Dark matter and the LHC

TL;DR

This paper reviews how the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and other experiments can help identify dark matter particles, focusing on theories with weak-scale supersymmetry and their potential to reveal new physics beyond the Standard Model.

Contribution

It provides an overview of how LHC experiments can detect and distinguish dark matter candidates within supersymmetric theories, connecting collider physics with astrophysical evidence.

Findings

LHC has potential to produce dark matter particles in proton-proton collisions.

Supersymmetric models offer viable dark matter candidates detectable at the LHC.

Complementary dark matter searches can help identify the nature of dark matter.

Abstract

An abundance of astrophysical evidence indicates that the bulk of matter in the universe is made up of massive, electrically neutral particles that form the dark matter (DM). While the density of DM has been precisely measured, the identity of the DM particle (or particles) is a complete mystery. In fact, within the laws of physics as we know them (the Standard Model, or SM), none of the particles have the right properties to make up DM. Remarkably, many new physics extensions of the SM -- designed to address theoretical issues with the electroweak symmetry breaking sector -- require the introduction of new particles, some of which are excellent DM candidates. As the LHC era begins, there are high hopes that DM particles, along with their associated new matter states, will be produced in pp collisions. We discuss how LHC experiments, along with other DM searches, may serve to determine the identity of DM particles and elucidate the associated physics. Most of our discussion centers around theories with weak-scale supersymmetry, and allows for several different DM candidate particles.