Collider Signatures of Axino and Gravitino Dark Matter

Abstract

The axino and the gravitino are extremely weakly interacting candidates for the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). We demonstrate that either of them could provide the right amount of cold dark matter. Assuming that a charged slepton is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP), we discuss how NLSP decays into the axino/gravitino LSP can provide evidence for axino/gravitino dark matter at future colliders. We show that these NLSP decays will allow us to estimate the value of the Peccei-Quinn scale and the axino mass if the axino is the LSP. In the case of the gravitino LSP, we illustrate that the gravitino mass can be determined. This is crucial for insights into the mechanism of supersymmetry breaking and can lead to a microscopic measurement of the Planck scale.