Searches for Long-lived particles with the ATLAS experiment (1112.0081v1)

Abstract: The discovery of a new type of a heavy long-lived particle (LLP) would be of fundamental significance due to their existence in many beyond the Standard Model scenarios. LLPs are anticipated in a wide range of physics models which extend the Standard Model, such as Supersymmetry and Universal Extra Dimensions. Since LLPs produced in 7 TeV pp collisions at the CERN LHC can be slow (beta << 1) and penetrating, time-of-flight and anomalous dE/dx energy loss measurements are promising ways to search for LLPs. In some cases these heavy objects may lose all of their energy and come to rest within the densest parts of the detector volume, decaying later, potentially out-of-time with collisions from the LHC. We present searches for LLPs using the ATLAS experiment, describing the techniques used and the results achieved to date.