Are Neutralinos Considered Composite in Supersymmetric Models?

In summary, in supersymmetric extensions of the standard model, the neutralinos and charginos are often included as popular candidates for dark matter. While they are linear combinations of supersymmetric bosinos, they are not considered composite particles like mesons or baryons. This can be seen in other cases such as flavour eigenstate neutrinos and the photon.
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Harry235435
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In supersymmetric extensions of the standard model, the neutralinos and charginos (popular candidates for dark matter) are often included. However, it is known that these fermionic particles are linear combinations of supersymmetric bosinos (such as gauginos and higgsinos). Therefore, it seems to me that these are composite particles, however many sources include them in extended standard models. So are they elementary (if so, why) or composite like a meson or baryon?
 
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No, they are not composite. Being a linear combination of other states is not the same thing as being a composite state.

In comparison, flavour eigenstate neutrinos are linear combinations of the neutrino mass eigenstates and the photon is a linear combination of the hypercharge boson and the weak W3 boson. This does not make them composite particles. Mesons and baryons on the other hand are composed states that include several quarks.
 
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1. What are neutralinos?

Neutralinos are hypothetical particles predicted by certain theories in particle physics, such as supersymmetry. They are believed to be the lightest stable particles and are thought to be electrically neutral and weakly interacting.

2. Are neutralinos composite particles?

This is still a topic of ongoing research and debate. Some theories suggest that neutralinos are composite particles, meaning they are made up of smaller particles, while others propose that they are fundamental particles, meaning they cannot be broken down into smaller components.

3. How are neutralinos different from other particles?

Neutralinos are different from other particles in several ways. They are predicted to be the lightest supersymmetric particles and have no electric charge. They also have a very weak interaction with other particles, making them difficult to detect.

4. What are the implications if neutralinos are found to be composite?

If neutralinos are found to be composite particles, it would have significant implications for our understanding of particle physics and the fundamental building blocks of the universe. It could also provide evidence for new theories beyond the Standard Model.

5. How are scientists trying to detect neutralinos?

Scientists are using various methods to try and detect neutralinos, including experiments at particle accelerators, indirect searches through astrophysical observations, and direct detection experiments using sensitive detectors. However, as neutralinos are predicted to have a very weak interaction, detecting them has proven to be a major challenge.

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