Theory motivated benchmark models and superpartners at the Tevatron
Recently published benchmark models have contained rather heavy superpartners. To test the robustness of this result, several benchmark models have been constructed based on theoretically well-motivated approaches, particularly string-based ones. These include variations on anomaly- and gauge-mediated models, as well as gravity mediation. The resulting spectra often have light gauginos that are produced in significant quantities at the Fermilab Tevatron collider, or will be at a 500 GeV linear collider. The signatures also provide interesting challenges for the CERN LHC. In addition, these models are capable of accounting for electroweak symmetry breaking with less severe cancellations among soft supersymmetry breaking parameters than previous benchmark models.

title: Collider and dark matter searches in models with mixed modulus-anomaly mediated SUSY breaking
abstract: We investigate the phenomenology of supersymmetric models where moduli fields and the Weyl anomaly make comparable contributions to SUSY breaking effects in the observable sector of fields. This mixed modulus-anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking (MM-AMSB) scenario is inspired by models of string compactification with fluxes, which have been shown to yield a de Sitter vacuum (as in the recent construction by Kachru et al). The phenomenology depends on the so-called modular weights which, in turn, depend on the location of various fields in the extra dimensions. We find that the model with zero modular weights gives mass spectra characterized by very light top squarks and/or tau sleptons, or where M1 ~ ?M2 so that the bino and wino are approximately degenerate. The top squark mass can be in the range required by successful electroweak baryogenesis. The measured relic density of cold dark matter can be obtained via top squark co-annihilation at low tan ?, tau slepton co-annihilation at large tan ? or via bino-wino coannihilation. Then, we typically find low rates for direct and indirect detection of neutralino dark matter. However, essentially all the WMAP-allowed parameter space can be probed by experiments at the CERN LHC, while significant portions may also be explored at an e+e? collider with s1/2 = 0.5?1 TeV. We also investigate a case with non-zero modular weights. In this case, co-annihilation, A-funnel annihilation and bulk annihilation of neutralinos are all allowed. Results for future colliders are qualitatively similar, but prospects for indirect dark matter searches via gamma rays and anti-particles are somewhat better.

title: Theoretical implications of the CERN LEP Higgs search
abstract: We study the implications for the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) of the absence of a direct discovery of a Higgs boson at LEP. First we exhibit 15 physically different ways in which one or more Higgs bosons lighter than the LEP limit could still exist. For each of these cases\char22{}as well as the case that the lightest Higgs eigenstate is at, or slightly above, the current LEP limit\char22{}we provide explicit sample configurations of the Higgs sector as well as the soft supersymmetry breaking Lagrangian parameters necessary to generate these outcomes. We argue that all of the cases seem fine-tuned, with the least fine-tuned outcome being that with ${m}_{h}\ensuremath{\simeq}115\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{G}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}$. Seeking to minimize this tuning we investigate ways in which the ``maximal-mixing'' scenario with large top-quark trilinear A-term can be obtained from simple string-inspired supergravity models. We find these obvious approaches lead to heavy gauginos and/or problematic low-energy phenomenology with minimal improvement in fine-tuning.

title: Relating incomplete data and incomplete theory
abstract: Assuming string theorists will not soon provide a compelling case for the primary theory underlying particle physics, the field will proceed as it has historically: with data stimulating and testing ideas. Ideally the soft supersymmetry breaking Lagrangian will be measured and its patterns will point to the underlying theory. But there are two new problems. First a matter of principle: the theory may be simplest at distance scales and in numbers of dimensions where direct experiments are not possible. Second a practical problem: in the foreseeable future (with mainly hadron collider data) too few observables can be measured to lead to direct connections between experiment and theory. In this paper we discuss and study these issues and consider ways to circumvent the problems, studying models to test methods. We propose a semiquantitative method for focusing and sharpening thinking when trying to relate incomplete data to incomplete theory, as will probably be necessary.

title: Measuring modular weights in mirage unification models at the LHC and ILC
abstract: String compactification with fluxes yields MSSM soft SUSY breaking terms that receive comparable contributions from modulus and anomaly mediation whose relative strength is governed by a phenomenological parameter α . Gaugino and first/second generation (and sometimes also Higgs and third generation) scalar mass parameters unify at a mirage unification scale Q ≠ M GUT , determined by the value of α . The ratio of scalar to gaugino masses at this mirage unification scale depends directly on the scalar field modular weights, which are fixed in turn by the brane or brane intersections on which the MSSM fields are localized. We outline a program of measurements which can in principle be made at the CERN LHC and the International Linear e + e − Collider (ILC) which can lead to a determination of the modular weights.

title: Outside the mSUGRA box
abstract: Most studies of the potential for discovery of superpartners at the Fermilab Tevatron or CERN LHC have focused on the so-called mSUGRA (minimal supergravity mediated supersymmetry breaking) model, not because it is well motivated but because it has a minimal number of parameters. If signals are seen that could be superpartners, most analyses will attempt to interpret them in the mSUGRA framework since the needed software and computational tools exist. With only a few signal channels, and initially large statistical and systematic errors, it is very likely that an mSUGRA interpretation will look all right even if it is not. We present an approach to studying any potential signals of new physics in ``inclusive signature space'' that sensitively tests any proposed interpretation, and apply it to the mSUGRA case. The approach also has significant experimental advantages, reducing the sensitivity to jet energy corrections, dependence on beam luminosity, and other systematics. Basically, if one (or more) instances of reported data lies outside certain bounded regions of inclusive signature space characteristic of the physics being tested, that physics is excluded for any parameters. The approach can be used to study supersymmetry breaking and to point to the form of the underlying theory even without detailed measurements of a number of important parameters which will be difficult or impossible to measure at hadron colliders.

