Higgs mass measurement at m_h \simeq 125 GeV, we display updated global likelihood contours in the (m_0, m_{1/2}) and other parameter planes of the CMSSM and NUHM1, and present updated likelihood functions for m_gluino, m_squark, B to mu mu, and the spin-independent dark matter cross section \sigma^si. The implications of dropping g_mu-2 from the fits are also discussed. We furthermore comment on a hypothetical measurement of m_h \simeq 119 GeV., Comment: 18 pages, 30 figures final version to be published in EPJC

We update previous frequentist analyses of the CMSSM and NUHM1 parameter spaces to include the public results of searches for supersymmetric signals using ~1 /fb of LHC data recorded by ATLAS and CMS and ~0.3/fb of data recorded by LHCb in addition to electroweak precision and B-physics observables. We also include the constraints imposed by the cosmological dark matter density and the XENON100 search for spin-independent dark matter scattering. The LHC data set includes ATLAS and CMS searches for jets + missing ET events and for the heavier MSSM Higgs bosons, and the upper limits on B_s to mu^+ mu^- from LHCb and CMS. The absences of jets + missing ET signals in the LHC data favour heavier mass spectra than in our previous analyses of the CMSSM and NUHM1, which may be reconciled with (g-2)_mu if tan beta ~ 40, a possibility that is however under pressure from heavy Higgs searches and the upper limits on B_s to mu^+ mu^-. As a result, the p-value for the CMSSM fit is reduced to ~ 15 (38)%, and that for the NUHM1 to ~ 16 (38)%, to be compared with ~ 9 (49)% for the Standard Model limit of the CMSSM for the same set of observables (dropping (g-2)_mu), ignoring the dark matter relic density in both cases. We discuss the sensitivities of the fits to the (g-2)_mu and b to s gamma constraints, contrasting fits with and without the (g-2)_mu constraint, and combining the theoretical and experimental errors for b to s gamma linearly or in quadrature. We present predictions for m_gluino, B_s to mu^+ mu^-, M_h and M_A, and update predictions for spin-independent dark matter scattering, stressing again the importance of taking into account the uncertainty in the pi-nucleon sigma term, Sigma_{pi N}. Finally, we present predictions based on our fits for the likely thresholds for sparticle pair production in e^+e^- collisions in the CMSSM and NUHM1., Comment: 25 pages, 36 figures

We make frequentist analyses of the CMSSM, NUHM1, VCMSSM and mSUGRA parameter spaces taking into account all the public results of searches for supersymmetry using data from the 2010 LHC run and the Xenon100 direct search for dark matter scattering. The LHC data set includes ATLAS and CMS searches for jets + ETslash events (with or without leptons) and for the heavier MSSM Higgs bosons, and the upper limit on bs to mu mu including data from LHCb as well as CDF and D0. The absences of signals in the LHC data favour somewhat heavier mass spectra than in our previous analyses of the CMSSM, NUHM1 and VCMSSM, and somewhat smaller dark matter scattering cross sections, all close to or within the pre-LHC 68% CL ranges, but do not impact significantly the favoured regions of the mSUGRA parameter space. We also discuss the impact of the Xenon100 constraint on spin-independent dark matter scattering, stressing the importance of taking into account the uncertainty in the pi-nucleon sigma term, that affects the spin-independent scattering matrix element, and we make predictions for spin-dependent dark matter scattering. Finally, we discuss briefly the potential impact of the updated predictions for sparticle masses in the CMSSM, NUHM1, VCMSSM and mSUGRA on future e+ e- colliders., Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures

The CMS and ATLAS Collaborations have recently published the results of initial direct LHC searches for supersymmetry analyzing ~ 35/pb of data taken at 7 TeV in the centre of mass. We incorporate these results into a frequentist analysis of the probable ranges of parameters of simple versions of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), namely the constrained MSSM (CMSSM), a model with common non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM1), the very constrained MSSM (VCMSSM) and minimal supergravity (mSUGRA). We present updated predictions for the gluino mass, m_gl, the light Higgs boson mass, M_h, BR(B_s to mu mu) and the spin-independent dark matter scattering cross section, sigma_SI. The CMS and ATLAS data make inroads into the CMSSM, NUHM1 and VCMSSM (but not mSUGRA) parameter spaces, thereby strengthening previous lower limits on sparticle masses and upper limits on sigma_SI in the CMSSM and VCMSSM. The favoured ranges of BR(B_s to mu mu) in the CMSSM, VCMSSM and mSUGRA are close to the Standard Model, but considerably larger values of BR(B_s to mu mu) are possible in the NUHM1. Applying the CMS and ATLAS constraints improves the consistency of the model predictions for M_h with the LEP exclusion limits., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures

