Travels on the squark-gluino mass plane

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the possible mass configurations of squarks and gluinos in supersymmetric models, classifying them into three regions based on the scale of supersymmetry breaking and renormalization group evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a framework dividing the squark-gluino mass plane into three wedges, linking each to different supersymmetry breaking scales and models.

Findings

All standard benchmarks lie in the first wedge.

Low-scale breaking models can reach the second wedge.

Exotic theories are needed for the third wedge.

Abstract

Soft supersymmetry breaking appears in the weak-scale effective action but is usually generated at higher scales. For these models the structure of the renormalization group evolution down to the electroweak scale leaves only part of the squark-gluino and slepton-gaugino mass planes accessible. Our observations divide these physical mass planes into three wedges: the first can be reached by all models of high-scale breaking; the second can only be populated by models with a low mediation scale; in the third wedge squarks and gluinos would have to be described by an exotic theory. All usual benchmark points reside in the first wedge, even though an LHC discovery in the third wedge would arguably be the most exciting outcome.