Search

We investigate quantum entanglement in high-energy $2\to 2$ scalar scattering, where the scalars are characterized by an internal flavor quantum number acting like a qubit. Working at the 1-loop order in perturbation theory, we build the final-state density matrix as a function of the scattering amplitudes connecting the initial to the outgoing state. In this construction, the unitarity of the $S$-matrix is guaranteed at the required order by the optical theorem. We consider the post-scattering entanglement between the momentum and flavor degrees of freedom of the final-state particles, as well as the entanglement of the two-qubit flavor subsystem. In each case we identify the couplings of the scalar potential that can generate, destroy, or transfer entanglement between different bipartite subspaces of the Hilbert space., Comment: 27 pages, 2 tables. Corrected an error in matrices (3.4)-(3.6). Physics results unchanged

We revisit the dynamical generation of an arbitrarily small neutrino Yukawa coupling in the Standard Model with trans-Planckian asymptotic safety and apply the same mechanism to the gauged $B-L$ model. We show that thanks to the presence of additional irrelevant couplings, the described neutrino-mass generation in the $B-L$ model is potentially more in line with existing theoretical calculations in quantum gravity. Interestingly, the model can accommodate, in full naturalness and without extensions, the possibility of purely Dirac, pseudo-Dirac, and Majorana neutrinos with any see-saw scale. We investigate eventual distinctive signatures of these cases in the detection of gravitational waves from first-order phase transitions. We find that, while it is easy to produce a signal observable in new-generation interferometers, its discriminating features are washed out by the strong dependence of the gravitational-wave spectrum on the relevant parameters of the scalar potential., Comment: 39 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. References added, typos corrected, matches the published version

The framework of trans-Planckian asymptotic safety has been shown to generate phenomenological predictions in the Standard Model and in some of its simple new physics extensions. A heuristic approach is often adopted, which bypasses the functional renormalization group by relying on a parametric description of quantum gravity with universal coefficients that are eventually obtained from low-energy observations. Within this approach a few simplifying approximations are typically introduced, including the computation of matter renormalization group equations at 1~loop, an arbitrary definition of the position of the Planck scale at $10^{19}$ GeV, and an instantaneous decoupling of gravitational interactions below the Planck scale. In this work we systematically investigate, both analytically and numerically, the impact of dropping each of those approximations on the predictions for certain particle physics scenarios. In particular we study two extensions of the Standard Model, the gauged $B-L$ model and the leptoquark $S_3$ model, for which we determine a set of irrelevant gauge and Yukawa couplings. In each model, we present numerical and analytical estimates of the uncertainties associated with the predictions from asymptotic safety., Comment: 37 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Added sec. 3.4 on relevant abelian gauge couplings. Matches published version

Motivated by the flavor anomalies in $b \to s$ transitions, we embed minimal models with a $Z'$ gauge boson, vector-like fermions, and a singlet scalar in the framework of trans-Planckian asymptotic safety. The presence of a fixed point in the renormalization group flow of the models' parameters leads to predictions for the $\gamma/Z'$ kinetic mixing, the New Physics Yukawa couplings, and the quartic couplings of the scalar potential. We derive the constraint on the kinetic mixing from the most recent high-mass dilepton resonance searches at the LHC, showing that this bound is often inescapable in this framework, unless the U(1) charges conspire to forbid the radiative generation of kinetic mixing. In the latter case, the parameter space consistent with the flavor anomalies can still be probed in depth by direct LHC searches for heavy vector-like quarks and leptons. We derive the current exclusion bounds and projections for future high-luminosity runs., Comment: 42 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables. Added Appendix D on an asymptotically safe extension with dark matter and neutrino masses. Matches published version

