Exploration of elastic scattering rates for supersymmetric dark matter

Abstract

We explore the possible cross sections for the elastic scattering of neutralinos on nucleons p,n in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model ͑MSSM͒. Universality of the soft supersymmetrybreaking scalar masses for the Higgs multiplets is not assumed, but the MSSM parameters are nevertheless required to lead consistently to an electroweak vacuum. We explore systematically the region of MSSM parameter space where CERN LEP and other accelerator constraints are respected, and the relic neutralino density lies in the range 0.1р⍀ h 2 р0.3 preferred by cosmology. We also discuss models with ⍀ h 2 Ͻ0.1, in which case we scale the density of supersymmetric dark matter in our galactic halo by ⍀ h 2 /0.1, allowing for the possible existence of some complementary form of cold dark matter. We restrict our attention to tan␤ р10, for which reliable relic-density calculations are available. Within this range of tan␤, we find values of the cross sections that are considerably lower than the present experimental sensitivities. At low neutralino masses, m Շ100 GeV, the cross sections may be somewhat higher than in the constrained MSSM with universal soft Higgs boson masses, though they are generally lower. In the case of large m , the cross sections we find may be considerably larger than in the constrained model, but still well below the present experimental sensitivity.

Upper and Lower Limits on Neutralino WIMP Mass and Spin–Independent Scattering Cross Section, and Impact of New (g−2)μMeasurement

“…We focus here on the SI cross section case. Other recent studies of the general MSSM include [20,21,22]. The results presented here show that the level of experimental sensitivity that has recently been reached [3,4,5] has now indeed allowed one to start exploring cosmologically favored ranges of the neutralino WIMP mass and SI cross section.…”

Untitled

“…In the MSSM, in addition to scanning over the gaugino and sfermion masses at fixed tan β, one can treat µ and the pseudoscalar mass m A as free parameters as well. In (Ellis, Ferstl, & Olive, 2001), we performed a scan over the following parameter space: 0 < m 0 < 1000; 80 < |µ| < 2000; 80 < M 2 < 1000; 0 < m A < 1000; −1000 < A < 1000. Of the 90,000 (70,000) points scanned for tan β = 10 and µ > 0 (µ < 0), only 6208 (4772) survived all of the experimental and cosmological constraints.…”

Probing the supersymmetric parameter space by weakly interacting massive particle direct detection

“…Deviations from universality in the Higgs masses have recently been considered also in Ref. [15]. Further extensions of deviations from universality in SUGRA models which include squark and/or gaugino masses are discussed, for instance, in [13,29].…”