NMSSM explanations of the Galactic center gamma ray excess and promising LHC searches

TL;DR

This paper explores how the NMSSM framework can explain the Galactic Center Excess through a resonant CP-odd Higgs and discusses the promising LHC signatures for detecting related dark matter particles, emphasizing Higgsino-like states.

Contribution

It demonstrates the viability of NMSSM with a specific Higgs resonance to explain the GCE and analyzes LHC search strategies for associated dark matter signatures.

Findings

Resonant CP-odd Higgs with mass twice the DM candidate is favored.

Higgsino-like chargino and neutralino pair production are key LHC signatures.

Most parameter space can be probed at 14 TeV LHC with 1000 fb$^{-1}$ luminosity.

Abstract

The Galactic Center Excess (GCE) is explained in the framework of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) with a $Z_3$ discrete symmetry. We show that a resonant CP-odd Higgs boson with mass twice that of the Dark Matter (DM) candidate is favoured. Meanwhile, the DM candidate is required to have relatively large coupling with the $Z$ boson through its Higgsino component in order to obtain correct DM relic density. Its LHC discovery potential via four signatures is discussed in detail. We find that the most sensitive signals are provided by the Higgsino-like chargino and neutralino pair production with their subsequent decays into $W$ bosons, $Z$ bosons, and DM. The majority of the relevant parameter space can be probed at the Large Hadron Collider with a centre-of-mass energy of 14 TeV and an integrated luminosity 1000 fb$^{-1}$.