In gauge-Yukawa systems embedded in the framework of trans-Planckian asymptotic safety we discuss the dynamical generation of arbitrarily small Yukawa couplings driven by the presence of a non-interactive infrared-attractive fixed point in the renormalization group flow. Additional ultraviolet-attractive fixed points guarantee that the theory remains well defined up to an infinitely high scale. We apply this mechanism to the Yukawa couplings of the Standard Model extended with right-handed neutrinos, finding that asymptotically safe solutions in agreement with the current experimental determination of the masses and mixing angles exist for Dirac neutrinos with normal mass ordering. We generalize the discussion by applying the same mechanism to a new-physics model with sterile-neutrino dark matter, where we generate naturally the feeble Yukawa interaction required to reproduce via freeze-in the correct relic abundance., Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables. Discussions in Sec. 3.2 and in Sec. 5 have been extended for increasing clarity. Table 1 added. References added. Matches published version

We perform a phenomenological analysis of simplified models of light, feebly interacting particles~(FIPs)that can provide a combined explanation of the anomalies in $b\to s l^+ l ^-$ transitions at LHCb and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Different scenarios are categorised according to the explicit momentum dependence of the FIP coupling to the $b-s$ and $\mu-\mu$ vector currents and they are subject to several constraints from flavour and precision physics. We show that viable combined solutions to the muon $g-2$ and flavour anomalies exist with the exchange of a vector FIP with mass larger than $4 \,\textrm{GeV}$. Interestingly, the LHC has the potential to probe this region of the parameter space by increasing the precision of the $Z\to 4\mu$ cross-section measurement. Conversely, we find that solutions based on the exchange of a lighter vector, in the $m_V < 1\,\textrm{GeV}$ range, are essentially excluded by a combination of $B\to K +\textrm{invisible}$ and $W$-decay precision bounds., Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures. Typos corrected, published version

We use the framework of asymptotic safety above the Planck scale to constrain the parameter space of simple models of new physics that can accommodate the measured value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the relic density of dark matter. We couple parametrically to the trans-Planckian quantum physics a set of SU(2)$\times$U(1) invariant extensions of the Standard Model, each comprising an inert scalar field and one pair of colorless fermions that communicate to the muons through Yukawa-type interactions. The presence of an interactive UV fixed point in the system of gauge and Yukawa couplings imposes a set of boundary conditions at the Planck scale, which allow one to derive unique phenomenological predictions in each case and distinguish the different representations of the gauge group from one another. We apply to the models constraints from the $h\to \mu\mu$ signal strength at ATLAS and CMS, direct LHC searches for electroweak production with leptons and missing energy in the final state, and the dark matter relic density. We find that they further restrict the available parameter space., Comment: 40 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables. Updated with the new measurement of the muon g-2 at Fermilab. Added models M6 and M10. Added references

Physical theories that depend on many parameters or are tested against data from many different experiments pose unique challenges to statistical inference. Many models in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology fall into one or both of these categories. These issues are often sidestepped with statistically unsound ad hoc methods, involving intersection of parameter intervals estimated by multiple experiments, and random or grid sampling of model parameters. Whilst these methods are easy to apply, they exhibit pathologies even in low-dimensional parameter spaces, and quickly become problematic to use and interpret in higher dimensions. In this article we give clear guidance for going beyond these procedures, suggesting where possible simple methods for performing statistically sound inference, and recommendations of readily-available software tools and standards that can assist in doing so. Our aim is to provide any physicists lacking comprehensive statistical training with recommendations for reaching correct scientific conclusions, with only a modest increase in analysis burden. Our examples can be reproduced with the code publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4322283., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. extended discussions. closely matches version accepted for publication

