Is the light neutralino thermal dark matter in the pMSSM ruled out?

Abstract

We explore the parameter space of the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (pMSSM) with a light neutralino thermal dark matter ($m_{\tilde{\chi}_1^0} \leq m_h/2$) that is consistent with current collider and astrophysical constraints. We consider both positive and negative values of the higgsino mass parameter ($\mu$). Our investigation shows that the recent experimental results from the LHC as well as from direct detection searches for dark matter by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) collaboration rule out the $Z$-funnel region for the $\mu>0$ scenario. The same results severely restrict the $h$-funnel region for positive $\mu$, however, the allowed points can be probed easily with few more days of data from the LZ experiment. In the $\mu<0$ scenario, we find that very light higgsinos in both the $Z$ and $h$ funnels might survive the present constraints from the electroweakino searches at the LHC, and dedicated efforts from experimental collaborations are necessary to make conclusive statements about their present status.