Slepton production at e + e - and e - e - linear colliders

High-precision analyses are presented for the production of scalar sleptons, selectrons and smuons in supersymmetric theories, at future e ⁺ e^- and e^-e^- linear colliders. Threshold production can be exploited for measurements of the selectron and smuon masses, an essential ingredient for the reconstruction of the fundamental supersymmetric theory at high scales. The production of selectrons in the continuum will allow us to determine the Yukawa couplings in the selectron sector, scrutinizing the identity of the Yukawa and gauge couplings, which is a basic consequence of supersymmetry. The theoretical predictions are elaborated at the one-loop level in the continuum, while at threshold non-zero width effects and Sommerfeld rescattering corrections are included. The phenomenological analyses are performed for e ⁺ e^- and e^-e^- linear colliders with energy up to about 1 TeV and with high integrated luminosity up to 1 ab^-1 to cover the individual slepton channels separately with high precision.Received: 21 October 2003, Revised: 12 January 2004, Published online: 23 April 2004     

Supersymmetry parameter analysis: SPA convention and project

High-precision analyses of supersymmetry parameters aim at reconstructing the fundamental supersymmetric theory and its breaking mechanism. A well defined theoretical framework is needed when higher-order corrections are included. We propose such a scheme, Supersymmetry Parameter Analysis SPA, based on a consistent set of conventions and input parameters. A repository for computer programs is provided which connect parameters in different schemes and relate the Lagrangian parameters to physical observables at LHC and high energy e ⁺ e^- linear collider experiments, i.e., masses, mixings, decay widths and production cross sections for supersymmetric particles. In addition, programs for calculating high-precision low energy observables, the density of cold dark matter (CDM) in the universe as well as the cross sections for CDM search experiments are included. The SPA scheme still requires extended efforts on both the theoretical and experimental side before data can be evaluated in the future at the level of the desired precision. We take here an initial step of testing the SPA scheme by applying the techniques involved to a specific supersymmetry reference point.     

Observable signals of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking

The observable consequences of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GMSB) are reviewed here. Implications of scenarios both with a neutralino and a slepton as the next lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) are surveyed in relation to hadronic ande ⁺ e ^- colliders. We also discuss the phenomenological consequences of the NLSP decaying slowly, giving rise to delayed events in the detectors.The importance of distinguishing signals of GMSB models from those of the commonly discussed supergravity-type theories is emphasized.     

A supersymmetric gut

We propose a grand unified supersymmetric theory based on SU(5) with spontaneously broken supersymmetry. The theory (really a class of theories) is completely realistic. In particular, supersymmetry partners of ordinary fermions and bosons are heavy. The model requires one fine-tuning in order to render the color triplet partners of the Higgs fields (which mediate proton decay) superheavy. This fine-tuning is stable against radiative corrections. At the tree level, the model contains two scales, the unification scale, of order 10¹⁶ GeV, and the supersymmetry breaking scale, of order 10¹⁰ GeV. The breaking of SU(2) × U(1) invariance arises as a radiative effect. The lightest of the new particles implied by supersymmetry are expected to have masses of order tens of GeV.     

Astrophysical constraints on broken supersymmetry

Arguments on the evolution of stars at an advanced stage constrain the interaction strength of light neutral fermions appearing in broken supersymmetric theories. In particular a consideration of white dwarfs leads to a bound on the fundamental scale of supersymmetry breaking d > 2.6 × 10³GeV², an order of magnitude improvement compared to the existing bound. A new bound on the scalar electron mass is obtained also.     

Spontaneous supersymmetry breaking by large-N matrices

Motivated by supersymmetry breaking in matrix model formulations of superstrings, we present some concrete models, in which the supersymmetry is preserved for any finite N, but gets broken at infinite N, where N is the rank of matrix variables. The models are defined as supersymmetric field theories coupled to some matrix models, and in the induced action obtained after integrating out the matrices, supersymmetry is spontaneously broken only when N is infinity. In our models, the large value of N gives a natural explanation for the origin of small parameters appearing in the field theories which trigger the supersymmetry breaking.     

Grand unification with local supersymmetry

We study general conditions for obtaining spontaneous breaking of local supersymmetry in N = 1 supergravity coupled to supersymmetric matter. We consider in particular the coupling of N = 1 supergravity to grand unified theories like SU(5) and study the conditions which must be met in order to obtain a realistic model. Specific models are built in which local supersymmetry is broken at a scale √M_Wm_p ～ 10¹⁰ GeV. This breaking of supersymmetry is only detected at low energies through soft terms breaking explicitly the global supersymmetry. These soft terms (scalar masses, gaugino masses and trilinear scalar couplings) are renormalized at low energies according to the renormalization group. The (mass)² of the Higgs doublet evolve towards negative values at low energies giving rise to SU(2) × U(1) breaking as a radiative effect of local supersymmetry breaking. We finally point out the possible relevance of non-renormalizable superpotentials for the problem of fermion masses.     

