Towards Model-independent Predictions for R-parity Violating Supersymmetry

Abstract

Extensive searches for supersymmetry (SUSY), over the last four decades, have returned no evidence for it yet. Particularly, with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) results, this begs the question: “Is it time to give up on the idea of SUSY at energy scales accessible to us, or are there still potential gaps in our coverage that need to be explored?” In this thesis, we advocate the latter view. In particular, we consider the R-parity violating Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (RPV-MSSM). We argue that this setup is as well-motivated as the MSSM. On the other hand, the phenomenological space is vastly more complex; this creates potential for gaps in our SUSY coverage. In this thesis, we identify and focus on four such gaps in our current studies: <br /> (i) There is no systematic classification of the RPV-MSSM signatures at colliders. In particular, there could be signatures we may have missed in our coverage. <br /> (ii) Lepton parton distribution functions (PDFs) can initiate resonant squark production in the RPV-MSSM at the LHC, resulting in a clean final state consisting of a single charged lepton, no/low missing energy, and either one or a few jets. This can be a sensitive probe to SUSY that has not been covered at the LHC yet. <br /> (iii) The RPV-MSSM can accommodate massive neutrinos. However, the implications of the precisely measured neutrino oscillation data have not been analyzed for the most general RPV-MSSM setup. <br /> (iv) The mass of the lightest neutralino – if bino-like – is still completely unconstrained in the RPV-MSSM. <br /> On the flip side, we argue that, with recent and upcoming developments in the field, each of the above offers an exciting new opportunity to find SUSY. We explicitly demonstrate this by implementing studies that take steps towards covering the above gaps. Our results show that, in this way, there is still significant potential to discover SUSY in the near future. Our approach, throughout, will emphasize model-independence.