We use the framework of asymptotically safe quantum gravity to derive predictions for scalar leptoquark solutions to the $b \to s$ and $b\to c$ flavor anomalies. The presence of an interactive UV fixed point in the system of gauge and Yukawa couplings imposes a set of boundary conditions at the Planck scale, which allows one to determine low-energy values of the leptoquark Yukawa matrix elements. As a consequence, the allowed leptoquark mass range can be significantly narrowed down. We find that a consistent gravity-driven solution to the $b\to s$ anomalies predicts a leptoquark with the mass of 4-7 TeV, entirely within the reach of a future hadron-hadron collider with $\sqrt{s}=100$ TeV. Conversely, in the case of the $b\to c$ anomalies the asymptotically safe gravity framework predicts a leptoquark mass at the edge of the current LHC bounds. Complementary signatures appear in flavor observables, namely the (semi)leptonic decays of B and D mesons and kaons., Comment: 39 pages, 6 figures. Added discussion of a trans-Planckian IR fixed point in Section 3.1. Added scenarios of type FPc, corresponding to Gaussian fixed points of the NP couplings. References added

We investigate solutions to the flavour anomalies in $B$ decays based on loop diagrams of a "split" dark sector characterised by the simultaneous presence of heavy particles at the TeV scale and light particles around and below the $B$-meson mass scale. We show that viable parameter space exists for solutions based on penguin diagrams with a vector mediator, while minimal constructions relying on box diagrams are in strong tension with the constraints from the LHC, LEP, and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. In particular, we highlight a regime where the mediator lies close to the $B$-meson mass, naturally realising a resonance structure and a $q^2$-dependent effective coupling. We perform a full fit to the relevant flavour observables and analyse the constraints from intensity frontier experiments. Besides new measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, we find that decays of the $B$ meson, $B_s$-mixing, missing energy searches at Belle-II, and LHC searches for top/bottom partners can robustly test these scenarios in the near future., Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Improvements in the text, conclusion unchanged. Version published on JHEP

The recent measurement of $R_K$ at LHCb continues to support the hint of violation of lepton flavor universality. We perform a global fit for new physics in semileptonic $b\to s$ transitions using all the relevant data with a Bayesian analysis technique. We include new measurements of $R_K$ at LHCb and new determinations of $R_{K^*}$ and $R_{K^{*+}}$ at Belle. We perform the scan for various NP scenarios and infer the 68\% and 95.4\% credibility regions of the marginalized posterior probability density for all scenarios. We also compare the models in pairs by calculating the Bayes factor given a common data set. A few well-known BSM models are analyzed that can provide a high energy framework for the EFT analysis. These include the exchange of a heavy $Z^{'}$ boson in models with heavy vector-like fermions and a scalar field, and a model with scalar leptoquarks. We provide predictions for the BSM couplings and expected mass values., Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings for FPCP 2019

Chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS), whereby helical molecules polarize the spin of electrical current, is an intriguing effect with potential applications in nanospintronics. In this nascent field, the study of paramagnetic chiral molecules, which could introduce another degree of freedom in the control of the spin transport, remains so far unexplored. To address this challenge, herein, we propose the use of self-assembled monolayers of helical lanthanide-binding peptides. In order to elucidate the effect of the paramagnetic nuclei, monolayers of the peptide coordinating paramagnetic or diamagnetic ions are prepared. By means of spin-dependent electrochemistry, CISS effect is demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements for both samples. Additionally, an implementation of the standard liquid-metal drop electron transport setup has been carried out, demonstrating their suitability for solid-state devices. Remarkably, the inclusion of a paramagnetic center in the peptide increases the spin polarization as independently proved by different techniques. These findings permit the inclusion of magnetic biomolecules in the CISS field, paving the way to their implementation in a new generation of spintronic nanodevices.

