# Search for bottom squarks in 𝑝⁢𝑝̄ collisions at √𝑠=1.8 TeV

## Abstract

We report on a search for bottom squarks ($`\stackrel{~}{b}`$) produced in $`p\overline{p}`$ collisions at $`\sqrt{s}=1.8`$ TeV using the DØ detector at Fermilab. Bottom squarks are assumed to be produced in pairs and to decay to the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and a $`b`$ quark with a branching fraction of 100%. The LSP is assumed to be the lightest neutralino and stable. We set limits on the production cross section as a function of $`\stackrel{~}{b}`$ mass and LSP mass.

preprint: FNAL-PUB-99-046-E  

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a hypothetical fundamental space-time symmetry relating bosons and fermions . Supersymmetric extensions to the standard model (SM) feature as yet undiscovered supersymmetric partners for every SM particle. The scalar quarks (squarks) $`\stackrel{~}{q}_L`$ and $`\stackrel{~}{q}_R`$ are the partners of the left-handed and right-handed quarks, respectively. These are weak eigenstates, and can mix to form the mass eigenstates, with $`\stackrel{~}{q}_1=\stackrel{~}{q}_L`$cos$`\theta +\stackrel{~}{q}_R`$sin$`\theta `$ for the lighter squark, and the orthogonal combination for the heavier squark $`\stackrel{~}{q}_2`$. In most SUSY models, the masses of the squarks are approximately degenerate. But in some models, the lighter top and bottom squarks could have a lower mass than the other squarks because of the high mass values of the top and bottom quarks. In particular, lighter bottom squarks could arise for large values of tan$`\beta `$, the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs fields in the minimal supersymmetric standard model.

We report the results of a mixing-independent search for bottom squarks produced in $`p\overline{p}`$ collisions at $`\sqrt{s}=1.8`$ TeV. Squarks are produced in pairs by QCD processes with the production cross section depending on the mass of the squark but not on the mixing angle $`\theta `$. We search for events where both squarks decay to the lightest neutralino $`\stackrel{~}{\chi }_1^0`$ via $`\stackrel{~}{b}\stackrel{~}{\chi }_1^0+b`$ and assume that the $`\stackrel{~}{\chi }_1^0`$ is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and stable. This should be the dominant decay channel provided that the mass of the squark ($`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$) is larger than the combined masses of the $`b`$ quark and LSP ($`m_{\text{LSP}}`$); therefore we assume its branching fraction is 100%. This yields a final state consisting of two $`b`$ quarks and two unobserved stable particles resulting in missing transverse energy ($`E\text{/}_T`$) in the detector. In this paper, we give limits on the squark pair production cross section for different values of $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ and $`m_{\text{LSP}}`$. Limits on the cross section are used to exclude a region in the ($`m_{\text{LSP}}`$, $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$) plane. Limits  from the CERN $`e^+e^{}`$ collider (LEP) experiments depend on the $`Z/\gamma `$-to-squark coupling, which is a function of the mixing angle. For maximal coupling, the LEP exclusion region can extend to the kinematic maximum; for example, to about 85 GeV/$`c^2`$ at $`\sqrt{s}=183`$ GeV.

The data used for our analysis were collected during 1992–1996 by the DØ detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The DØ detector is composed of three major systems: an inner detector for tracking charged particles, a uranium/liquid argon calorimeter for measuring electromagnetic and hadronic energies, and a muon spectrometer consisting of a magnetized iron toroid and three layers of drift tubes. The detector measures jets with an energy resolution of approximately $`\sigma /E=0.8/\sqrt{E}`$ ($`E`$ in GeV) and muons with a momentum resolution of $`\sigma /p=[(\frac{0.18(p2)}{p})^2+(0.003p)^2]^{1/2}`$ ($`p`$ in GeV$`/c`$). $`E\text{/}_T`$ is determined by summing the calorimeter and muon transverse energies, and is measured with a resolution of $`\sigma `$ = 1.08 GeV + 0.019$`(\mathrm{\Sigma }|E_T|)`$ .

Four channels are combined to set limits on the production of bottom squarks. The first required a $`E\text{/}_T`$ and jets topology. This channel was previously used to set limits on the mass of the top squark, which was assumed to decay $`\stackrel{~}{t}\stackrel{~}{\chi }_1^0+c`$ . The other three channels in addition required that at least one jet has an associated muon, thereby tagging $`b`$ quark decay, and were used to set limits on a charge 1/3 third generation leptoquark for the decay $`LQ\nu _\tau +b`$ . We use identical data samples and event selections for the bottom squark limits presented in this paper. For all channels, the presence of significant $`E\text{/}_T`$ is used to identify the non-interacting LSPs. Figure 1 shows the expected $`E\text{/}_T`$ distribution for two values of $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ and different $`m_{\text{LSP}}`$ . Our requirement that $`E\text{/}_T`$$`>3540`$ GeV reduces the acceptance for small values of the mass difference $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$$`m_{\text{LSP}}`$. Backgrounds arise from events where neutrinos produce significant $`E\text{/}_T`$; for example, in $`W`$+jets events, where $`Wl\nu `$.

Events for the $`E\text{/}_T`$+jets channel were collected using a trigger that required $`E\text{/}_T`$$`>35`$ GeV. The offline analysis required two jets ($`E_T^{\mathrm{jet}}>30`$ GeV), $`E\text{/}_T`$$`>40`$ GeV, and no isolated electrons or muons. Events had to have only one primary vertex to assure an unambiguous calculation of $`E\text{/}_T`$. To eliminate QCD backgrounds, additional cuts were made on the angles between the two jets, and between jets and the direction of the $`E\text{/}_T`$. Data with an integrated luminosity of 7.4 pb<sup>-1</sup>, satisfying the above selection criteria, yielded three candidate events. Background was estimated to be $`3.5\pm 1.2`$ events, with $`3.0\pm 0.9`$ events from $`W`$ boson decays and $`0.5\pm 0.3`$ events from $`Z`$ boson decays .

