The Electroweak Phase Transition in Minimal Supergravity Models

We have explored the electroweak phase transition in minimal supergravity models by extending previous analysis of the one-loop Higgs potential to include finite temperature effects. Minimal supergravity is characterized by two higgs doublets at the electroweak scale, gauge coupling unification, and universal soft-SUSY breaking at the unification scale. We have searched for the allowed parameter space that avoids washout of baryon number via unsuppressed anomalous Electroweak sphaleron processes after the phase transition. This requirement imposes strong constraints on the Higgs sector. With respect to weak scale baryogenesis, we find that the generic MSSM is {\it not} phenomenologically acceptable, and show that the additional experimental and consistency constraints of minimal supergravity restricts the mass of the lightest CP-even Higgs even further to m_h\lsim 32\GeV (at one loop), also in conflict with experiment. Thus, if supergravity is to allow for baryogenesis via any other mechanism above the weak scale, it {\it must} also provide for B-L production (or some other `accidentally' conserved quantity) above the electroweak scale. Finally, we suggest that the no-scale flipped $SU(5)$ supergravity model can naturally and economically provide a source of B-L violation and realistically account for the observed ratio $n_B/n_\gamma\sim 10^{-10}$.Comment: 14 pages (not including two postscript figures available upon request

Constraints on the Universal Varying Yukawa Couplings: from SM-like to Fermiophobic

Varying the Standard Model (SM) fermion Yukawa couplings universally by a generic positive scale factor ($F_{Yu}$), we study the phenomenological fit to the current available experimental results for the Higgs boson search at hadron colliders. We point out that the Higgs production cross section and its decay branching ratio to $\gamma\gamma$ can be varied oppositely by $F_{Yu}$ to make their product almost invariant. Thus, our scenario and the SM Higgs are indistinguishable in the inclusive $H\to \gamma\gamma$ channel. The current measurements on direct Yukawa coupling strength in the $H\to b\bar{b}/\tau\tau$ channel are not precise enough to fix the scale factor $F_{Yu}$. The most promising is the vector-boson-fusion channel in which the CMS has already observed possible suppression effect on the Yukawa couplings. Further more, the global $\chi^2$ fit of the experimental data can get the optimal value by introducing a suppression factor $F_{Yu}\sim1/2$ on the SM Yukawa couplings.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables, update analysis is supplemente

Searching for a light Fermiophobic Higgs Boson at the Tevatron

We propose new production mechanisms for light fermiophobic Higgs bosons ($h_f$) with suppressed couplings to vector bosons ($V$) at the Fermilab Tevatron. These mechanisms (e.g. $qq'\to H^\pm h_f$) are complementary to the conventional process $qq'\to Vh_f$, which suffers from a strong suppression of $1/\tan^2\beta$ in realistic models with a $h_f$. The new mechanisms extend the coverage at the Tevatron Run II to the larger $\tan\beta$ region, and offer the possibility of observing new event topologies with up to 4 photons.Comment: 15 pages, including 5 eps-figure

CP--odd Correlation in the Decay of Neutral Higgs Boson into ZZZZ, W+W−W^+W^-, or ttˉt{\bar t}

We investigate the possibility of detecting CP--odd angular correlations in the various decay modes of the neutral Higgs boson including the modes of a $ZZ$ pair, a $W^+W^-$ pair, or a heavy quark pair. It is a natural way to probe the CP character of the Higgs boson once it is identified. Final state interactions (i.e. the absorptive decay amplitude) is not required in such correlations. As an illustrative example we take the fundamental source of the CP nonconservation to be in the Yukawa couplings of the Higgs boson to the heavy fermions. A similar correlation in the process $e^+e^- \to l^+ l^- H$ is also proposed. Our analysis of these correlations will be useful for experiments in future colliders such as LEP II, SSC, LHC or NLC.Comment: 16 pages, plus 8 postscript graphs not posted befor

Proton Decay and Cosmology Strongly Constrain the Minimal SU(5) Supergravity Model

We present the results of an extensive exploration of the five-dimensional parameter space of the minimal $SU(5)$ supergravity model, including the constraints of a long enough proton lifetime (\tau_p>1\times10^{32}\y) and a small enough neutralino cosmological relic density ($\Omega_\chi h^2_0\le1$). We find that the combined effect of these two constraints is quite severe, although still leaving a small region of parameter space with m_{\tilde g,\tilde q}<1\TeV. The allowed values of the proton lifetime extend up to \tau_p\approx1\times10^{33}\y and should be fully explored by the SuperKamiokande experiment. The proton lifetime cut also entails the following mass correlations and bounds: m_h\lsim100\GeV, m_\chi\approx{1\over2}m_{\chi^0_2}\approx0.15\gluino, $m_{\chi^0_2}\approx m_{\chi^+_1}$, and m_\chi<85\,(115)\GeV, m_{\chi^0_2,\chi^+_1}<165\,(225)\GeV for $\alpha_3=0.113\,(0.120)$. Finally, the {\it combined} proton decay and cosmology constraints predict that if m_h\gsim75\,(80)\GeV then m_{\chi^+_1}\lsim90\,(110)\GeV for $\alpha_3=0.113\,(0.120)$. Thus, if this model is correct, at least one of these particles will likely be observed at LEPII.Comment: 11 pages plus 5 figures (not included). CERN-TH.6628/92, CTP-TAMU-61/92. A condensed version of this paper will appear in the Proceedings of the XXVI International Conference on High Energy Physics, Dallas--Texas, August 5--12, 199

