Supersymmetry and Dark Matter: From the Weak Scale to the Planck Scale

While supersymmetry remains an interesting and important extension of the Standard Model of particle interactions, it experimental verification remains elusive. There are many motivations for supersymmetry, many of which center on the notion of Grand Unification. However, motivations for supersymmetry do not necessarily point to weak scale supersymmetry. I will review the prospects for weak scale supersymmetry concentrating on the opportunity for the discovery of supersymmetric dark matter. I will also look at the possibility of that the scale of supersymmetry is much higher (above the inflationary scale) and perhaps as high as the Planck scale.

Speaker: Keith Olive, University of Minnesota