Supergravity gauge theories strike back: There is no crisis for SUSY but a new collider may be required for discovery

TL;DR

Despite recent collider constraints, supergravity gauge theories remain a viable framework for physics beyond the Standard Model, with natural SUSY potentially discoverable at future colliders and requiring a multi-component dark matter scenario.

Contribution

The paper reviews the current status of supergravity gauge theories in light of recent experimental data, emphasizing their continued viability and the need for future colliders to discover natural SUSY.

Findings

Supergravity models remain consistent with LHC data.

Natural SUSY models require non-universality and substantial trilinear terms.

A future linear collider is essential for discovering light higgsinos.

Abstract

More than 30 years ago, Arnowitt-Chamseddine-Nath (ACN) and others established the compelling framework of supergravity gauge theories (SUGRA) as a picture for the next step in beyond the Standard Model physics. We review the current SUGRA scenario in light of recent data from LHC8 collider searches and the Higgs boson discovery. While many SUSY and non-SUSY scenarios are highly disfavored or even excluded by LHC, the essential SUGRA scenario remains intact and as compelling as ever. For naturalness, some non-universality between matter and Higgs sector soft terms is required along with substantial trilinear soft terms. SUSY models with radiatively-driven naturalness (RNS) are found with high scale fine-tuning at a modest ~10%. In this case, natural SUSY might be discovered at LHC13 but could also easily elude sparticle search endeavors. A linear e^+e^- collider with \sqrt{s}>2m(higgsino) is needed to provide the definitive search for the required light higgsino states which are the hallmark of natural SUSY. In the most conservative scenario, we advocate inclusion of a Peccei-Quinn sector so that dark matter is composed of a WIMP/axion admixture i.e. two dark matter particles.