MSSM A-funnel and the Galactic Center Excess: Prospects for the LHC and Direct Detection Experiments

TL;DR

This paper investigates the MSSM A-funnel as an explanation for the Galactic Center Excess, analyzing its implications for LHC and direct detection experiments, and identifying specific parameter regions consistent with multiple constraints.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the MSSM A-funnel explaining the GCE, highlighting viable parameter regions and their experimental signatures at the LHC and direct detection experiments.

Findings

Compatible regions predict 200-600 GeV Higgs bosons at the LHC.

Spin-independent cross sections around 10^{-11} pb are achievable.

The study illustrates strong correlations between indirect, direct, and collider signatures.

Abstract

The pseudoscalar resonance or "A-funnel" in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model~(MSSM) is a widely studied framework for explaining dark matter that can yield interesting indirect detection and collider signals. The well-known Galactic Center excess (GCE) at GeV energies in the gamma ray spectrum, consistent with annihilation of a $\lesssim 40$ GeV dark matter particle, has more recently been shown to be compatible with significantly heavier masses following reanalysis of the background. In this paper, we explore the LHC and direct detection implications of interpreting the GCE in this extended mass window within the MSSM A-funnel framework. We find that compatibility with relic density, signal strength, collider constraints, and Higgs data can be simultaneously achieved with appropriate parameter choices. The compatible regions give very sharp predictions of 200-600 GeV CP-odd/even Higgs bosons at low tan$\beta$ at the LHC and spin-independent cross sections $\approx 10^{-11}$ pb at direct detection experiments. Regardless of consistency with the GCE, this study serves as a useful template of the strong correlations between indirect, direct, and LHC signatures of the MSSM A-funnel region.