All discussions have been summarised in a workshop summary report: arXiv:2311.16330
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of search programmes exploring the possiblity of a "dark sector" beyond the Standard Model (BSM) using LHC data. To date, dark-matter searches at the LHC have usually focused on WIMPs, but since the standard signatures have found no compelling evidence, several recent phenomenology papers have explored the possibility of accessing the dark sector with unique collider topologies. If dark mesons exist, their evolution and hadronization procedure are currently little constrained. They could decay promptly and result in a very Standard Model (SM) QCD-like jet structure, even though the original decaying particles are dark-sector ones; they could behave as semi-visible jets; or they could behave as completely detector-stable hadrons, in which case the final state is just the missing transverse momentum. Furthermore, depending on whether the dark hadrons decay promptly or not, emerging jet signatures can also arise.
Owing to the associated experimental challenges, these classes of models are still under developed and mildly explored. Recent developments in reconstruction and identification techniques have made it possible to probe such models at the Large Hadron Collider, and the first limits on some of these signatures are public from both ATLAS and CMS. However, there's still a lot of ground left to cover, in terms of shower/hadronisation approach, and benchmarking the models for future iterations of the searches as we step into an era of unprecedented data, with LHC Run-3 well underway.
This workshop aims to foster collaboration between the experimental and theory community dedicated towards developing and understanding the strongly interacting dark sector. The workshop will feature talks from the leading experts in the field, and extensive discussion sessions, to understand the current status of the dark showering module within Monte Carlo generators like Pythia and Herwig, as well as establishing a set of realistic benchmark models that will drive future search strategies.
The following Zoom room will be used for all days and all sessions: https://zoom.us/j/97148725055?pwd=ckYyWFByVkNiSWlzajlMV3Y5V2ozQT09
