Speaker
Prof.
Brooks Thomas
(Reed College)
Description
Distinguishing between traditional dark-matter models and models with non-minimal dark sectors at hadron colliders is an endeavor which typically requires a detailed analysis of the distributions of relevant kinematic variables rather than simply an identification of an excess in event count. Distribution-based searches of this sort are particularly subtle because cuts imposed on one collider variable for the purposes of background reduction can distort the kinematic distributions of other collider variables with which the first variable is non-trivially correlated. Such distortions can obscure --- or in certain cases, actually enhance --- the distinctiveness of the resulting distributions. In this talk, discuss the prospects for distinguishing between traditional dark-matter models and models with non-minimal dark sectors at the LHC on the basis of events with two hadronic jets and substantial missing energy. I examine how cuts on one or more of the relevant collider variables in this channel affect the distributions of others and discuss strategies for optimizing our ability to distinguish between different models of the dark sector at the upgraded LHC.
Author
Prof.
Brooks Thomas
(Reed College)
Co-authors
Prof.
Keith Dienes
(University of Arizona)
Prof.
Shufang Su
(University of Arizona)
