Sparticles at the LHC
Sparticle mass hierarchies will play an important role in the type of signatures that will be visible at the Large Hadron Collider. We analyze these hierarchies for the four lightest sparticles for a general class of supergravity unified models including nonuniversalities in the soft breaking sector. It is shown that out of nearly 104 possibilities of sparticle mass hierarchies, only a small number survives the rigorous constraints of radiative electroweak symmetry breaking, relic density and other experimental constraints. The signature space of these mass patterns at the Large Hadron Collider is investigated using a large set of final states including multi-leptonic states, hadronically decaying τs, tagged b jets and other hadronic jets. In all, we analyze more than 40 such lepton plus jet and missing energy signatures along with several kinematical signatures such as missing transverse momentum, effective mass, and invariant mass distributions of final state observables. It is shown that a composite analysis can produce significant discrimination among sparticle mass patterns allowing for a possible identification of the source of soft breaking. While the analysis given is for supergravity models, the techniques based on mass pattern analysis are applicable to wide class of models including string and brane models.

title: Explaining PAMELA and WMAP data through coannihilations in extended SUGRA with collider implications
abstract: The PAMELA positron excess is analyzed within the framework of nonuniversal supergravity (SUGRA) models with an extended $U(1{)}^{n}$ gauge symmetry in the hidden sector leading to neutralino dark matter with either a mixed Higgsino-wino lightest $R$-parity odd supersymmetric particle (LSP) or an essentially pure wino-dominated LSP. The Higgsino-wino LSP can produce the observed PAMELA positron excess and satisfy relic density constraints in the extended class of models due to a near degeneracy of the mass spectrum of the extended neutralino sector with the LSP mass. The simultaneous satisfaction of the WMAP relic density data and the PAMELA data is accomplished through a coannihilation mechanism (${B}_{\mathrm{Co}}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{\text{mechanism}}$), and leads to predictions of a neutralino and a chargino in the mass range (180--200) GeV as well as low-lying sparticles accessible at colliders. We show that the models are consistent with the antiproton constraints from PAMELA as well as the photon flux data from EGRET and FERMI-LAT. Predictions for the scalar neutralino-proton cross section relevant for the direct detection of dark matter are also discussed and signatures at the LHC for these PAMELA inspired models are analyzed. It is shown that the mixed Higgsino-wino LSP model will be discoverable with as little as $1\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ of data and is thus a prime candidate for discovery in the low luminosity runs at the LHC.

title: LHC constraints on dark matter with (130 GeV) gamma ray lines
abstract: Dark matter annihilation into photons in our galaxy would constitute an exciting indirect signal of its existence, as underscored by tentative evidence for 130 GeV dark matter in Fermi/LAT data. Models that give a large annihilation cross section into photons typically require the dark matter to couple to, or be composed of, new charged particles, that can be produced in colliders. We consider the LHC constraints on some representative models of these types, including the signals of same-sign dileptons, opposite-sign dileptons, events mimicking the production and decay of excited leptons, four-photon events, resonant production of composite vectors decaying into two photons, and monophoton events.

title: Light Higgses at the Tevatron and at the LHC and Observable Dark Matter in SUGRA and D Branes
abstract: Sparticle landscapes in mSUGRA, in SUGRA models with nonuniversalities (NUSUGRA), and in D-brane models are analyzed. The analysis exhibits the existence of Higgs Mass Patterns (HPs) (for μ > 0 ) where the CP odd Higgs could be the next heavier particle beyond the LSP and sometimes even lighter than the LSP. It is shown that the Higgs production cross sections from the HPs are typically the largest enhancing the prospects for their detection at the LHC. Indeed it is seen that the recent Higgs production limits from CDF/DO are beginning to put constraints on the HPs. It is also seen that the B s → μ + μ − limits constrain the HPs more stringently. Predictions of the Higgs production cross sections for these patterns at the LHC are made. We compute the neutralino–proton cross sections σ ( χ ˜ 1 0 p ) for dark matter experiments and show that the largest σ ( χ ˜ 1 0 p ) also arise from the HPs and further that the HPs and some of the other patterns are beginning to be constrained by the most recent data from CDMS and from Xenon10 experiments. Finally, it is shown that the prospects are bright for the discovery of dark matter with σ ( χ ˜ 1 0 p ) in the range 10 − 44 ± 0.5 cm 2 due to a “Wall” consisting of a copious number of parameter points in the Chargino Patterns (CPs) where the chargino is the NLSP. The Wall, which appears in all models considered (mSUGRA, NUSUGRA and D-branes) and runs up to about a TeV in LSP mass, significantly enhances the chances for the observation of dark matter by SuperCDMS, ZEPLIN-MAX, or LUX experiments which are expected to achieve a sensitivity of 10 −45 cm 2 or more.

title: Scattering properties of dark atoms and molecules
abstract: There has been renewed interest in the possibility that dark matter exists in the form of atoms, analogous to those of the visible world. An important input for understanding the cosmological consequences of dark atoms is their self-scattering. Making use of results from atomic physics for the potentials between hydrogen atoms, we compute the low-energy elastic scattering cross sections for dark atoms. We find an intricate dependence upon the ratio of the dark proton to electron mass, allowing for the possibility to "design" low-energy features in the cross section. Dependences upon other parameters, namely the gauge coupling and reduced mass, scale out of the problem by using atomic units. We derive constraints on the parameter space of dark atoms by demanding that their scattering cross section does not exceed bounds from dark matter halo shapes. We discuss the formation of molecular dark hydrogen in the universe, and determine the analogous constraints on the model when the dark matter is predominantly in molecular form.