Higgs-Boson Decay to Four Fermions Including a Single Top Quark Below ttˉt \bar t Threshold

The rare decay modes Higgs $\rightarrow$ four light fermions, and Higgs $\rightarrow$ single top-quark + three light fermions for $m_t<M_H<2m_t$, are presented, and phenomenologically interpreted. The angular correlation between fermion planes is presented as a test of the spin and intrinsic parity of the Higgs particle. In Higgs decay to single top, two tree-level graphs contribute in the standard model (SM); one couples the Higgs to $W^+W^-(\sim gM_W)$, and one to t\bar t(\sim g_{top\;yukawa}=m_t/246\GeV). The large Yukawa coupling for m_t>100\GeV makes the second amplitude competitive or dominant for most $M_H,m_t$ values. Thus the Higgs decay rate to single top directly probes the SM universal mechanism generating both gauge boson and fermion masses, and offers a means to infer the Higgs-$t \bar t$ Yukawa coupling when $H\rightarrow t \bar t$ is kinematically disallowed. We find that the modes $pp\rightarrow Xt\bar t(H\rightarrow t\bar b W^{(*)})$ at the SSC, and $e^+ e^-\rightarrow Z\,or\,\nu\bar{\nu} + (H\rightarrow t\bar b W^{(*)})$ at future high energy, high luminosity colliders, may be measureable if $2m_t$ is not too far above $M_H$. We classify non-standard Higgses as gaugeo-phobic, fermio-phobic or fermio-philic, and discuss the Higgs$\rightarrow$ single top rates for these classes.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures (figures available upon request); VAND-TH-93/

New Constraints on Neutralino Dark Matter in the Supersymmetric Standard Model

We investigate the prospects for neutralino dark matter within the Supersymmetric Standard Model (SSM) including the constraints from universal soft supersymmetry breaking and radiative breaking of the electroweak symmetry. The latter is enforced by using the one-loop Higgs effective potential which automatically gives the one-loop corrected Higgs boson masses. We perform an exhaustive search of the allowed five-dimensional parameter space and find that the neutralino relic abundance $\Omega_\chi h^2_0$ depends most strongly on the ratio $\xi_0\equiv m_0/m_{1/2}$. For $\xi_0\gg1$ the relic abundance is almost always much too large, whereas for $\xi_0\ll1$ the opposite occurs. For $\xi_0\sim1$ there are wide ranges of the remaining parameters for which $\Omega_\chi\sim1$. We also determine that m_{\tilde q}\gsim250\GeV and m_{\tilde l}\gsim100\GeV are necessary in order to possibly achieve $\Omega_\chi\sim1$. These lower bounds are much weaker than the corresponding ones derived previously when radiative breaking was {\it not} enforced.Comment: 12 pages plus 6 figures (not included), CERN-TH.6584/92, CTP-TAMU-56/92, UAHEP921

Tevatron and LEP-II Probes of Minimal and String-Motivated Supergravity Models

We explore the ability of the Tevatron to probe Minimal Supersymmetry with high energy scale boundary conditions motivated by supersymmetry breaking in the context of supergravity/superstring theory. A number of boundary condition possibilities are considered: dilaton-like string boundary conditions applied at the standard GUT unification scale or alternatively at the string scale; and extreme (``no-scale'') minimal supergravity boundary conditions imposed at the GUT scale or string scale. For numerous specific cases within each scenario the sparticle spectra are computed and then fed into ISAJET 7.07 so that explicit signatures can be examined in detail. We find that, for some of the boundary condition choices, large regions of parameter space can be explored via same-sign dilepton and isolated trilepton signals. For other choices, the mass reach of Tevatron collider experiments is much more limited. We also compare mass reach of Tevatron experiments with the corresponding reach at LEP 200.Comment: 44 pages, requires phyzzx.tex, tables.tex, full postscript file including embedded figures available via anonymous ftp at ucdhep.ucdavis.edu as [anonymous.gunion]bgkp.ps, preprint UCD-94-1