A Meta-analysis of the 8 TeV ATLAS and CMS SUSY Searches

TL;DR

This paper performs a comprehensive meta-analysis of 8 TeV ATLAS and CMS SUSY searches, finding the data consistent with the Standard Model but noting a notable shortage of deficits that could hint at new physics.

Contribution

It provides the first systematic statistical analysis of the distribution of p-values across numerous SUSY searches at 8 TeV, highlighting potential signs of new physics.

Findings

Number of excesses consistent with Standard Model

Significant shortage of signal regions with fewer observed events

Hints of new physics in the deficit regions

Abstract

Between the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at the LHC, hundreds of individual event selections have been measured in the data to look for evidence of supersymmetry at a center of mass energy of 8 TeV. While there is currently no significant evidence for any particular model of supersymmetry, the large number of searches should have produced some large statistical fluctuations. By analyzing the distribution of p-values from the various searches, we determine that the number of excesses is consistent with the Standard Model only hypothesis. However, we do find a shortage of signal regions with far fewer observed events than expected in both the ATLAS and CMS datasets (at $1.65\sigma$ and $2.77\sigma$, respectively). While not as compelling as a surplus of excesses, the lack of deficits could be a hint of new physics already in the 8 TeV datasets.