Di-photon Higgs signals at the LHC in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model

The NMSSM contains a Higgs singlet in addition to the two Higgs doublets typical of the MSSM, thus resulting in a total of seven physical Higgs mass states. Therefore, the phenomenology of the NMSSM Higgs sector can differ considerably from that of the MSSM, and there are good prospects of finding in regions of the NMSSM parameter space Higgs signals that cannot be reproduced in the MSSM. We examined here the two-photon decay mode of a Higgs boson and found that up to three neutral Higgs states, heavy and/or light, could be simultaneously observable at the LHC, a possibility precluded to the MSSM. There are also some possibilities that only the lightest NMSSM Higgs boson be detectable via this mode, with a mass beyond the upper limit of the corresponding MSSM state, thus also allowing one to distinguish between the two scenarios. However, in most of the NMSSM parameter space the configurations of the non-minimal model are not very different from those arising in the minimal case.     

Higgs bosons in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model at the LHC

We review possible properties of Higgs bosons in the NMSSM, which allow to discriminate this model from the MSSM: masses of mostly Standard-Model-like Higgs bosons at or above 140 GeV, or enhanced branching fractions into two photons, or Higgs-to-Higgs decays. In the case of a Standard-Model-like Higgs boson above 140 GeV, it is necessarily accompanied by a lighter state with a large gauge singlet component. Examples for such scenarios are presented. Available studies on Higgs-to-Higgs decays are discussed according to the various Higgs production modes, light Higgs masses and decay channels.     

Confronting the MSSM and the NMSSM with the discovery of a signal in the two photon channel at the LHC

We confront the discovery of a boson decaying into two photons, as reported recently by ATLAS and CMS, with the corresponding predictions in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). We perform a scan over the relevant regions of parameter space in both models and evaluate the MSSM and NMSSM predictions for the dominant Higgs production channel and the photon–photon decay channel. Taking into account the experimental constraints from previous direct searches, flavor physics, electroweak measurements as well as theoretical considerations, we find that a Higgs signal in the two photon channel with a rate equal to, or above, the SM prediction is viable over the full mass range 123?M _H ?127 GeV, both in the MSSM and the NMSSM. We find that besides the interpretation of a possible signal at about 125 GeV in terms of the lightest $\mathcal {CP}$ -even Higgs boson, both the MSSM and the NMSSM permit also a viable interpretation where an observed state at about 125 GeV would correspond to the second-lightest $\mathcal {CP}$ -even Higgs boson in the spectrum, which would be accompanied by another light Higgs with suppressed couplings to W and Z bosons. We find that a significant enhancement of the γγ rate, compatible with the signal strengths observed by ATLAS and CMS, is possible in both the MSSM and the NMSSM, and we analyse in detail different mechanisms in the two models that can give rise to such an enhancement. We briefly discuss also our predictions in the two models for the production and subsequent decay into two photons of a $\mathcal {CP}$ -odd Higgs boson.     

Electroweak symmetry breaking beyond the Standard Model

In this paper, two key issues related to electroweak symmetry breaking are addressed. First, how fine-tuned different models are that trigger this phenomenon? Second, even if a light Higgs boson exists, does it have to be necessarily elementary? After a brief introduction, the fine-tuning aspects of the MSSM, NMSSM, generalized NMSSM and GMSB scenarios shall be reviewed, then the little Higgs, composite Higgs and the Higgsless models shall be compared. Finally, a broad overview will be given on where we stand at the end of 2011.     

Light Higgs bosons in phenomenological NMSSM

We consider scenarios in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric model (NMSSM) where the CP-odd and charged Higgs bosons are very light. As we demonstrate, these can be obtained as simple deformations of existing phenomenological MSSM benchmarks scenarios with parameters defined at the weak scale. This offers a direct and meaningful comparison to the MSSM case. Applying a wide set of up-to-date constraints from both high-energy collider and flavor physics, the Higgs boson masses and couplings are studied in viable parts of parameter space. The LHC phenomenology of the light Higgs scenario for neutral and charged Higgs boson searches is discussed.     

NMSSM with gravitino dark matter to be tested at LHC

We present a solution to the gravitino problem, which arises in the NMSSM, allowing for sparticle spectra from ordinary gravity-mediated supersymmetry breaking with weak-scale gravitino dark matter. The coupling, which links the singlet to the MSSM sector, enhances the tree-level Higgs mass, providing an attractive explanation why the observed Higgs boson is so heavy. The same coupling induces very efficient pair-annihilation processes of the neutralino NLSP. Its relic abundance can be sufficiently suppressed to satisfy the strong constraints on late decaying relics from primordial nucleosynthesis – even for very long neutralino lifetimes. The striking prediction of this scenario is the detection of a pseudoscalar Higgs boson in the search for top–top resonances at LHC-14, rendering it completely testable.     

