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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (7 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2016)

The largest mass component of the universe is a longstanding mystery to the physics community. As a glaring source of new physics beyond the Standard Model, there is a large effort to uncover the quantum nature of dark matter. Many probes have been formed to search for this elusive matter; cultivating a rich environment for a phenomenologist. In addition to the primary probes -- colliders, direct detection, and indirect detection -- each with their own complexities, there is a plethora of prospects to illuminate our unanswered questions. In this work, phenomenological techniques for studying dark matter and other possible hints of new physics will be discussed. This work primarily focuses on the use of Simplified Models, which are intended to be a compromise between generality and validity of the theoretical description. They are often used to parameterize a particular search, develop a well-defined sense of complementarity between searches, or motivate new search strategies. Explicit examples of such models and how they may be used will be the highlight of each chapter.

    Cover page: Simplified Models for Dark Matter Model Building
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2014)
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2013)
      We investigate simplified models in which dark matter particles, taken to be either Dirac or Majorana fermions, couple to quarks via colored mediators. We determine bounds from colliders and direct detection experiments, and show how the interplay of the two leads to a complementary view of this class of dark matter models. Forecasts for future searches in light of the current constraints are presented. © SISSA 2013.
        Cover page: Simplified models for dark matter interacting with quarks
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2014)
        We present simplified models for the galactic center γ-ray excess where Dirac dark matter annihilates into pairs or triplets of on-shell bosonic mediators to the standard model. These annihilation modes allow the dark matter mass to be heavier than those of conventional effective theories for the γ-ray excess. Because the annihilation rate is set by the dark matter-mediator coupling, the standard model coupling can be made parametrically small to "hide" the dark sector by suppressing direct detection and collider signals. We explore the viability of these models as a thermal relic and on the role of the mediators for controlling the γ-ray spectral shape. We comment on ultraviolet completions for these simplified models and novel options for standard model final states. © 2014 American Physical Society.
          Cover page: Hidden on-shell mediators for the Galactic Center γ -ray excess
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2016)
          We study a model of spin-1 dark matter which interacts with the Standard Model predominantly via exchange of Higgs bosons. We propose an alternative UV completion to the usual Vector Dark Matter Higgs Portal, in which vector-like fermions charged under SU(2)$_W \times$ U(1)$_Y$ and under the dark gauge group, U(1)$^\prime$, generate an effective interaction between the Higgs and the dark matter at one loop. We explore the resulting phenomenology and show that this dark matter candidate is a viable thermal relic and satisfies Higgs invisible width constraints as well as direct detection bounds.
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2014)
            We propose a new strategy to systematically search for new physics processes in particle collisions at the energy frontier. An examination of all possible topologies which give identifiable resonant features in a specific final state leads to a tractable number of "topological models" per final state and gives specific guidance for their discovery. Using one specific final state, jj, as an example, we find that the number of possibilities is reasonable and reveals simple, but as-yet-unexplored, topologies which contain significant discovery potential. We propose analysis techniques and estimate the sensitivity for pp collisions with s=14TeV and L=300 fb-1. © 2014 American Physical Society.
              Cover page: Systematically searching for new resonances at the energy frontier using topological models
              • Article
              • Peer Reviewed
              UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2020)
              This document is the final report of the ATLAS-CMS Dark Matter Forum, a forum organized by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations with the participation of experts on theories of Dark Matter, to select a minimal basis set of dark matter simplified models that should support the design of the early LHC Run-2 searches. A prioritized, compact set of benchmark models is proposed, accompanied by studies of the parameter space of these models and a repository of generator implementations. This report also addresses how to apply the Effective Field Theory formalism for collider searches and present the results of such interpretations.
                Cover page: Dark Matter benchmark models for early LHC Run-2 Searches: Report of the ATLAS/CMS Dark Matter ForumCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
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