Effective Approaches in and Beyond the MSSM : applications to Higgs Physics and Dark Matter observables

TL;DR

This thesis employs Effective Field Theory to explore Higgs physics and Dark Matter in supersymmetric models, extending the MSSM to include higher-dimensional operators, and improves relic density calculations with effective one-loop corrections.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive effective approach for MSSM extensions, capturing richer Higgs phenomenology and enhancing Dark Matter relic density computations with effective vertices.

Findings

Richer Higgs sector phenomenology consistent with LHC results

Effective vertices accurately reproduce one-loop corrections

Improved relic density calculations with high precision

Abstract

In this thesis we use the Effective Field Theory approach for supersymmetric theories, applied to two experimental domains : the search for the Higgs bosons at colliders and the Dark Matter observables. The reason for introducing an effective approach in the Higgs physics is that the simple supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (the MSSM) is known to have a tightly constrained Higgs sector, in particular with a lightest Higgs mass difficult to raise without introducing some fine-tuning. Many specific expansions (as the NMSSM for instance) allow for a richer Higgs sector. In this case however, the effective approach is handy since it encompasses many different specific ultraviolet completions. We have added to the Kahler and superpotential of the MSSM all possible terms of dimensions 5 and 6 including only Higgs superfields. The phenomenology of the resulting Higgs sector appears to be much richer, and we analyse our model in view of the latest LHC results. On the other side, supersymmetry is known for providing a Dark Matter candidate, so we have also worked to improve the accuracy of the computation of the relic density in the MSSM. Indeed the impressive accuracy on the experimental side (around 6%) calls for a precise computation including radiative corrections. Those one-loop computations being rather long in the MSSM, thus often overlooked, we have used again the effective approach by introducing new effective vertices that aim at accounting for the one-loop correction. We show on a specific process (neutralinos annihilation to muons) the agreement between the effective approach and the full one-loop computation.