We provide an updated and improved study of the prospects of the H.E.S.S. and Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) experiments in testing neutralino dark matter in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with nine free parameters (p9MSSM). We include all relevant experimental constraints and theoretical developments, in particular the calculation of the Sommerfeld enhancement for both present-day annihilation and the relic abundance. We perform a state-of-the-art analysis of the CTA sensitivity with a log-likelihood test ratio statistics and apply it to a numerical scan of the p9MSSM parameter space focusing on a TeV scale dark matter. We find that, assuming Einasto profile of dark matter halo in the Milky Way, H.E.S.S. has already been able to nearly reach the so-called thermal WIMP value, while CTA will go below it by providing a further improvement of at least an order of magnitude. Both H.E.S.S. and CTA are sensitive to several cases for which direct detection cross section will be below the so-called neutrino floor, with H.E.S.S. being sensitive to most of the wino region, while CTA also covering a large fraction of the ~1 TeV higgsino region. We show that CTA sensitivity will be further improved in the monochromatic photon search mode for both single-component and underabundant dark matter., Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures, supplemental material with CTA limits provided. Minor corrections and references added, matches published version in JHEP

We present a Bayesian analysis of the implications for new physics in semileptonic $b\to s$ transitions after including new measurements of $R_K$ at LHCb and new determinations of $R_{K^*}$ and $R_{K^{*+}}$ at Belle. We perform global fits with 1, 2, 4, and 8 input Wilson coefficients, plus one CKM nuisance parameter to take into account uncertainties that are not factorizable. We infer the 68% and 95.4% credibility regions of the marginalized posterior probability density for all scenarios and perform comparisons of models in pairs by calculating the Bayes factor given a common data set. We then proceed to analyzing a few well known BSM models that can provide a high energy framework for the EFT analysis. These include the exchange of a heavy $Z^{'}$ boson in models with heavy vector-like fermions and a scalar field, and a model with scalar leptoquarks. We provide predictions for the BSM couplings and expected mass values., Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, 23 tables. v3: Minor modifications to the text, references added. Published version

Thin-film solar cells suffer from various types of recombination, of which leakage current usually dominates at lower voltages. Herein, we demonstrate first a three-order reduction of the shunt loss mechanism in planar methylammonium lead iodide perovskite solar cells by replacing the commonly used hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with a better hole-selective polyarylamine. As a result, these cells exhibit superior operation under reduced light conditions, which we demonstrate for the extreme case of moonlight irradiance, at which open-circuit voltages of 530 mV can still be obtained. By the shunt removal we also observe the VOC to drop to zero after as long as 2 h after the light has been switched off. Second, at higher illumination intensities the dominant losses in the PEDOT:PSS-based cell are ascribed to surface recombination and are also proven to be substantially minimized by instead employing the polyarylamine. We attribute the reduced shunt and surface recombination to the far better suited semiconductor character of the polyarylamine, compared to that of PEDOT:PSS, efficiently blocking electrons from recombining at this electrode.

We derive constraints from flavor and LHC searches on charmphilic contributions to the muon anomalous magnetic moment with a single leptoquark. Only the scalar leptoquarks $S_1$ and $R_2$ are relevant for the present analysis. We find that for $S_1$ some parameter space remains consistent at $2\sigma$ with the Brookhaven National Laboratory measurement of the muon $g-2$, under the assumption that the left-type coupling between the muon and the charm quark is a free parameter. The surviving parameter space is, on the other hand, going to be probed in its entirety at the LHC with 300/fb of luminosity or less. All other possibilities are excluded by the LHC dimuon search results in combination with several flavor bounds, which together require one to introduce sizable couplings to the top quark to be evaded., Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures. v2: Published version. v3: Added Appendix A, containing the updated analysis in light of the new measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon at Fermilab and current LHC data

Motivated by the recent anomalies in $b\rightarrow s$ transitions that emerged at LHCb, we consider a model with an $L_\mu - L_\tau$ gauge symmetry and additional vector-like fermions. We find that by introducing supersymmetry the model can be made consistent with the long-standing deviation in the measured value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, $g-2$, and neutralino dark matter of broad mass ranges and properties. In particular, dark matter candidates include the well-known 1 TeV higgsino, which in the MSSM is typically not compatible with solutions to the $g-2$ puzzle. Moreover, its spin-independent cross section could be at the origin of the recent small excess in XENON-1T data. We apply to the model constraints arising from flavor precision measurements and direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider and show that they do not currently exclude the relevant parameter space regions., Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. References added, matches published version

