We discuss the collider phenomenology of the model of Minimal Universal Extra Dimensions (MUED) at the Large hadron Collider (LHC). We derive analytical results for all relevant strong pair-production processes of two level 1 Kaluza-Klein partners and use them to validate and correct the existing MUED implementation in the fortran version of the Pythia event generator. We also develop a new implementation of the model in the C++ version of Pythia. We use our implementations in conjunction with the Checkmate package to derive the LHC bounds on MUED from a large number of published experimental analyses from Run 1 at the LHC.

Non-Holomorphic MSSM (NHSSM) shows various promising features that are not easily obtained in MSSM. However, the additional Non-Holomorphic (NH) trilinear interactions that attribute to the interesting phenomenological features, also modify the effective scalar potential of the model significantly. We derive analytic constraints involving trilinear parameters A t and A b that exclude global charge and color breaking minima (CCB). Since the analytic constraints are obtained considering specific directions in the multi-dimensional field space, we further probe the applicability of these constraints by exhaustive scan over NH parameter space with two different regimes of tan β and delineate the nature of metastability by considering vacuum expectation values for third generation squarks. We adhere to a natural scenario by fixing Higgsino mass parameter (µ) to a low value and estimate the allowed ranges of NH trilinear parameters by considering vacuum stability and observed properties of Higgs as the determining criteria.

Abstract:We study the viability of having two relatively light top squarks ('stops') in the framework of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). Such light stops render the NMSSM rather 'natural'. These are shown to be allowed by the relevant direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and to be compatible with the latest LHC results on the Higgs sector, other low energy electroweak constraints and recent constraints from the dark matter (DM) sector. We propose dedicated searches for such light stops at the LHC within a 'simplified' scenario that may have a bino-like or a singlino-like neutralino LSP as the DM candidate and point out various final states carrying the imprint of their collective presence. Under certain circumstances, in such a scenario, presence of two light stops may give rise to final states which are not so typical in their search. Thorough studies at the detector level reveal the status of such a scenario after the 8 TeV run of the LHC and shed light on the prospects of its 13 and 14 TeV runs. In favorable regions of the NMSSM parameter space, with low-lying spectra, signals with significance 5σ are possible with a few tens to a few hundreds of fb −1 of integrated luminosity in diverse final states.

Abstract:We explore the vacua of the Z 3 -symmetric Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) and their stability by going beyond the simplistic paradigm that works with a tree-level neutral scalar potential and adheres to some specific flat directions in the field space. We work in the so-called phenomenological NMSSM (pNMSSM) scenario. Also, for our purpose, we adhere to a reasonably 'natural' setup by requiring |µ eff | not too large. Key effects are demonstrated by first studying the profiles of this potential under various circumstances of physical interest via a semi-analytical approach. The results thereof are compared to the ones obtained from a dedicated package like Vevacious which further incorporates the thermal effects to the potential. Regions of the pNMSSM parameter space that render the desired symmetry breaking (DSB) vacuum absolutely stable, long-or short-lived (in relation to the age of the Universe) under quantum/thermal tunneling are delineated. Regions that result in the appearance of color and charge breaking (CCB) minima are also presented. It is demonstrated that light singlet scalars along with a light LSP (lightest supersymmetric particle) having an appreciable singlino admixture are compatible with a viable DSB vacuum. Their implications for collider experiments are commented upon.