We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of minimal supergravity (mSUGRA), in which, as well as the gaugino and scalar soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters being universal, there is a specific relation between the trilinear, bilinear and scalar supersymmetry-breaking parameters, A_0 = B_0 + m_0, and the gravitino mass is fixed by m_{3/2} = m_0. We also consider a more general model, in which the gravitino mass constraint is relaxed (the VCMSSM). We combine in the global likelihood function the experimental constraints from low-energy electroweak precision data, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, the lightest Higgs boson mass M_h, B physics and the astrophysical cold dark matter density, assuming that the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is a neutralino. In the VCMSSM, we find a preference for values of m_{1/2} and m_0 similar to those found previously in frequentist analyses of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) and a model with common non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM1). On the other hand, in mSUGRA we find two preferred regions: one with larger values of both m_{1/2} and m_0 than in the VCMSSM, and one with large m_0 but small m_{1/2}. We compare the probabilities of the frequentist fits in mSUGRA, the VCMSSM, the CMSSM and the NUHM1: the probability that mSUGRA is consistent with the present data is significantly less than in the other models. We also discuss the mSUGRA and VCMSSM predictions for sparticle masses and other observables, identifying potential signatures at the LHC and elsewhere., Comment: 18 pages 27 figures

The Large Hadron Collider presents an unprecedented opportunity to probe the realm of new physics in the TeV region and shed light on some of the core unresolved issues of particle physics. These include the nature of electroweak symmetry breaking, the origin of mass, the possible constituent of cold dark matter, new sources of CP violation needed to explain the baryon excess in the universe, the possible existence of extra gauge groups and extra matter, and importantly the path Nature chooses to resolve the hierarchy problem - is it supersymmetry or extra dimensions. Many models of new physics beyond the standard model contain a hidden sector which can be probed at the LHC. Additionally, the LHC will be a top factory and accurate measurements of the properties of the top and its rare decays will provide a window to new physics. Further, the LHC could shed light on the origin of neutralino masses if the new physics associated with their generation lies in the TeV region. Finally, the LHC is also a laboratory to test the hypothesis of TeV scale strings and D-brane models. An overview of these possibilities is presented in the spirit that it will serve as a companion to the Technical Design Reports (TDRs) by the particle detector groups ATLAS and CMS to facilitate the test of the new theoretical ideas at the LHC. Which of these ideas stands the test of the LHC data will govern the course of particle physics in the subsequent decades., Comment: Summary document for international workshop "Beyond the Standard Model at the LHC" (Pre-SUSY09), Northeastern University, Boston, June 2-4, 2009

Using a frequentist analysis of experimental constraints within two versions of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, we derive the predictions for the top quark mass, m_t, and the W boson mass, m_W. We find that the supersymmetric predictions for both m_t and m_W, obtained by incorporating all the relevant experimental information and state-of-the-art theoretical predictions, are highly compatible with the experimental values with small remaining uncertainties, yielding an improvement compared to the case of the Standard Model., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures

On the basis of frequentist analyses of experimental constraints from electroweak precision data, g-2, B physics and cosmological data, we investigate the parameters of the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking mass parameters, and a model with common non-universal Higgs masses (NUHM1). We present chi^2 likelihood functions for the masses of supersymmetric particles and Higgs bosons, as well as b to s gamma, b to mu mu and the spin-independent dark matter scattering cross section. In the CMSSM we find preferences for sparticle masses that are relatively light. In the NUHM1 the best-fit values for many sparticle masses are even slightly smaller, but with greater uncertainties. The likelihood functions for most sparticle masses are cut off sharply at small masses, in particular by the LEP Higgs mass constraint. Both in the CMSSM and the NUHM1, the coannihilation region is favoured over the focus-point region at about the 3-sigma level, largely but not exclusively because of g-2. Many sparticle masses are highly correlated in both the CMSSM and NUHM1, and most of the regions preferred at the 95% C.L. are accessible to early LHC running. Some slepton and chargino/neutralino masses should be in reach at the ILC. The masses of the heavier Higgs bosons should be accessible at the LHC and the ILC in portions of the preferred regions in the (M_A, tan beta) plane. In the CMSSM, the likelihood function for b to mu mu is peaked close to the Standard Model value, but much larger values are possible in the NUHM1. We find that values of the DM cross section > 10^{-10} pb are preferred in both the CMSSM and the NUHM1. We study the effects of dropping the g-2, b to s gamma, relic density and M_h constraints., Comment: 34 pages, 24 figures