Physics prospects at a linear e + e − collider

The talk described the prospects of studying standard model parameters as well as scenarios beyond the standard model, like the minimal supersymmetric standard model, theories with extra dimensions and theories with extra neutral gauge bosons, at a future linear e ⁺ e ⁻ collider.     

Supersymmetry breaking in warped geometry

We examine the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters in supersymmetric theories on a slice of AdS₅ which generate the hierarchical Yukawa couplings by dynamically quasi-localizing the bulk matter fields in an extra dimension. Such models can be regarded as the AdS dual of the recently studied 4-dimensional models which contain a supersymmetric CFT to generate the hierarchical Yukawa couplings. In such models, if supersymmetry breaking is mediated by the bulk radion superfield and/or some brane chiral superfields, potentially dangerous flavor-violating soft parameters are suppressed with an appropriate correlation with the Yukawa coupling suppression, thereby avoiding the SUSY flavor problem in a natural manner. We present some models of radion-dominated supersymmetry breaking which yield a highly predictive form of soft parameters in this framework, and discuss the constraints from flavor-changing rare processes. Most of the discussions in this paper can be applied also to models with a flat extra dimension in which the Yukawa hierarchy is generated by quasi-localizing the bulk matter fields in the extra dimension.Received: 21 October 2003, Revised: 12 January 2004, Published online: 5 May 2004     

Lepton and flavor violation in SUSY models

Lepton and flavor violating processes resulting from neutral scalar-lepton mixing are examined in the context of supersymmetric models. Contributions arising at the one-loop level for μ → eγ, μ → 3e, μμ ⇄ ee as well as for neutrinoless ββ-decay are found to be suppressed for a general class of supersymmetry breaking parameters.     

FRW minisuperspace with local N=4 supersymmetry and self‐interacting scalar field

A supersymmetric FRW model with a scalar supermultiplet and generic superpotential is analysed from a quantum cosmological perspective. The corresponding Lorentz and supersymmetry constraints allow to establish a system of first order partial differential equations from which solutions can be obtained. We show that this is possible when the superpotential is expanded in powers of a parameter λ?1. At order λ⁰ we find the general class of solutions, which include in particular quantum states reported in the current literature. New solutions are partially obtained at order λ¹, where the dependence on the superpotential is manifest. These classes of solutions can be employed to find states for higher orders in λ. Our analysis further points to the following: (i) supersymmetric wave functions can only be found when the superpotential has either an exponential behaviour, an effective cosmological constant form or is zero; (ii) If the superpotential behaves differently during other periods, the wave function is trivial ( = 0, i.e., no supersymmetric states). We conclude this paper discussing how our FRW minisuperspace (with N = 4 supersymmetry and invariance under time‐reparametrization) can be relevant concerning the issue of supersymmetry breaking.     

Dynamical supersymmetry breaking and gauge anomalies

Some aspects of supersymmetric gauge theories and discussed. It is shown that dynamical supersymmetry breaking does not occur in supersymmetric QED in higher dimensions. The cancellation of both local (perturbative) and global (non-perturbative) gauge anomalies are also discussed in supersymmetric gauge theories. We argue that there is no dynamical supersymmetry breaking in higher dimensions in any supersymmetric gauge theories free of gauge anomalies. It is also shown that for supersymmetric gauge theories in higher dimensions with a compact connected simple gauge group, when the local anomaly-free condition is satisfied, there can be at most a possibleZ ₂ global gauge anomaly in extended supersymmetricSO(10) (or spin (10)) gauge theories inD=10 dimensions containing additional Weyl fermions in a spinor representation ofSO(10) (or spin (10)). In four dimensions with local anomaly-free condition satisfied, the only possible global gauge anomalies in supersymmetric gauge theories areZ ₂ global gauge anomalies for extended supersymmetricSP(2N) (N=rank) gauge theories containing additional Weyl fermions in a representation ofSP(2N) with an odd 2nd-order Dynkin index.     

Supersymmetric preon models with gauged colour-flavour symmetry

We have conducted a search for globally supersymmetric preon models with gauged colour-flavour symmetries. Theories with both two- and three-preon composites, and colour-flavour groups from E₆ down to the standard model, are examined under the following conditions: asymptotically-free metacolour, anomaly-free gauged symmetries, and Pauli principle obeyed. It is found that there are no models with three or more supersymmetric families. If supersymmetry is broken, one model with four families emerges. The purely fermionic preon theories can also be considered as the light sector of a chiral supersymmetric theory, with supersymmetry breaking at the preon level.     

