# Running on SUSY Les Houches Accord (SLHA) files¶

Rather than taking its parameters directly from param_file.dat, contur can run over all SUSY Les Houches Accord [83] files in a given directory. It uses the pyslha package [109] to read and write the SLHA files.

Scanning over a directory full of SLHA files

To tell it to do this, your param_file.dat should look like this:

#Based on configObj python template
[Run]
generator ='[path to my environment setup]setupEnv.sh'
contur ='[path to my contur directory]setupContur.sh'

[Parameters]
[[slha_file]]
mode = DIR
name = "/work/myslha/files"


where the SLHA files are all in the /work/myslha/files directory.

The LHC.in file then does not need to contain explicit parameter settings, but must have the lines:

# read model
# MSSM
cd /Herwig/NewPhysics

setup MSSM/Model {slha_file}


Scanning from a single template SLHA file

It is also possible (though not strictly correct) to do a scan based on a single SLHA file, scaling the parameters in the file by different values as the scan progresses.

To do this, place the SLHA file in your working directory, and set up the param_file.dat giving its name and the parameter blocks you wish to scale, as follows:

#Based on configObj python template
[Run]
generator ='[path to my environment setup]setupEnv.sh'
contur ='[path to my contur directory]setupContur.sh'

[Parameters]
[[slha_file]]
mode = SINGLE
name = RPV-UDD.slha
[[MASS]]
mode = LIN
start = 0.2
stop = 2.0
number = 10
[[RVLAMUDD]]
mode = LIN
start = 0.1
stop = 10.0
number = 10


As you can see, as well as the name of the base SLHA file, we give a range of values by which parameters in the file this will be scaled. The parameter name is the name of the block. All parameters in the block will be multiplied by the parameter values specific in the usual way. All the usual modes can be used.

The LHC.in still has to contain fields for all parameters, even though the SLHA block names are not directly used there and should be commented out, as follows:

setup MSSM/Model {slha_file}
# Changing MASS {MASS} and RPV UDD coupling {RVLAMUDD}


Making and plotting heatmaps with SLHA parameters

To make heatmaps and store parameters from the SLHA files, see the -S SLHA option, where SLHA is the name of the SLHA parameter block required (so far only tested with the MASS block). If the SLHA files are unevenly space, you may also wish to rebin the heatmap points using the -BW and -BO options.