We give a brief review of the current constraints and prospects for detection of higgsino dark matter in low-scale supersymmetry. In the first part we argue, after performing a survey of all potential dark matter particles in the MSSM, that the (nearly) pure higgsino is the only candidate emerging virtually unscathed from the wealth of observational data of recent years. In doing so by virtue of its gauge quantum numbers and electroweak symmetry breaking only, it maintains at the same time a relatively high degree of model-independence. In the second part we properly review the prospects for detection of a higgsino-like neutralino in direct underground dark matter searches, collider searches, and indirect astrophysical signals. We provide estimates for the typical scale of the superpartners and fine tuning in the context of traditional scenarios where the breaking of supersymmetry is mediated at about the scale of Grand Unification and where strong expectations for a timely detection of higgsinos in underground detectors are closely related to the measured 125 GeV mass of the Higgs boson at the LHC., Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures. Invited review for Advances in High Energy Physics. v3: References added, matches published version

We provide a closed analytical form for the gauge contribution to the beta function of a generic Yukawa coupling in the limit of large $N_F$, where $N_F$ is the number of heavy vector-like fermions charged under an abelian or non-abelian gauge group. The resummed expression is finite and for the abelian case presents a pole at the same location as for the corresponding gauge beta function. When applied to new physics scenarios characterized by large Yukawa couplings, the contribution calculated here can cure their pathological UV behavior and make the couplings asymptotically free., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. Added clarification on our choice of gauge, which was previously stated incorrectly. Typos fixed. References added

We review several current aspects of dark matter theory and experiment. We overview the present experimental status, which includes current bounds and recent claims and hints of a possible signal in a wide range of experiments: direct detection in underground laboratories, gamma-ray, cosmic ray, X-ray, neutrino telescopes, and the LHC. We briefly review several possible particle candidates for a Weakly Interactive Massive Particle (WIMP) and dark matter that have recently been considered in the literature. We pay particular attention to the lightest neutralino of supersymmetry as it remains the best motivated candidate for dark matter and also shows excellent detection prospects. Finally we briefly review some alternative scenarios that can considerably alter properties and prospects for the detection of dark matter obtained within the standard thermal WIMP paradigm., Comment: 84 pages, 17 figures. References added, minor corrections. The most recent Xenon1T excl. bound has been included that appeared after this article had been published

We investigate simplified models of new physics that can accommodate the measured value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the relic density of dark matter. We define a set of renormalizable, SU(2)$\times$U(1) invariant extensions of the Standard Model, each comprising an inert $Z_2$-odd scalar field and one or more vector-like pairs of colorless fermions that communicate to the muons through Yukawa-type interactions. The new sectors are classified according to their transformation properties under the Standard Model gauge group and all models are systematically confronted with a variety of experimental constraints: LEP mass bounds, direct LHC searches, electroweak precision observables, and direct searches for dark matter. We show that scenarios featuring only one type of new fermions become very predictive once the relic density and collider constraints are taken into account, as in this case $g-2$ is not enhanced by chirality flip. Conversely, for models where an additional source of chiral-symmetry violation is generated via fermion mixing, the constraints are much looser and new precision experiments with highly suppressed systematic uncertainties may be required to test the parameter space., Comment: 38 pages, 12 figures. Added constraints from CMS soft opposite-sign leptons and ATLAS h to gamma gamma. References added, typos fixed. Matches published version

