LHC searches for Dark Matter in compressed mass scenarios: challenges in the forward proton mode

0519150 - FZÚ 2020 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Harland-Lang, L. A. - Khoze, V.A. - Ryskin, M.G. - Taševský, Marek
LHC searches for Dark Matter in compressed mass scenarios: challenges in the forward proton mode.
Journal of High Energy Physics. Roč. 2019, č. 4 (2019), s. 1-26, č. článku 10. ISSN 1029-8479. E-ISSN 1029-8479
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LM2015058; GA MŠMT(CZ) LG15052
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : Supersymmetry Phenomenology * QCD Phenomenology
OECD category: Particles and field physics
Impact factor: 5.875, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Open access

We analyze in detail the LHC prospects at √s = 14 TeV for charged electroweakino searches, decaying to leptons, in compressed supersymmetry scenarios, via exclusive photon-initiated pair production. This provides a potentially increased sensitivity in comparison to inclusive channels. We pay attention to the challenges that such searches would face in the high pile-up environment of the LHC, giving close consideration to the backgrounds. The signal we focus on is the exclusive production of same-flavour muon and electron pairs, with missing energy in the final state, and with two outgoing intact protons registered by the dedicated forward proton detectors. We present results for slepton masses of 120–300 GeV and slepton-neutralino mass splitting of 10–20 GeV, and find that the relevant backgrounds can be controlled to the level of the expected signal yields. We also outline a range of potential methods to further suppress these backgrounds as well as to enlarge the signal yields.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0304174