NMSSM Higgs benchmarks near 125 GeV

The recent LHC indications of a SM-like Higgs boson near 125 GeV are consistent not only with the Standard Model (SM) but also with Supersymmetry (SUSY). However naturalness arguments disfavour the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We consider the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) with a SM-like Higgs boson near 125 GeV involving relatively light stops and gluinos below 1 TeV in order to satisfy naturalness requirements. We are careful to ensure that the chosen values of couplings do not become non-perturbative below the grand unification (GUT) scale, although we also examine how these limits may be extended by the addition of extra matter to the NMSSM at the two-loop level. We then propose four sets of benchmark points corresponding to the SM-like Higgs boson being the lightest or the second lightest Higgs state in the NMSSM or the NMSSM-with-extra-matter. With the aid of these benchmark points we discuss how the NMSSM Higgs boson near 125 GeV may be distinguished from the SM Higgs boson in future LHC searches.     

Higgs bosons in nonlinearly realized supersymmetry

Using the formatlism developed by Samuel and Wess a general form of the Higgs potential in nonlinearly realized supersymmetric extention of the Standard Model in curved space is constructed. In flat space limit we derive bounds for Higgs boson masses and mass relations. Comparisons to the linear supersymmetric models MSSM and NMSSM are made.     

On the radiative corrections to the neutral Higgs boson masses in the NMSSM

We provide a full one-loop calculation of the self energies and tadpoles of the neutral Higgs bosons of the NMSSM. In addition, we compute the two-loop corrections to the neutral Higgs boson masses in the effective potential approximation. With respect to earlier calculations, the newly-computed corrections can account for shifts of a few GeV in the light scalar and pseudoscalar masses, and they can also sizeably affect the mixing between singlet and MSSM-like Higgs scalars. Taking these corrections into account will be crucial for a meaningful comparison between the MSSM and NMSSM predictions for the Higgs sector.     

The NMSSM and string theory

We study the possibility of constructing the NMSSM from the heterotic string. String-derived NMSSMs are much more rare than MSSMs due to the extra requirement that there exist a light singlet which couples to the Higgs pairs. They share the common feature that the singlet self-interactions are typically suppressed, leading to either the “decoupling” or the Peccei–Quinn limit of the NMSSM. In the latter case, the spectrum contains a light pseudoscalar which may be relevant to the MSSM fine-tuning problem. We provide a Z₆${\mathbb{Z}}_6$ heterotic orbifold example of the NMSSM with approximate Peccei–Quinn symmetry, whose origin lies in the string selection rules combined with our choice of the vacuum configuration.     

Higgs bosons in the simplest SUSY models

Nowadays, in the MSSM, the moderate values of tan β are almost excluded by the LEP II lower bound on the mass of the lightest Higgs boson. In the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM), the theoretical upper bound on it increases and reaches a maximal value in the limit of strong Yukawa coupling, where all solutions to renormalization-group equations are concentrated near the quasifixed point. For a calculation of the Higgs boson spectrum, the perturbation-theory method can be applied. We investigate the particle spectrum within the modified NMSSM, which leads to the self-consistent solution in the limit of strong Yukawa coupling. This model allows one to get m _h～125 GeV at tan β≥1.9. In the model under investigation, the mass of the lightest Higgs boson does not exceed 130.5±3.5 GeV. The upper bound on the mass of the lightest CP-even Higgs boson in more complicated supersymmetric models is also discussed.     

Di-photon Higgs signal at the LHC: A comparative study in different supersymmetric models

As the most important discovery channel for a light Higgs boson at the LHC, the di-photon signal gg→h→γγ is sensitive to underlying physics. In this work we investigate such a signal in a comparative way by considering three different supersymmetric models, namely the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM) and the nearly minimal supersymmetric standard model (nMSSM). Under the current collider and cosmological constraints we scan over the parameter space and obtain the following observation in the allowed parameter space: (i) In the nMSSM the signal rate is always suppressed; (ii) In the MSSM the signal rate is suppressed in most cases, but in a tiny corner of the parameter space it can be enhanced (maximally by a factor of 2); (iii) In the NMSSM the signal rate can be enhanced or suppressed depending on the parameter space, and the enhancement factor can be as large as 7.     

Constrained next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model

We consider the fully constrained version of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (cNMSSM) in which a singlet Higgs superfield is added to the two doublets that are present in the minimal extension (MSSM). Assuming universal boundary conditions at a high scale for the soft supersymmetry-breaking mass parameters as well as for the trilinear interactions, we find that the model is more constrained than the celebrated minimal supergravity model. The phenomenologically viable region in the parameter space of the cNMSSM corresponds to a small value for the universal scalar mass m_{0}: in this case, one single input parameter is sufficient to describe the model's phenomenology once constraints from collider data and cosmology are imposed.     

