Search for Supersymmetry in Tau Lepton Final States with the ATLAS Detector

Abstract

In the search for signs of possible physics beyond the Standard Model, signatures with multiple tau leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum are promising candidates for a discovery. A search in this final state has been performed using 20.3 fb^-1 integrated luminosity of 8 TeV proton-proton collision data recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012. Five search regions are considered. The expected backgrounds are estimated either from data alone or from Monte Carlo simulation normalized in control regions. In the end, an excellent agreement between the predictions and the observed data is achieved.<br /> The lack of any excess above the predicted backgrounds is translated into model independent exclusions of event numbers from any possible new physics scenario in the range from 3.5 to 6.2 events at 95% confidence level. At the same time, exclusions are computed in various hypothetical scenarios of SUSY breaking. <br /> In GMSB, e.g., values of Λ < 74 TeV for tanβ > 30 corresponding to gluino masses below 1.6 TeV, respectively, making this analysis competitive to the strongest ATLAS SUSY limits published to date.