Light Neutralino Dark Matter in the pMSSM: Implications of LEP, LHC and Dark Matter Searches on SUSY Particle Spectra

TL;DR

This paper explores the possibility of light neutralino dark matter within the pMSSM framework, analyzing how current collider and dark matter detection constraints impact the viability and characteristics of such scenarios.

Contribution

The study performs high-statistics scans of the pMSSM to identify light neutralino scenarios consistent with multiple experimental constraints, including recent Higgs mass measurements.

Findings

Several viable light neutralino scenarios are identified.

Constraints from collider, dark matter, and flavor physics are thoroughly analyzed.

LHC sensitivity to these scenarios is evaluated.

Abstract

We investigate the viability of light neutralino scenarios as promoted by dark matter direct detection experiments. Using high statistics scans in the pMSSM we have identified several scenarios which give rise to very light neutralinos with large direct detection scattering cross sections. Our results are challenged with constraints from dark matter relic density, direct detection, indirect detection, as well as flavour physics, electroweak precision tests, LEP and Tevatron limits, LHC limits on SUSY, Higgs and monojet searches. In particular we study the effect of a Higgs boson in the range 122.5 < Mh < 127.5 GeV. We show that several scenarios emerge in agreement with all the constraints, and we study their characteristics and the LHC sensitivity.