Finite Unified Theories and the Higgs mass prediction

Finite Unified Theories (FUTs) are N=1 supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories, which can be made all-loop finite, both in the dimensionless (gauge and Yukawa couplings) and dimensionful (soft supersymmetry breaking terms) sectors. This remarkable property provides a drastic reduction in the number of free parameters, which in turn leads to an accurate prediction of the top quark mass in the dimensionless sector, and predictions for the Higgs boson mass and the supersymmetric spectrum in the dimensionful sector. Here we examine the predictions of two FUTs taking into account a number of theoretical and experimental constraints. For the first one we present the results of a detailed scanning concerning the Higgs mass prediction, while for the second we present a representative prediction of its spectrum.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Direct Chargino-Neutralino Production at the LHC: Interpreting the Exclusion Limits in the Complex MSSM

We re-assess the exclusion limits on the parameters describing the supersymmetric (SUSY) electroweak sector of the MSSM obtained from the search for direct chargino-neutralino production at the LHC. We start from published limits obtained in simplified models, where for the case of heavy sleptons the relevant branching ratio, BR(neu2->neu1 Z), is set to one. We show how the decay mode neu2->neu1 h, which cannot be neglected in any realistic model once kinematically allowed, substantially reduces the excluded parameter region. We analyze the dependence of the excluded regions on the phase of the gaugino soft SUSY-breaking mass parameter, M_1, on the mass of the light scalar tau, on tb as well as on the squark and slepton mass scales. Large reductions in the ranges of parameters excluded can be observed in all scenarios. The branching ratios of charginos and neutralinos are evaluated using a full NLO calculation for the complex MSSM. The size of the effects of the NLO calculation on the exclusion bounds is investigated. We furthermore assess the potential reach of the experimental analyses after collecting 100/fb at the LHC running at 13 TeV.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures. Minor changes, matches published versio

The Higgs Boson Production Cross Section as a Precision Observable?

We investigate what can be learned at a linear collider about the sector of electroweak symmetry breaking from a precise measurement of the Higgs boson production cross section through the process e+e- -> hZ. We focus on deviations from the Standard Model arising in its minimal supersymmetric extension. The analysis is performed within two realistic future scenarios, taking into account all prospective experimental errors on supersymmetric particle masses as well as uncertainties from unknown higher order corrections. We find that information on tan beta and M_A could be obtained from a cross section measurement with a precision of 0.5 - 1 %. Alternatively, information could be obtained on the gaugino mass parameters M_2 and mu if they are relatively small, M_2, mu approximately 200 GeV.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Discussion on experimental errors enlarged, references added and updated. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Z Pole Observables in the MSSM

We present the currently most accurate prediction of Z pole observables such as sin^2 theta_eff, Gamma_Z, R_b, R_l, and sigma^0_had in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We take into account the complete one-loop results including the full complex phase dependence, all available MSSM two-loop corrections as well as the full SM results. We furthermore include higher-order corrections in the MSSM Higgs boson sector, entering via virtual Higgs boson contributions. For Gamma(Z -> neutralino{1} neutralino{1}) we present a full one-loop calculation. We analyse the impact of the different sectors of the MSSM with particular emphasis on the effects of the complex phases. The predictions for the Z boson observables and M_W are compared with the current experimental values. Furthermore we provide an estimate of the remaining higher-order uncertainties in the prediction of sin^2 theta_eff.Comment: 53 pages, 20 figures, journal versio

The Road Towards the ILC: Higgs, Top/QCD, Loops

The International Linear e+e- Collider (ILC) could go into operation in the second half of the upcoming decade. Experimental analyses and theory calculations for the physics at the ILC are currently performed. We review recent progress, as presented at the LCWS06 in Bangalore, India, in the fields of Higgs boson physics and top/QCD. Also the area of loop calculations, necessary to achieve the required theory precision, is included.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. Plenary talk given at the LCWS06 March 2006, Bangalore, India. Top part slightly enlarged, references adde

Upper limit on mh in the MSSM and M-SUGRA vs. prospective reach of LEP

The upper limit on the lightest CP-even Higgs boson mass, mh, is analyzed within the MSSM as a function of tan(beta) for fixed mtop and Msusy. The impact of recent diagrammatic two-loop results on this limit is investigated. We compare the MSSM theoretical upper bound on mh with the lower bound obtained from experimental searches at LEP. We estimate that with the LEP data taken until the end of 1999, the region mh < 108.2 GeV can be excluded at the 95% confidence level. This corresponds to an excluded region 0.6 <= tan(beta) <= 1.9 within the MSSM for mtop = 174.3 GeV and Msusy <= 1 TeV. The final exclusion sensitivity after the end of LEP, in the year 2000, is also briefly discussed. Finally, we determine the upper limit on mh within the Minimal Supergravity (M-SUGRA) scenario up to the two-loop level, consistent with radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. We find an upper bound of mh \approx 127 GeV for mtop = 174.3 GeV in this scenario, which is slightly below the bound in the unconstrained MSSM.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Do electroweak precision data and Higgs-mass constraints rule out a scalar bottom quark with mass of O(5 GeV)?

We investigate the phenomenological implications of a light scalar bottom quark, with a mass of about the bottom quark mass, within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. The study of such a scenario is of theoretical interest, since, depending on their production and decay modes, light sbottoms may have escaped experimental detection up to now and, in addition, may naturally appear for large values of \tan\beta. In this article we show that such a light sbottom cannot be ruled out by the constraints from the electroweak precision data and the present bound on the lightest CP-even Higgs boson mass at LEP. It is inferred that a light sbottom scenario requires in general a relatively light scalar top quark whose mass is typically about the top-quark mass. It is also shown that under these conditions the lightest CP-even Higgs boson decays predominantly into scalar bottom quarks in most of the parameter space and that its mass is restricted to m_h ~< 123 GeV.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, LateX. Discussion about fine tuning and low-energy experiments enlarged. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Detection of the neutral MSSM Higgs bosons in the intense-coupling regime at the LHC

We analyse the prospects to detect at the LHC the neutral Higgs particles of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, when the masses of the two CP-even $h,H$ and of the CP-odd $A$ boson are close to one another, and the value of \tb is large. In this "intense-coupling regime", the Higgs bosons have strongly enhanced couplings to isospin down-type fermions and large total decay widths, so that the $\gamma \gamma, WW^*$ and $ZZ^*$ decay modes of the three Higgs bosons are strongly suppressed. We advocate the use of the decays into muon pairs, $h,H,A \to \mu^+ \mu^-$, to resolve the three Higgs boson peaks: although the branching ratios are small, ${\cal O}(10^{4})$, the resolution on muons is good enough to allow for their detection, if the mass splitting is large enough. Using an event generator analysis and a fast detector simulation, we show that only the process $pp \to b\bar{b} \mu^+ \mu^-$, when at least one of the $b$-quarks is detected, is viable.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 6 figure