Search for Higgsinos in the Final State of bb𝛾𝛾 Plus Missing Transverse Energy at the CMS Experiment

This study presents a search for the electroweak production of higgsinos, the supersymmetric partners of the Higgs boson, using data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The analysis focuses on scenarios where higgsinos decay into final states containing two Higgs bosons, one of them decaying into a pair of b quarks and other one into a pair of photons, along with the two gravitinos. While the gravitinos would not be directly detected, their presence could be inferred from momentum imbalance perpendicular to the beam direction. This search extends further into the low-mass higgsino region, which is crucial for exploring scenarios where supersymmetry (SUSY) offers a natural solution to the gauge hierarchy problem. Significantly improving upon the previous search conducted with partial Run 2 data, this analysis combines the full Run 2 data set with Run 3 data from 2022 and 2023. The study benefits from higher cross sections and improved b-tagging techniques in Run 3, providing enhanced sensitivity beyond the increased luminosity. Dedicated search strategies, optimized for this specific final state, have been designed. A range of variables have been explored, with several identified as providing strong discrimination power against background processes. Expected limits are also presented for two simplified SUSY models.