In view of the imminent start of the LHC experimental programme, we use the available indirect experimental and cosmological information to estimate the likely range of parameters of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), using a Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique to sample the parameter space. The 95% confidence-level area in the (m_0, m_1/2) plane of the CMSSM lies largely within the region that could be explored with 1/fb of integrated luminosity at 14 TeV, and much of the 68% confidence-level area lies within the region that could be explored with 50/pb of integrated luminosity at 10 TeV. A same-sign dilepton signal could well be visible in most of the 68% confidence-level area with 1/fb of integrated luminosity at 14 TeV. We discuss the sensitivities of the preferred ranges to variations in the most relevant indirect experimental and cosmological constraints and also to deviations from the universality of the supersymmetry-breaking contributions to the masses of the Higgs bosons., Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures

We present the FP420 R&D project, which has been studying the key aspects of the development and installation of a silicon tracker and fast-timing detectors in the LHC tunnel at 420 m from the interaction points of the ATLAS and CMS experiments. These detectors would measure precisely very forward protons in conjunction with the corresponding central detectors as a means to study Standard Model (SM) physics, and to search for and characterise New Physics signals. This report includes a detailed description of the physics case for the detector and, in particular, for the measurement of Central Exclusive Production, pp --> p + phi + p, in which the outgoing protons remain intact and the central system phi may be a single particle such as a SM or MSSM Higgs boson. Other physics topics discussed are gamma-gamma and gamma-p interactions, and diffractive processes. The report includes a detailed study of the trigger strategy, acceptance, reconstruction efficiencies, and expected yields for a particular p p --> p H p measurement with Higgs boson decay in the b-bbar mode. The document also describes the detector acceptance as given by the LHC beam optics between the interaction points and the FP420 location, the machine backgrounds, the new proposed connection cryostat and the moving ("Hamburg") beam-pipe at 420 m, and the radio-frequency impact of the design on the LHC. The last part of the document is devoted to a description of the 3D silicon sensors and associated tracking performances, the design of two fast-timing detectors capable of accurate vertex reconstruction for background rejection at high-luminosities, and the detector alignment and calibration strategy., Comment: 178 pages, 128 figures. Updated Timing section. Figures compressed to marginal resolution due to arxiv.org file size requirements. A higher quality document accessible at http://www.fp420.com/papers.html

Most sparticle decay cascades envisaged at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) involve hadronic decays of intermediate particles. We use state-of-the art techniques based on the \kt jet algorithm to reconstruct the resulting hadronic final states for simulated LHC events in a number of benchmark supersymmetric scenarios. In particular, we show that a general method of selecting preferentially boosted massive particles such as W, Z or Higgs bosons decaying to jets, using sub-jets found by the \kt algorithm, suppresses QCD backgrounds and thereby enhances the observability of signals that would otherwise be indistinct. Consequently, measurements of the supersymmetric mass spectrum at the per-cent level can be obtained from cascades including the hadronic decays of such massive intermediate bosons., Comment: 1+29 pages, 12 figures

We investigate the measurement of supersymmetric particle masses at the LHC in gravitino dark matter (GDM) scenarios where the next-to-lightest supersymmetric partner (NLSP) is the lighter scalar tau, or stau, and is stable on the scale of a detector. Such a massive metastable charged sparticle would have distinctive Time-of-Flight (ToF) and energy-loss ($dE/dx$) signatures. We summarise the documented accuracies expected to be achievable with the ATLAS detector in measurements of the stau mass and its momentum at the LHC. We then use a fast simulation of an LHC detector to demonstrate techniques for reconstructing the cascade decays of supersymmetric particles in GDM scenarios, using a parameterisation of the detector response to staus, taus and jets based on full simulation results. Supersymmetric pair-production events are selected with high redundancy and efficiency, and many valuable measurements can be made starting from stau tracks in the detector. We recalibrate the momenta of taus using transverse-momentum balance, and use kinematic cuts to select combinations of staus, taus, jets and leptons that exhibit peaks in invariant masses that correspond to various heavier sparticle species, with errors often comparable with the jet energy scale uncertainty., Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, updated to version published in JHEP

We discuss fits of cosmological dark energy models to the available data on high-redshift supernovae. We consider a conventional model with Cold Dark Matter and a cosmological constant (LambdaCDM), a model invoking super-horizon perturbations (SHCDM) and models based on Liouville strings in which dark energy is provided by a rolling dilaton field (Q-cosmology). We show that a complete treatment of Q-cosmology requires a careful discussion of non-equilibrium situations (off-shell effects). The two main high-redshift supernova data sets give compatible constraints on LambdaCDM and the other models. We recover the well-known result that LambdaCDM fits very well the combined supernova data sets, as does the super-horizon model. We discuss the model-dependent off-shell corrections to the Q-cosmology model that are relevant to the supernova data, and show that this model fits the data equally well. This analysis could be extended to other aspects of cosmological phenomenology, in particular to the CMB and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, which have so far been treated using on-shell models., Comment: 25 pages latex, 8 eps figures, revised version to appear in Astroparticle Physics