Speaker
Description
We explore the physics potential of using precision timing information at the LHC in the search for long-lived particles (LLP). In comparison with the light Standard Model particle produced from the hard interactions, the decay products of massive LLPs arrives at detectors with sizable time delay. We propose new strategies to take advantage of this property, using the initial state radiation jet for timestamping the event and only requiring a single LLP to decay inside the detector. This search strategy can be effective to a broad range of models. In addition to outlining the general approach of using timing information, we demonstrate its effectiveness with the projected reach for two benchmark scenarios: Higgs decaying into a pair of LLPs, and pair production of long-lived neutralinos in the gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking scenario. Our strategy increases the sensitivity to the lifetime of the LLP by orders of magnitude and exhibits better behavior particularly in the large lifetime region compared to traditional LLP searches at colliders. The timing information greatly reduces the Standard Model background and therefore provides a powerful new dimension for LLP searches.