Using the existing simplified model framework, we build several dark matter models which have suppressed spin-independent scattering cross section. We show that the scattering cross section can vanish due to interference effects with models obtained by simple combinations of simplified models. For weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) masses $\gtrsim$10 GeV, collider limits are usually much weaker than the direct detection limits coming from LUX or XENON100. However, for our model combinations, LHC analyses are more competitive for some parts of the parameter space. The regions with direct detection blind spots can be strongly constrained from the complementary use of several Large Hadron Collider (LHC) searches like mono-jet, jets + missing transverse energy, heavy vector resonance searches, etc. We evaluate the strongest limits for combinations of scalar + vector, "squark" + vector, and scalar + "squark" mediator, and present the LHC 14 TeV projections., Comment: 9 Pages, Talk presented at the conference "Varying Constants and Fundamental Cosmology - VARCOSMOFUN'16" (Szczecin, Poland), Published in Universe (proceedings of VARCOSMOFUN'16)

We analyze two minimal supersymmetric constrained models with low-energy vector-like matter preserving gauge coupling unification. In one we add to the MSSM spectrum a pair of 5-plets of SU(5), in the other a pair of 10-plets. We show that the muon g-2 anomaly can be explained in these models while retaining perturbativity up to the unification scale, satisfying electroweak and flavor precision tests and current LHC data. We examine also some related phenomenological features of the models, including Higgs mass, fine-tuning, dark matter and several LHC signatures. We stress that, at least for the 5-plet model, the parameter space consistent with g-2 is entirely in reach of the LHC with a moderate increase in luminosity with respect the current data set., Comment: 42 pages, 12 figures. Slight modifications to the text, physics unchanged. References added. Matches published version

We use the framework of the p19MSSM to perform a fit to the mild excesses over the Standard Model background recently observed in three bins of the ATLAS 1-lepton + (b-)jets + MET search. We find a few types of spectra that can fit the emerging signal and at the same time are not excluded by other LHC searches. They can be grouped roughly in two categories. The first class is characterized by the presence of one stop or stop and sbottoms with mass in the ballpark of 700-800 GeV and a neutralino LSP of mass around 400 GeV, with or without the additional presence of an intermediate chargino. In the second type of scenarios the stop, lightest chargino, sbottom if present, and the neutralino are about or heavier than ~650 GeV and the signal originates from cascade decays of squarks of the 1st and 2nd generation, which should have a mass of 1.1-1.2 TeV. For the best-fit scenarios, we compare the global chi-squared with respect to several ATLAS and CMS searches with the corresponding chi-squared of the Standard Model expectation, showing that the putative signal is also favored globally with respect to the background only hypothesis. We point out that if the observed excess persists in the next round of data, it should be accompanied by associated significant excesses in all-hadronic final state searches., Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures. Added recast of CMS 1-lepton search. Added global analysis of chi-squared contributions from all implemented searches. Added references. Matches published version

We explore the ability of the high luminosity LHC to test models which can explain the 750 GeV diphoton excess. We focus on a wide class of models where a 750 GeV singlet scalar couples to Standard Model gauge bosons and quarks, as well as dark matter. Including both gluon and photon fusion production mechanisms, we show that LHC searches in channels correlated with the diphoton signal will be able to probe wide classes of diphoton models with $\mathcal{L} \sim 3000\, \text{fb}^{-1}$ of data. Furthermore, models in which the scalar is a portal to the dark sector can be cornered with as little as $\mathcal{L} \sim 30\, \text{fb}^{-1}$., Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures

