Rare Decays with a Light CP-Odd Higgs Boson in the NMSSM

TL;DR

This paper explores rare meson decay processes involving a light CP-odd Higgs in the NMSSM to test its role in explaining HyperCP observations, providing predictions for several decay modes.

Contribution

It calculates decay rates for specific rare processes involving A_1^0, offering new experimental signatures to verify the NMSSM hypothesis.

Findings

Predicted K_L -> pi pi A_1^0 decay rates relevant for KTeV studies.

Estimated eta -> pi pi A_1^0 decay rates accessible at DAPhNE.

Analyzed Omega^- -> Xi^- A_1^0 decay as part of the NMSSM phenomenology.

Abstract

We have previously proposed a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM), the A_1^0, as a candidate to explain the HyperCP observations in Sigma^+ -> p mu^+ mu^-. In this paper we calculate the rates for several other rare decay modes that can help confirm or refute this hypothesis. The first modes we evaluate are K_L -> pi pi A_1^0, which are interesting because they are under study by the KTeV Collaboration. We next turn to eta -> pi pi A_1^0, which are interesting because they are independent of the details of the flavor-changing sector of the NMSSM and may be accessible at DAPhNE. For completeness, we also evaluate Omega^- -> Xi^- A_1^0.