title: The Stueckelberg Extension and Milli Weak and Milli Charged Dark Matter
abstract: A overview is given of the recent developments in the U(1)X Stueckelberg extensions of the Standard Model and of MSSM where all the Standard Model particles are neutral under the U(1)X, but an axion which is absorbed is charged under both U(1)X and U(1)Y and acts as the connector field coupling the Standard Model sector with the Stueckelberg sector. Coupled with the usual Higgs mechanism that breaks the SU(2)L×U(1)Y gauge symmetry, this scenario produces mixings in the neutral gauge boson sector generating an extra Z′ boson. The couplings of the extra Z′ to the Standard Model particles are milli weak but its couplings to the hidden sector matter, defined as matter that couples only to the gauge field of U(1)X, can be of normal electro‐weak strength. It is shown that such extensions, aside from the possibility of leading to a sharp Z′ resonance, lead to two new types of dark matter: milli weak (or extra weak) and milli charged. An analysis of the relic density shows that the WMAP‐3 constraints can be satis...

title: Baryon masses with dynamical twisted mass fermions
abstract: We present results on the mass of the nucleon and the $\Delta$ using two dynamical degenerate twisted mass quarks. The evaluation is performed at four quark masses corresponding to a pion mass in the range of 690-300 MeV on lattices of size 2.1 fm and 2.7 fm. We check for cutoff effects by evaluating these baryon masses on lattices of spatial size 2.1 fm with lattice spacings $a(\beta=3.9)=0.0855(6)$ fm and $a(\beta=4.05)=0.0666(6)$ fm, determined from the pion sector and find them to be within our statistical errors. Lattice results are extrapolated to the physical limit using continuum chiral perturbation theory. 
The nucleon mass at the physical point provides a determination of the lattice spacing. Using heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory at ${\cal O}(p^3)$ we find $a(\beta=3.9)=0.0879(12)$ fm, with a systematic error due to the chiral extrapolation estimated to be about the same as the statistical error. This value of the lattice spacing is in good agreement with the value determined from the pion sector. We check for isospin breaking in the $\Delta$-system. We find that $\Delta^{++,-}$ and $\Delta^{+,0}$ are almost degenerate pointing to small flavor violating effects.

title: Measurement of Branching Fractions of $\tau$ Hadronic Decays

title: Light neutralino dark matter: direct/indirect detection and collider searches
abstract: A bstractWe study the neutralino being the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle (LSP) as a cold Dark Matter (DM) candidate with a mass less than 40 GeV in the framework of the Next-to-Minimal-Supersymmetric-Standard-Model (NMSSM). We find that with the current collider constraints from LEP, the Tevatron and the LHC, there are three types of light DM solutions consistent with the direct/indirect searches as well as the relic abundance considerations: (i) A1, H1-funnels, (ii) stau coannihilation and (iii) sbottom coannihilation. Type-(i) may take place in any theory with a light scalar (or pseudo-scalar) near the LSP pair threshold; while Type-(ii) and (iii) could occur in the framework of Minimal-Supersymmetric-Standard-Model (MSSM) as well. We present a comprehensive study on the properties of these solutions and point out their immediate relevance to the experiments of the underground direct detection such as superCDMS and LUX/LZ, and the astro-physical indirect search such as Fermi-LAT. We also find that the decays of the SM-like Higgs boson may be modified appreciably and the new decay channels to the light SUSY particles may be sizable. The new light CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons will decay to a pair of LSPs as well as other observable final states, leading to interesting new Higgs phenomenology at colliders. For the light sfermion searches, the signals would be very challenging to observe at the LHC given the current bounds. However, a high energy and high luminosity lepton collider, such as the ILC, would be able to fully cover these scenarios by searching for events with large missing energy plus charged tracks or displaced vertices.

title: Exotic decays of the 125 GeV Higgs boson
abstract: We perform an extensive survey of non-standard Higgs decays that are consistent with the 125 GeV Higgs-like resonance. Our aim is to motivate a large set of new experimental analyses on the existing and forthcoming data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The explicit search for exotic Higgs decays presents a largely untapped discovery opportunity for the LHC collaborations, as such decays may be easily missed by other searches. We emphasize that the Higgs is uniquely sensitive to the potential existence of new weakly coupled particles and provide a unified discussion of a large class of both simplified and complete models that give rise to characteristic patterns of exotic Higgs decays. We assess the status of exotic Higgs decays after LHC Run 1. In many cases we are able to set new nontrivial constraints by reinterpreting existing experimental analyses. We point out that improvements are possible with dedicated analyses and perform some preliminary collider studies. We prioritize the analyses according to their theoretical motivation and their experimental feasibility. This document is accompanied by a website that will be continuously updated with further information: this http URL

title: Amplitude Analysis of the $D^+ \to K^0_S \pi^+ \pi^0$ Dalitz Plot
abstract: We perform an analysis of the $D^+ \to K^0_S \pi^+ \pi^0$ Dalitz plot using a data set of 2.92 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collisions at the $\psi(3770)$ mass accumulated by the BESIII Experiment, in which 166694 candidate events are selected with a background of 15.1%. The Dalitz plot is found to be well-represented by a combination of six quasi-two-body decay channels ($K^0_S\rho^+$, $K^0_S\rho(1450)^+$, $\overline{K}^{*0}\pi^+$, $\overline{K}_0(1430)^0\pi^+$, $\overline{K}(1680)^0\pi^+$, $\overline{\kappa}^0\pi^+$) plus a small non-resonant component. Using the fit fractions from this analysis, partial branching ratios are updated with higher precision than previous measurements.