Precise predictions for the Higgs-boson masses in the NMSSM

The particle discovered in the Higgs-boson searches at the LHC with a mass of about \(125 \, \mathrm{GeV}\) can be identified with one of the neutral Higgs bosons of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). We calculate predictions for the Higgs-boson masses in the NMSSM using the Feynman-diagrammatic approach. The predictions are based on the full NMSSM one-loop corrections supplemented with the dominant and sub-dominant two-loop corrections within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). These include contributions at \(\mathcal {O}{(\alpha _t \alpha _s, \alpha _b \alpha _s, \alpha _t^2,\alpha _t\alpha _b)}\), as well as a resummation of leading and subleading logarithms from the top/scalar top sector. Taking these corrections into account in the prediction for the mass of the Higgs boson in the NMSSM that is identified with the observed signal is crucial in order to reach a precision at a similar level as in the MSSM. The quality of the approximation made at the two-loop level is analysed on the basis of the full one-loop result, with a particular focus on the prediction for the Standard Model-like Higgs boson that is associated with the observed signal. The obtained results will be used as a basis for the extension of the code FeynHiggs to the NMSSM.     

A search for neutral Higgs bosons in the MSSM and models with two scalar field doublets

A search is described for the neutral Higgs bosons and predicted by models with two scalar field doublets and, in particular, the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The search in the and production channels is based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 25 pb from collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 130 and 172 GeV collected with the OPAL detector at LEP. The observation of a number of candidates consistent with Standard Model background expectations is used in combination with earlier results from data collected at the resonance to set limits on and in general models with two scalar field doublets and in the MSSM. For example, in the MSSM, for , minimal and maximal scalar top quark mixing and soft SUSY-breaking masses of 1 TeV, the 95% confidence level limits GeV and GeV are obtained. For the first time, the MSSM parameter space is explored in a detailed scan. Received: 20 February 1998 / Published online: 13 July 1998     

The Higgs mass in the CP violating MSSM,NMSSM and beyond

We discuss the automatised calculation of the Higgs mass in renormalisable supersymmetric models with complex parameters at the two-loop level. Our setup is based on the public codes SARAH and SPheno, which can now compute the two-loop corrections to masses of all neutral scalars in such theories. The generic ansatz for these calculations and the handling of the ‘Goldstone Boson catastrophe’ is described. It is shown that we find perfect agreement with other existing two-loop calculations performed in the \(\overline{\mathrm {DR}}\) scheme. We also use the functionality to derive results for the MSSM and NMSSM not available before: the Higgs mass in the constrained version of the complex MSSM and the impact of CP phases in the two-loop corrections beyond \(O(\alpha _s \alpha _t)\) for the scale-invariant NMSSM are briefly analysed.     

h --> mutau at Hadron colliders

We study the observability for a lepton flavor-changing decay of a Higgs boson h--> mutau at Hadron colliders. Flavor-changing couplings of a Higgs boson exist at tree level in models with multiple Higgs doublets. The hmutau coupling is particularly motivated by the favorable interpretation of nu(mu)-nu(tau) oscillation. We find that at the Tevatron run II the unique mutau signature could serve as the Higgs discovery channel, surpassing expectations for Higgs boson searches in the SM and in a large parameter region of the MSSM. The sensitivity will be greatly improved at the LHC, beyond the coverage at a muon collider Higgs factory.     

Non-decoupling effects in supersymmetric Higgs sectors

A wide class of Higgs sectors is investigated in supersymmetric standard models. When the lightest Higgs boson (h  ) looks the standard model one, the mass (mh$m_h$) and the triple Higgs boson coupling (the hhh   coupling) are evaluated at the one-loop level in each model. While mh$m_h$ is at most 120–130 GeV in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), that in models with an additional neutral singlet or triplet fields can be much larger. The hhh coupling can also be sensitive to the models: while in the MSSM the deviation from the standard model prediction is not significant, that can be 30–60% in some models such as the MSSM with the additional singlet or with extra doublets and charged singlets. These models are motivated by specific physics problems like the μ-problem, the neutrino mass, the scalar dark matter and so on. Therefore, when h   is found at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, we can classify supersymmetric models by measuring mh$m_h$ and the hhh coupling accurately at future collider experiments.     

Search for Higgs bosons in {\rm e^+e^-} collisions at 183 GeV

The data collected by the OPAL experiment at GeV were used to search for Higgs bosons which are predicted by the Standard Model and various extensions, such as general models with two Higgs field doublets and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of approximately 54 pb. None of the searches for neutral and charged Higgs bosons have revealed an excess of events beyond the expected background. This negative outcome, in combination with similar results from searches at lower energies, leads to new limits for the Higgs boson masses and other model parameters. In particular, the 95% confidence level lower limit for the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson is 88.3 GeV. Charged Higgs bosons can be excluded for masses up to 59.5 GeV. In the MSSM, GeV and GeV are obtained for , no and maximal scalar top mixing and soft SUSY-breaking masses of 1 TeV. The range is excluded for minimal scalar top mixing and GeV. More general scans of the MSSM parameter space are also considered. Received: 27 October 1998 / Published online: 19 February 1999     

General issues connecting flavor symmetry and supersymmetry

We motivate and construct supersymmetric theories with continuous flavor symmetry, under which the electroweak Higgs doublets transform non-trivially. Flavor symmetry is spontaneously broken at a large mass scale in a sector of gauge-singlet fields; the light Higgs multiplets naturally emerge as special linear combinations that avoid acquiring the generic large mass. Couplings of the light Higgs doublets to light moduli fields from the singlet sector could lead to important effects in the phenomenology of the Higgs sector.