The masses of the neutral {\cal CP}-even Higgs bosons in the MSSM: Accurate analysis at the two-loop level

We present detailed results of a diagrammatic calculation of the leading two-loop QCD corrections to the masses of the neutral -even Higgs bosons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The two-loop corrections are incorporated into the full diagrammatic one-loop result and supplemented with refinement terms that take into account leading electroweak two-loop and higher-order QCD contributions. The dependence of the results for the Higgs-boson masses on the various MSSM parameters is analyzed in detail, with a particular focus on the part of the parameter space accessible at LEP2 and the upgraded Tevatron. For the mass of the lightest Higgs boson, , a parameter scan has been performed, yielding an upper limit on which depends only on . The results for the Higgs-boson masses are compared with results obtained by renormalization group methods. Good agreement is found in the case of vanishing mixing in the scalar quark sector, while sizable deviations occur if squark mixing is taken into account. Received: 11 January 1999 / Published online: 28 May 1999     

The Higgs sector of the MSSM in the decoupling limit

We study the heavy Higgs sector of the MSSM composed of the and particles in the so-called decoupling limit where . By integrating out these heavy Higgs particles to one-loop, we compute the effective action for the electroweak gauge bosons and find out that, in the decoupling limit, all the heavy Higgs effects can be absorbed into redefinitions of the Standard Model electroweak parameters. This demonstrates explicitely that the decoupling theorem works for the heavy MSSM Higgs particles. This is also compared with the paradigmatic and different case of the Standard Model heavy Higgs particle. Finally, this work together with our two previous works, complete the demonstration that all the non-standard particles in the MSSM, namely, squarks, sleptons, charginos, neutralinos and the heavy Higgs particles, decouple to one-loop from the low energy electroweak gauge boson physics. Received: 2 March 2000 / Revised version: 13 July 2000 / Published online: 8 September 2000     

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.     

Approximating the radiatively corrected Higgs mass in the minimal supersymmetric model

To obtain the most accurate predictions for the Higgs masses in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM), one should compute the full set of one-loop radiative corrections, resum the large logarithms to all orders, and add the dominant two-loop effects. A complete computation following this procedure yields a complex set of formulae which must be analyzed numerically. We discuss a very simple approximation scheme which includes the most important terms from each of the three components mentioned above. We estimate that the Higgs masses computed using our scheme lie within 2 GeV of their theoretically predicted values over a very large fraction of MSSM parameter space.     

Neutral Higgs bosons in the MNMSSM with explicit CP violation

Within the framework of the minimal non-minimal supersymmetric standard model (MNMSSM) with tadpole terms, CP violation effects in the Higgs sector are investigated at the one-loop level, where the radiative corrections from the loops of the quark and squarks of the third generation are taken into account. Assuming that the squark masses are not degenerate, the radiative corrections due to the stop and sbottom quarks give rise to CP phases which trigger the CP violation explicitly in the Higgs sector of the MNMSSM. The masses, the branching ratios for dominant decay channels, and the total decay widths of the five neutral Higgs bosons in the MNMSSM are calculated in the presence of explicit CP violation. The dependence of these quantities on the CP phases is quite recognizable, for given parameter values.     

Higgs boson searches in CP-conserving and CP-violating MSSM scenarios with the DELPHI detector

This paper presents the final interpretation of the results from DELPHI on the searches for Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM). A few representative scenarios are considered, that include CP conservation and explicit CP violation in the Higgs sector. The experimental results encompass the searches for neutral Higgs bosons at LEP1 and LEP2 in final states as expected in the MSSM, as well as LEP2 searches for charged Higgs bosons and for neutral Higgs bosons decaying into hadrons independent of the quark flavour. The data reveal no significant excess with respect to background expectations. The results are translated into excluded regions of the parameter space in the various scenarios. In the CP-conserving case, these lead to limits on the masses of the lightest scalar and pseudoscalar Higgs bosons, h and A, and on tanβ. The dependence of these limits on the top quark mass is discussed. Allowing for CP violation reduces the experimental sensitivity to Higgs bosons. It is shown that this effect depends strongly on the values of the parameters responsible for CP violation in the Higgs sector.     

Neutral Higgs bosons in the standard model and in the minimal supersymmetric model: Searches at LEP

During the twelve years of operation of thee ⁺ e ⁻ collider LEP, the associated collaborations, ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL, have extensively searched for Higgs bosons over a broad range of masses. We present the final results from LEP for the standard model Higgs boson which are obtained from a statistical combination of the data from the four experiments. We also present preliminary combined results for neutral Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM) where the Higgs sector is assumed to be CP invariant. Finally, we discuss an alternative MSSM scenario including CP violation in the Higgs sector.     

Higgs phenomenology of the supersymmetric model with a gauge singlet

We discuss the Higgs sector of the supersymmetric standard model extended by a gauge singlet for the range of parameters, which is compatible with universal soft supersymmetry breaking terms at the GUT scale. We present results for the masses, couplings and decay properties of the lightest Higgs bosons, in particular with regard to Higgs boson searches at LEP. The prospects differ significantly from the ones within the MSSM.     

Predictions of SUSY masses in the minimal supersymmetric grand unified theory

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) distinguishes itself from other GUT's by a successful prediction of many unrelated phenomena with a minimum number of parameters. Among them: a) Unification of the gauge couplings constants; b) Unification of the b-quark and τ-lepton masses; c) Proton stability; d) Electroweak symmetry breaking at a scale far below the unification scale and the corresponding relation between the gauge boson masses and the top quark mass. A combined fit of the free parameters in the MSSM to these low energy constraints shows that the MSSM model can satisfy these constraints simultaneously. From the fitted parameters the masses of the as yet unobserved superpartners of the SM particles are predicted, the top mass is constrained to a range between 140 and 200 GeV, and the second order QCD coupling constant is required to be between 0.108 and 0.132. The complete second order renormalization group equations for the gauge and Yukawa couplings are used and analytical solutions for the neutral gauge boson, the Higgs masses and the sparticle masses are derived, taking into account the one-loop corrections to the Higgs potential.     

