Long-lived staus from strong production in a simplified model approach

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the LHC's ability to detect long-lived staus in a simplified supersymmetric model, focusing on strong production channels and deriving robust limits on superparticle masses.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified model approach to study long-lived staus, providing detection strategies and mass limits without relying on high-scale SUSY breaking assumptions.

Findings

LHC can effectively detect long-lived staus across parameter space.

Derived robust mass limits for staus, gluinos, squarks, and stops.

Discussed prospects for observing stopped staus.

Abstract

We study the phenomenology of a supersymmetric scenario where the next-to-lightest superparticle is the lighter stau and long-lived due to a very weakly coupled lightest superparticle, such as the gravitino. We investigate the LHC sensitivity and its dependence on the superparticle spectrum with an emphasis on strong production and decay. We do not assume any high-scale model for SUSY breaking but work along the lines of simplified models. Devising cuts that yield a large detection efficiency in the whole parameter space, we determine the LHC's discovery and exclusion potential. This allows us to derive robust limits on m_stau, m_gluino, a common m_squark, and m_stop1. We briefly discuss the prospects for observing stopped staus.