We examine the projected ability to reconstruct the mass, scattering, and annihilation cross section of dark matter in the new generation of large underground detectors, XENON-1T, SuperCDMS, and DarkSide-G2, in combination with diffuse gamma radiation from expected 15 years of data from Fermi-LAT observation of 46 local spiral dwarf galaxies and projected CTA sensitivity to a signal from the Galactic Center. To this end we consider several benchmark points spanning a wide range of WIMP mass, different annihilation final states, and large enough event rates to warrant detection in one or more experiments. As previously shown, below some 100 GeV only direct detection experiments will in principle be able to reconstruct the WIMP mass well. This may, in case a signal at Fermi-LAT is also detected, additionally help restricting \sigma v and the allowed decay branching rates. In the intermediate range between some 100 GeV and up a few hundred GeV, direct and indirect detection experiments can be used in complementarity to ameliorate the respective determinations, which in individual experiments can at best be rather poor, thus making the WIMP reconstruction in this mass range very challenging. At large WIMP mass, ~1 TeV, CTA will have the ability to reconstruct mass, annihilation cross section, and the allowed decay branching rates to very good precision for the $\tau^+\tau^-$ or purely leptonic final state, good for the $W^+W^-$ case, and rather poor for $b\bar{b}$. A substantial improvement can potentially be achieved by reducing the systematic uncertainties, increasing exposure, or by an additional measurement at Fermi-LAT that would help reconstruct the annihilation cross section and the allowed branching fractions to different final states., Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures. References added, minor corrections. Published version

We construct models of dark matter with suppressed spin-independent scattering cross section utilizing the existing simplified model framework. Even simple combinations of simplified models can exhibit interference effects that cause the tree level contribution to the scattering cross section to vanish, thus demonstrating that direct detection limits on simplified models are not robust when embedded in a more complicated and realistic framework. In general for fermionic WIMP masses >10 GeV direct detection limits on the spin-independent scattering cross section are much stronger than those coming from the LHC. However these model combinations, which we call less-simplified models, represent situations where LHC searches become more competitive than direct detection experiments even for moderate dark matter mass. We show that a complementary use of several searches at the LHC can strongly constrain the direct detection blind spots by setting limits on the coupling constants and mediators' mass. We derive the strongest limits for combinations of vector + scalar, vector + "squark", and "squark" + scalar mediator, and present the corresponding projections for the LHC 14 TeV for a number of searches: mono-jet, jets + missing energy, and searches for heavy vector resonances., Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures. Text matches published version. References added

We investigate a particular version of the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) NMSSM characterized by an economical and rigidly hierarchical flavor structure and based on flavored gauge mediation and on some considerations inspired by string theory GUTs. In this way we can express the Lagrangian of the PQ NMSSM through very few parameters. The obtained model is studied numerically and confronted with the most relevant phenomenological constraints. We show that typical spectra are for the most part too heavy to be significantly probed at the LHC, but regions of the parameter space exist yielding signatures that might possibly be observed during Run II. We also calculate the fine tuning of the model. We show that, in spite of the appearance of large scales in the superpotential and soft terms, it does not exceed the tuning present in the MSSM for equivalent spectra, which is of the order of 10^4., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures. Some clarifications added to the text, JHEP published version

Some doubts have been expressed about low energy supersymmetry (SUSY) following the first run of the LHC. In this talk I will try to present a more upbeat view based on data, rather than theoretical expectations. In particular, I will make the following points: (a) in my opinion the most attractive candidate for dark matter (DM) is now the lightest neutralino with mass around 1 TeV and with well defined properties (a nearly pure higgsino). This follows primarily from a combination of the properties of the discovered Higgs boson, in particular its mass close to 125 Gev, and the relic density of dark matter, and is most clearly visible in the context of unified, or constrained, SUSY frameworks, although the DM candidate is quite generic; (b) this DM candidate will be nearly fully tested in forthcoming one-tonne DM underground search detectors; (c) the CMSSM will be nearly fully tested in the next few years by a combination of expected data from LHC experiments and from direct DM searches, as well as potentially also by the Cherenkov Telescope Array; (d) if naturalness plays any real role in SUSY (which remains unclear), then the amount of fine tuning, which is very large in simple models like the CMSSM, can be significantly reduced (even down to 1 in 20) with properly selected boundary conditions at the unification scale; (e) the (g-2) muon anomaly can be accommodated not only in the context of the general MSSM but also of some unified SUSY models with some superpartners to be within reach of the LHC., Comment: Slightly extended version of a talk by LR given at Rencontre de Moriond QCD and High Energy Phenomena session. 5 pages