Simple and statistically sound recommendations for analysing physical theories.

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.

Likelihood analysis of the pMSSM11 in light of LHC 13-TeV data.

We use MasterCode to perform a frequentist analysis of the constraints on a phenomenological MSSM model with 11 parameters, the pMSSM11, including constraints from /fb of LHC data at 13 TeV and PICO, XENON1T and PandaX-II searches for dark matter scattering, as well as previous accelerator and astrophysical measurements, presenting fits both with and without the constraint. The pMSSM11 is specified by the following parameters: 3 gaugino masses , a common mass for the first-and second-generation squarks and a distinct third-generation squark mass , a common mass for the first-and second-generation sleptons and a distinct third-generation slepton mass , a common trilinear mixing parameter , the Higgs mixing parameter , the pseudoscalar Higgs mass and . In the fit including , a Bino-like is preferred, whereas a Higgsino-like is mildly favoured when the constraint is dropped.

Likelihood analysis of the minimal AMSB model.

We perform a likelihood analysis of the minimal anomaly-mediated supersymmetry-breaking (mAMSB) model using constraints from cosmology and accelerator experiments. We find that either a wino-like or a Higgsino-like neutralino LSP, [Formula: see text], may provide the cold dark matter (DM), both with similar likelihoods. The upper limit on the DM density from Planck and other experiments enforces [Formula: see text] after the inclusion of Sommerfeld enhancement in its annihilations.

Likelihood analysis of supersymmetric SU(5) GUTs.

We perform a likelihood analysis of the constraints from accelerator experiments and astrophysical observations on supersymmetric (SUSY) models with SU(5) boundary conditions on soft SUSY-breaking parameters at the GUT scale. The parameter space of the models studied has seven parameters: a universal gaugino mass [Formula: see text], distinct masses for the scalar partners of matter fermions in five- and ten-dimensional representations of SU(5), [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and for the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] Higgs representations [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], a universal trilinear soft SUSY-breaking parameter [Formula: see text], and the ratio of Higgs vevs [Formula: see text]. In addition to previous constraints from direct sparticle searches, low-energy and flavour observables, we incorporate constraints based on preliminary results from 13 TeV LHC searches for jets + [Formula: see text] events and long-lived particles, as well as the latest PandaX-II and LUX searches for direct Dark Matter detection.

Renormalization scheme dependence of the two-loop QCD corrections to the neutral Higgs-boson masses in the MSSM.

Reaching a theoretical accuracy in the prediction of the lightest MSSM Higgs-boson mass, [Formula: see text], at the level of the current experimental precision requires the inclusion of momentum-dependent contributions at the two-loop level. Recently two groups presented the two-loop QCD momentum-dependent corrections to [Formula: see text] (Borowka et al., Eur Phys J C 74(8):2994, 2014; Degrassi et al.

The pMSSM10 after LHC run 1.

We present a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of the pMSSM10, in which the following ten soft SUSY-breaking parameters are specified independently at the mean scalar top mass scale [Formula: see text]: the gaugino masses [Formula: see text], the first-and second-generation squark masses [Formula: see text], the third-generation squark mass [Formula: see text], a common slepton mass [Formula: see text] and a common trilinear mixing parameter , as well as the Higgs mixing parameter [Formula: see text], the pseudoscalar Higgs mass [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the ratio of the two Higgs vacuum expectation values. We use the MultiNest sampling algorithm with [Formula: see text]1.2 [Formula: see text] points to sample the pMSSM10 parameter space.

Supersymmetric dark matter after LHC run 1.

Different mechanisms operate in various regions of the MSSM parameter space to bring the relic density of the lightest neutralino, [Formula: see text], assumed here to be the lightest SUSY particle (LSP) and thus the dark matter (DM) particle, into the range allowed by astrophysics and cosmology. These mechanisms include coannihilation with some nearly degenerate next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle such as the lighter stau [Formula: see text], stop [Formula: see text] or chargino [Formula: see text], resonant annihilation via direct-channel heavy Higgs bosons  / , the light Higgs boson or the boson, and enhanced annihilation via a larger Higgsino component of the LSP in the focus-point region. These mechanisms typically select lower-dimensional subspaces in MSSM scenarios such as the CMSSM, NUHM1, NUHM2, and pMSSM10.

High-precision predictions for the light CP-even Higgs boson mass of the minimal supersymmetric standard model.

For the interpretation of the signal discovered in the Higgs searches at the LHC it will be crucial in particular to discriminate between the minimal Higgs sector realized in the standard model (SM) and its most commonly studied extension, the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The measured mass value, having already reached the level of a precision observable with an experimental accuracy of about 500 MeV, plays an important role in this context. In the MSSM the mass of the light CP-even Higgs boson, Mh, can directly be predicted from the other parameters of the model.

The NUHM2 after LHC Run 1.

We make a frequentist analysis of the parameter space of the NUHM2, in which the soft supersymmetry (SUSY)-breaking contributions to the masses of the two Higgs multiplets, [Formula: see text], vary independently from the universal soft SUSY-breaking contributions [Formula: see text] to the masses of squarks and sleptons. Our analysis uses the MultiNest sampling algorithm with over [Formula: see text] points to sample the NUHM2 parameter space. It includes the ATLAS and CMS Higgs mass measurements as well as the ATLAS search for supersymmetric jets + [Formula: see text] signals using the full LHC Run 1 data, the measurements of [Formula: see text] by LHCb and CMS together with other B-physics observables, electroweak precision observables and the XENON100 and LUX searches for spin-independent dark-matter scattering.

The CMSSM and NUHM1 after LHC Run 1.

We analyze the impact of data from the full Run 1 of the LHC at 7 and 8 TeV on the CMSSM with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and the NUHM1 with [Formula: see text], incorporating the constraints imposed by other experiments such as precision electroweak measurements, flavour measurements, the cosmological density of cold dark matter and the direct search for the scattering of dark matter particles in the LUX experiment. We use the following results from the LHC experiments: ATLAS searches for events with [Formula: see text] accompanied by jets with the full 7 and 8 TeV data, the ATLAS and CMS measurements of the mass of the Higgs boson, the CMS searches for heavy neutral Higgs bosons and a combination of the LHCb and CMS measurements of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Our results are based on samplings of the parameter spaces of the CMSSM for both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and of the NUHM1 for [Formula: see text] with 6.

Implications of improved Higgs mass calculations for supersymmetric models.

We discuss the allowed parameter spaces of supersymmetric scenarios in light of improved Higgs mass predictions provided by FeynHiggs 2.10.0.

Do electroweak precision data and Higgs-mass constraints rule out a scalar bottom quark with mass of order 5 GeV?

We study the implications of a scalar bottom quark, with a mass of O (5 GeV), within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. Light sbottoms may naturally appear for large tan(beta) and, depending on the decay modes, may have escaped experimental detection. We show that a light sbottom cannot be ruled out by electroweak precision data and the bound on the lightest CP-even Higgs-boson mass.