Supersymmetry is a possible extension to the Standard Model of Particle Physics that proposes particles in addition to the known, Standard Model particles. Supersymmetry is particularly interesting because it offers a potential WIMP candidate, meaning that it could explain the identity of dark matter. There are other justifications for supersymmetry, but its largest implication for astrophysics would be dark matter.
According to the article, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is about to investigate the remaining scenarios of ‘natural supersymmetry.’ There are many, many possible scenarios of supersymmetry, but it appears that these ‘natural’ versions are the nicest. They have the potential to answer questions like “Are all of the forces we know are just parts of a single unified force?” or “How is the Higgs boson so light?”, in addition to the question about dark matter’s identity. In these natural manifestations, he lightest supersymmetric particle (or sparticle) could be the dark matter particle.
From 2010 to 2013, the LHC looked at some of the simplest versions of natural supersymmetry, but the article notes that millions of possible models exist that are still consistent with natural supersymmetry. While supersymmetry is very complicated, with over 100 free parameters, it looks like the Large Hadron Collider could bring us closer to finding the identity of dark matter within the next few years.
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