It is shown that LHC data can allow one to decode the mechanism by which dark matter is generated in the early universe in supersymmetric theories. We focus on two of the major mechanisms for such generation of dark matter, which are known to be the stau coannihilation (stau co), where the neutralino is typically bino like and annihilation on the hyperbolic branch (HB), where the neutralino has a significant Higgsino component. An investigation of how one may discriminate between the stau-co region and the HB region using LHC data is given for the mSUGRA model. The analysis utilizes several signatures including multi leptons, hadronic jets, $b$ tagging, and missing transverse momentum. A study of the supersymmetry signatures reveals several correlated smoking gun signals allowing a clear discrimination between the stau-co and the HB regions where dark matter in the early universe can originate.

• Received 15 August 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.78.083523