Spin analysis of supersymmetric particles

The spin of supersymmetric particles can be determined at e⁺e^- colliders unambiguously. This is demonstrated for a characteristic set of non-colored supersymmetric particles – smuons, selectrons, and charginos/neutralinos. The analysis is based on the threshold behavior of the excitation curves for pair production in e⁺e^- collisions, the angular distribution in the production process and decay angular distributions. In the first step we present the observables in the helicity formalism for the supersymmetric particles. Subsequently we confront the results with corresponding analyses of Kaluza–Klein particles in theories of universal extra space dimensions which behave distinctly different from supersymmetric theories. It is shown in the third step that a set of observables can be designed which signal the spin of supersymmetric particles unambiguously without any model assumptions. Finally in the fourth step it is demonstrated that the determination of the spin of supersymmetric particles can be performed experimentally in practice at an e⁺e^- collider.     

Mesino-antimesino oscillations

The phenomenology of supersymmetric theories with low scale supersymmetry breaking and a squark as the lightest standard model superpartner are investigated. Such squarks hadronize with light quarks, forming sbaryons and mesinos before decaying. Production of these supersymmetric bound states at a high energy collider can lead to displaced jets with large negative impact parameters. Neutral mesino-antimesino oscillations are not forbidden by any symmetry and can occur at observable rates. Stop mesino-antimesino oscillations would give a sensitive probe of up-type sflavor violation, and can provide a discovery channel for supersymmetry through events with a same-sign top-top topology.     

Renormalization of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with soft supersymmetry breaking

The renormalization of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with soft supersymmetry breaking is presented using spurion fields for introducing the breaking terms. It is proven that renormalization of the fields and parameters in the classical action yields precisely the correct counterterms to cancel all divergences. In the course of the construction of higher orders additional independent parameters appear, but they can be shown to be irrelevant in physics respects. Thus, the only parameters with influence on physical amplitudes are the supersymmetric and the well-known soft breaking parameters. Received: 19 December 2001 / Published online: 15 March 2002     

Dirac leptogenesis and anomalous <Emphasis Type="Italic">U</Emphasis>(1)

We consider Dirac leptogenesis in supersymmetric theories where the supersymmetry breaking is transmitted to the observable sector by an anomalous U(1) symmetry. This kind of supersymmetry breaking is known to provide a solution to the problem and avoid large CP-violation effects. The asymmetries generated by the decays of heavy leptons do not suffer from wash-out due to the equilibration of left- and right-handed neutrinos thanks to the extreme smallness of the neutrino masses. The model ties up the smallness of the neutrino masses and the out-of-equilibrium nature of the heavy lepton decays with no tension with the overproduction of gravitinos.Received: 23 October 2003, Revised: 31 August 2004, Published online: 20 October 2004     

Wess–Zumino supersymmetric phase and superconductivity in graphene

Supersymmetry is expected to exist in nature at high energies, but must be spontaneously broken at ordinary energy scales. The required energy scale in elementary particle physics is currently inaccessible, but condensed matter could furnish low energy realizations of supersymmetry. In graphene, electrons behave as ‘relativistic’ massless fermions in 1+2$1+2$ dimensions. Here we propose phenomenologically, assuming that some microscopic parameters can be fine-tuned in graphene, the existence of a supersymmetric Wess–Zumino phase. The supersymmetry breaking leads to a superconductor phase, described by a relativistic Ginzburg–Landau phenomenology.     

Generation-changing interaction of sneutrinos in <Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis><Superscript> + </Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis><Superscript>-</Superscript> collisions

The measurability of generation mixing is studied on pair production of sneutrinos in e ⁺ e ^- collisions and their subsequent decays into two different charged leptons e and μ with two lighter charginos. The analyses are made systematically in a general framework of the supersymmetric extension of the standard model. The production and decay process depends on the parameters of the chargino sector as well as those of the sneutrino sector. Although generation-changing interactions are severely constrained by radiative charged-lepton decays, sizable regions in the parameter space could still be explored at e ⁺ e ^- colliders in the near future. Received: 6 October 2004, Revised: 14 November 2004, Published online: 14 January 2005 PACS: 11.30.Hv, 12.15.Ff, 12.60.Jv, 14.80.Ly     

Towards Higher-N Superextensions of Born–Infeld Theory

We give a brief account of supersymmetric Born–Infeld theories with extended supersymmetry, including those with partially broken supersymmetry. Some latest developments in this area are presented. One of them is N = 3 supersymmetric Born–Infeld theory which admits a natural off-shell formulation in N = 3 harmonic superspace.