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     

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.     

Pair production of charged MSSM Higgs bosons by gluon fusion

The production of pairs of charged Higgs bosons as predicted by the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) via the gluon fusion mechanism is investigated. The amplitudes at the leading one-loop order for the parton process are calculated with the complete set of MSSM particles. Numerical results are presented for the cross section of the inclusive hadron process at the LHC. Received: 20 September 1999 / Published online: 27 January 2000     

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.     

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.     

Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons at LEP

The four LEP collaborations, ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL, have searched for the neutral Higgs bosons which are predicted by the Minimal Supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The data of the four collaborations are statistically combined and examined for their consistency with the background hypothesis and with a possible Higgs boson signal. The combined LEP data show no significant excess of events which would indicate the production of Higgs bosons. The search results are used to set upper bounds on the cross-sections of various Higgs-like event topologies. The results are interpreted within the MSSM in a number of “benchmark” models, including CP-conserving and CP-violating scenarios. These interpretations lead in all cases to large exclusions in the MSSM parameter space. Absolute limits are set on the parameter cosβ and, in some scenarios, on the masses of neutral Higgs bosons.     

Distinguishing a SM-like MSSM Higgs boson from SM Higgs boson at muon collider

We explore the possibility of distinguishing the SM-like MSSM Higgs boson from the SM Higgs boson via Higgs boson pair production at future muon collider. We study the behavior of the production cross-section in SM and MSSM with Higgs boson mass for various MSSM parameters tan β and m _A . We observe that at fixed CM energy, in the SM, the total cross-section increases with the increase in Higgs boson mass whereas this trend is reversed for the MSSM. The changes that occur for the MSSM in comparison to the SM predictions are quantified in terms of the relative percentage deviation in cross-section. The observed deviations in cross-section for different choices of Higgs boson masses suggest that the measurements of the cross-section could possibly distinguish the SM-like MSSM Higgs boson from the SM Higgs boson.      

Precise prediction for the mass of the lightest Higgs boson in the MSSM

The leading diagrammatic two-loop corrections are incorporated into the prediction for the mass of the lightest Higgs boson, m_h, in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The results, containing the complete diagrammatic one-loop corrections, the new two-loop result and refinement terms incorporating leading electroweak two-loop and higher-order QCD contributions, are discussed and compared with results obtained by renormalization group calculations. Good agreement is found in the case of vanishing mixing in the scalar quark sector, while sizable deviations occur if squark mixing is taken into account.     

Search for heavy neutral MSSM Higgs bosons with CMS: reach and Higgs mass precision

The search for MSSM Higgs bosons will be an important goal at the LHC. We analyze the search reach of the CMS experiment for the heavy neutral MSSM Higgs bosons with an integrated luminosity of 30 or 60 fb^-1. This is done by combining the latest results for the CMS experimental sensitivities based on full simulation studies with state-of-the-art theoretical predictions of the MSSM Higgs-boson properties. The results are interpreted in MSSM benchmark scenarios in terms of the parameters tan β and the Higgs-boson mass scale, M_A. We study the dependence of the 5σ discovery contours in the M_A–tan β plane on variations of the other supersymmetric parameters. The largest effects arise from a change in the higgsino mass parameter μ, which enters both via higher-order radiative corrections and via the kinematics of Higgs decays into supersymmetric particles. While the variation of μ can shift the prospective discovery reach (and correspondingly the ”LHC wedge” region) by about Δtan β=10, we find that the discovery reach is rather stable with respect to the impact of other supersymmetric parameters. Within the discovery region we analyze the accuracy with which the masses of the heavy neutral Higgs bosons can be determined. We find that an accuracy of 1–4% should be achievable, which could make it possible in favorable regions of the MSSM parameter space to experimentally resolve the signals of the two heavy MSSM Higgs bosons at the LHC.     

Studying the MSSM Higgs sector by forward proton tagging at the LHC

We show that the use of forward proton detectors at the LHC installed at 220 m and 420 m distance around ATLAS and/or CMS can provide important information on the Higgs sector of the MSSM. We analyse central exclusive production of the neutral -even Higgs bosons h and H and their decays into bottom quarks, τ leptons and W bosons in various MSSM benchmark scenarios. Using plausible estimates for the achievable experimental efficiencies and the relevant background processes, we find that the prospective sensitivity of the diffractive Higgs production will allow one to probe interesting regions of the M_A–tanβ parameter plane of the MSSM. Central exclusive production of the -even Higgs bosons of the MSSM may provide a unique opportunity to access the bottom Yukawa couplings of the Higgs bosons up to masses of M_H≲ 250 GeV. We also discuss the prospects for identifying the -odd Higgs boson, A, in diffractive processes at the LHC.     

Yukawa coupling quantum corrections to the self-couplings of the lightest MSSM Higgs boson

A detailed analysis of the top-quark/squark quantum corrections to the lightest CP-even Higgs boson self-couplings is presented in the MSSM. By considering the leading one-loop Yukawa-coupling contributions of , we discuss the decoupling behavior of these corrections when the top squarks are heavy compared to the electroweak scale. As shown analytically and numerically, the large corrections can almost completely be absorbed into the -boson mass. Our conclusion is that the self-couplings remain similar to the coupling of the SM Higgs boson for the heavy top-squark sector. Received: 15 November 2001 / Published online: 25 January 2002