The trigger for the muon channels required either two low-$`p_T`$ muons ($`p_T^\mu >3.0`$ GeV/$`c`$), or a single low-$`p_T`$ muon and a jet with $`E_T>10`$ GeV, or a high-$`p_T`$ muon ($`p_T^\mu >15`$ GeV/$`c`$) and a jet with $`E_T>15`$ GeV. Integrated luminosities of 60.1 pb<sup>-1</sup>, 19.5 pb<sup>-1</sup>, and 92.4 pb<sup>-1</sup> respectively were collected using the three muon triggers. The offline analysis used muons in the pseudorapidity range $`|\eta _\mu |`$ $`<`$ 1.0 and $`p_T^\mu >3.5`$ GeV/$`c`$, while jets were required to have $`E_T>10`$ GeV. For events with two muons, each muon had to be associated with its own jet. In single muon events, the muon was required to be associated with a jet, and an additional jet with $`E_T>25`$ GeV was also required. To remove QCD backgrounds, events were selected with $`E\text{/}_T`$ $`>35`$ GeV and an azimuthal angular separation between the $`E\text{/}_T`$ and the nearest jet of $`>0.7`$ radians. For the single muon channels, backgrounds from $`W`$ boson decays were reduced by cuts on muon-jet correlations, while background from top quark production was minimized by cuts on the scalar sum of jet $`E_T`$. After imposition of all selection criteria, two events remained in the data.

We considered background contributions to the muon channels from $`t\overline{t}`$ and $`W`$ and $`Z`$ boson decays . Top quark events have multiple $`b`$ quarks and $`E\text{/}_T`$, and we estimated that $`1.4\pm 0.5`$ $`t\overline{t}`$ events remained in our sample. $`W`$ and $`Z`$ events have $`E\text{/}_T`$ from $`Wl\nu `$ or $`Z\nu \overline{\nu }`$. They can also have muons near jets that can mimic $`b`$ quark decays when a prompt muon overlaps a jet, or a jet fragments into a muon via a $`c`$ quark or a $`\pi /K`$ decay. We estimated there were $`1.0\pm 0.4`$ $`W`$ boson events and $`0.1\pm 0.1`$ $`Z`$ boson events in the sample. The total background for the muon channels was therefore $`2.5\pm 0.6`$ events.

Combining the four channels yields five events, with a total estimated background of $`6.0\pm 1.3`$ events. We set limits on the cross section by combining the detection efficiencies and integrated luminosities for the different channels. We calculate the detection efficiency using Monte Carlo (MC) generated acceptances , multiplied by trigger and reconstruction efficiencies obtained from data . The total efficiencies for different squark and neutralino masses are summarized in Table I. Using a muon to tag $`b`$ quark decays reduces the efficiency for those channels, but their higher integrated luminosities yield a sensitivity comparable to that of the $`E\text{/}_T`$+jets channel. Including systematic errors and statistics for the MC, the total uncertainty on the combined efficiency varies between 8.6% and 29%, depending on the assumed masses. The jet energy scale dominates the systematic error for $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ = 70 GeV/$`c^2`$, while uncertainties on the muon trigger and reconstruction efficiency dominate at higher squark masses. The 95% confidence level (C.L.) upper limits on the pair production cross section are determined using Bayesian methods, and include the systematic uncertainty on the efficiency and a 5.3% uncertainty in the integrated luminosity. The resulting upper limits are given in Table I for different values of $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ and $`m_{\text{LSP}}`$.

We use the program prospino  to calculate the bottom squark pair production cross section as a function of $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$. The cross section is evaluated assuming a renormalization scale $`\mu =m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$. The program includes next-to-leading order diagrams, and uses cteq4m parton distribution functions . For any given $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$, we determine the value of $`m_{\text{LSP}}`$ where our 95% C.L. limit intersects the theoretical cross section. The excluded region in the ($`m_{\text{LSP}}`$,$`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$) plane is shown in Fig. 2. We exclude values of $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ below 115 GeV/$`c^2`$ for $`m_{\text{LSP}}<20`$ GeV/$`c^2`$. For $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ = 85 GeV/$`c^2`$, we exclude the region with $`m_{\text{LSP}}<47`$ GeV/$`c^2`$. Also shown are limits  from ALEPH for $`\sqrt{s}=181184`$ GeV. For most allowable values of $`m_{\text{LSP}}`$, they exclude the region with $`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$ $`<83`$ GeV/$`c^2`$, assuming maximal coupling ($`\theta =0^o`$) .

In conclusion, we observe five candidate events consistent with the final state $`b\overline{b}+`$$`E\text{/}_T`$. We estimate that $`6.0\pm 1.3`$ events are expected from $`t\overline{t}`$ and $`W`$ and $`Z`$ boson production, and find no excess of events that can be attributed to bottom squark production. We interpret our result as an excluded region in the ($`m_{\text{LSP}}`$,$`m_{\stackrel{~}{b}}`$) plane. This result is independent of the mixing between $`\stackrel{~}{b}_L`$ and $`\stackrel{~}{b}_R`$.

We thank S.P. Martin and M. Spira for their assistance. We thank the Fermilab and collaborating institution staffs for contributions to this work and acknowledge support from the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation (USA), Commissariat à L’Energie Atomique (France), Ministry for Science and Technology and Ministry for Atomic Energy (Russia), CAPES and CNPq (Brazil), Departments of Atomic Energy and Science and Education (India), Colciencias (Colombia), CONACyT (Mexico), Ministry of Education and KOSEF (Korea), and CONICET and UBACyT (Argentina).