Particle Physics Seminars at BNL

A New Paradigm for Dark Matter Search at the LHC

by Dr Yangyang Cheng (Cornell University)

US/Eastern
Description

The existence of dark matter (DM), through astrophysical and cosmological observations, presents some of the most striking evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. Stringent limits have been placed on DM as a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) from direct and indirection detection as well as collider experiments. If instead of one type of DM particle, nature contains a complex dark sector, the new hidden particles can evade existing DM limits and most direct detection experiments, but may be produced at high-energy colliders like the LHC. Many dark sector models predict long-lived particles with striking collider signature, opening an exciting new paradigm for dark matter search. This talk overviews the landscape for dark matter search, and introduces the physics motivation for a complex dark sector with long-lived particles. It then describes two types of signature-driven dark sector searches at the CMS experiment, for a dark shower and for displaced lepton jets. Finally, the talk discusses prospects for dark sector searches at the High-Luminosity LHC with detector and trigger upgrades, in particular how the new forward detectors and enhanced timing capabilities can reach new phase spaces and sensitivities. 

Organised by

Viviana Cavaliere