title: Search for a light sterile neutrino at Daya Bay.
abstract: A search for light sterile neutrino mixing was performed with the first 217 days of data from the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Experiment. The experiment's unique configuration of multiple baselines from six 2.9 GW(th) nuclear reactors to six antineutrino detectors deployed in two near (effective baselines 512 m and 561 m) and one far (1579 m) underground experimental halls makes it possible to test for oscillations to a fourth (sterile) neutrino in the 10(-3) eV(2)<|Δm(41)(2) |< 0.3 eV(2) range. The relative spectral distortion due to the disappearance of electron antineutrinos was found to be consistent with that of the three-flavor oscillation model. The derived limits on sin(2) 2θ(14) cover the 10(-3) eV(2) ≲ |Δm(41)(2)| ≲ 0.1 eV(2) region, which was largely unexplored.

title: Light top squark in precision top quark sample
abstract: The uncertainty of $t\bar{t}$ production cross section measurement at LHC is at a-few-percent level which still allows the stop pair production $\tilde{t}\tilde{t}^{*}$ with identical final states $2b+\ell+nj+{E}_{T}$. In this paper, we attempt to use the existing measurement of $W$-polarization in top quark decay to improve the distinction between stop and top quark states. We apply the ATLAS $\chi^2$ method of $W$-polarization measurement in semi-leptonic $t\bar{t}$ final state to semi-leptonic stop pair samples and study its prediction. We find that the faked top events from stop mostly contribute to the left-handed polarized $W$ due to the reconstruction. The benchmark point with maximal contribution to top events only changes $F_{L}$ by 1%. After comparing with the current experiments, we conclude that the current measurement of $W$-polarization in $t$ decay cannot exclude the light stop scenario.

title: Higgs boson production in photon-photon collision at ILC: a comparative study in different little Higgs models
abstract: We study the process $ \gamma \gamma \to h \to b\bar b $ at ILC as a probe of different little Higgs models, including the simplest little Higgs model (SLH), the littlest Higgs model (LH), and two types of littlest Higgs models with T-parity (LHT-I, LHT-II). Compared with the Standard Model (SM) prediction, the production rate is found to be sizably altered in these little Higgs models and, more interestingly, different models give different predictions. We find that the production rate can be possibly enhanced only in the LHT-II for some part of the parameter space, while in all other cases the rate is suppressed. The suppression can be 10% in the LH and as much as 60% in both the SLH and the LHT-I/LHT-II. The severe suppression in the SLH happens for a large tan β and a small mh, in which the new decay mode h → ηη (η is a light pseudo-scalar) is dominant; while for the LHT-I/LHT-II the large suppression occurs when f and mh are both small so that the new decay mode h → AHAH is dominant. Therefore, the precision measurement of such a production process at the ILC will allow for a test of these models and even distinguish between different scenarios.

title: Revisit to non-decoupling MSSM
abstract: Dipole operator s ¯ σ μ ν F μ ν b requires the helicity flip in the involving quark states thus the breaking of chiral U ( 3 ) Q × U ( 3 ) d . On the other hand, the b quark mass generation is also a consequence of chiral U ( 3 ) Q × U ( 3 ) d symmetry breaking. Therefore, in many models, there might be strong correlation between the b → s γ and b quark Yukawa coupling. In this Letter, we use non-decoupling MSSM model to illustrate this feature. In the scenario, the light Higgs boson may evade the direct search experiments at LEPII or Tevatron while the 125 GeV Higgs-like boson is identified as the heavy Higgs boson in the spectrum. A light charged Higgs is close to the heavy Higgs boson which is of 125 GeV and its contribution to b → s γ requires large supersymmetric correction with large PQ and R -symmetry breaking. The large supersymmetric contribution at the same time significantly modifies the b quark Yukawa coupling. With combined flavor constraints B → X s γ and B s → μ + μ − and direct constraints on Higgs properties, we find best fit scenarios with light stop of O ( 500 GeV ) , negative A t around − 750 GeV and large μ -term of 2–3 TeV. In addition, reduction in b b ¯ partial width may also result in large enhancement of ττ decay branching fraction. Large parameter region in the survival space under all bounds may be further constrained by H → τ τ if no excess of ττ is confirmed at LHC. We only identify a small parameter region with significant H → h h decay that is consistent with all bounds and reduced ττ decay branching fraction. In the end, if current dark matter mostly consists of neutralino, direct detection experiments like XENON100 also puts stringent bound over this scenario with light Higgs bosons. The light stops which are required by flavor constraints can further enhance the scattering cross section.

title: Preheating and locked inflation: an analytic approach towards parametric resonance
abstract: We take an analytic approach towards the framework of parametric resonance and apply it on preheating and locked inflation. A two-scalar toy model is analytically solved for the λ2χ2 coupling for the homogenous modes. The effects of dynamic universe background and backreaction are taken into account. We show the average effect of parametric resonance to be that χ's amplitude doubles for each cycle of . Our framework partly solves the broad resonance for preheating scenario, showing two distinct stages of preheating and making the parameters of preheating analytically calculable. It is demonstrated for slowroll inflation models, preheating is terminated, if by backreaction, typically in the 5th e-fold. Under our framework, a possible inhomogeneity amplification effect is also found during preheating, which both may pose strong constraints on some inflationary models and may amplify tiny existing inhomogeneities to the desired scale. For demonstration, we show it rules out the backreaction end of preheating of the quadratic slowroll inflation model with mass m ~ 10−6. For locked inflation, parametric resonance is found to be inhibited if has more than one real component.