Connecting the Direct Detection of Dark Matter with Observation of Sparticles at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper links direct detection signals of neutralino dark matter with supersymmetry signatures at the LHC, showing that certain detection levels imply specific superpartner particles and that these can be observed with limited collider data.

Contribution

It establishes a connection between direct dark matter detection rates and LHC signatures within the mSUGRA framework, including non-universal models, and assesses the detectability of these signals.

Findings

Detection levels of ~10^{-44} cm^2 imply specific superpartners.

LHC can probe these signals with as little as 1 fb^{-1} of data.

Recent CDMS II limits are discussed in the context of these results.

Abstract

An analysis is given connecting event rates for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter with the possible signatures of supersymmetry at the LHC. It is shown that if an effect is seen in the direct detection experiments at a level of $O(10^{-44})$ cm$^2$ for the neutralino-proton cross section, then within the mSUGRA model the next heavier particle above the neutralino is either a stau, a chargino, or a CP odd/CP even (A/H) Higgs boson. Further, the collider analysis shows that models with a neutralino-proton cross section at the level of $(1-5)\times 10^{-44}$ cm$^2$ could be probed with as little as 1 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity at the LHC at $\sqrt s=10$ TeV. The most recent limit from the five tower CDMS II result on WIMP-nucleon cross section is discussed in this context. It is argued that the conclusions of the analysis given here are more broadly applicable with inclusion of non-universalities in the SUGRA models.