Building a Better mSUGRA: WIMP Dark Matter Without Flavor Violation

TL;DR

This paper explores generalized sequestered gauge mediation models that can produce neutralino dark matter candidates similar to mSUGRA without introducing flavor violation issues.

Contribution

It demonstrates that sequestered gauge mediation models can naturally host neutralino dark matter without flavor violation, expanding the landscape of viable supersymmetric theories.

Findings

Neutralino can be the LSP in gauge-mediated models with strongly coupled hidden sectors.

Sequestered gauge mediation models replicate mSUGRA's dark matter features without flavor problems.

Rich variety of neutralino dark matter scenarios are possible in these models.

Abstract

The appearance of a natural dark matter candidate, the neutralino, is among the principal successes of minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) and its descendents. In lieu of a suitable ultraviolet completion, however, theories of gravity-mediated supersymmetry breaking such as mSUGRA suffer from arbitrary degrees of flavor violation. Though theories of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking are free from such prohibitive flavor violation, they typically lack natural neutralino dark matter candidates. Yet this conventional dichotomy breaks down when the hidden sector is strongly coupled; in models of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, the neutralino may be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) if the fields of the hidden sector possess large anomalous dimensions. In fact, general models of so-called "sequestered" gauge mediation possess the full richness of neutralino dark matter found in mSUGRA without corresponding flavor problems. Here we explore generalized models of sequestered gauge mediation and the rich variety of neutralino dark matter they exhibit.