Higgs Boson Signatures of MSSM Electroweak Baryogenesis

TL;DR

This paper explores how the light stop in the MSSM affects Higgs boson production and decay, providing potential experimental signatures for electroweak baryogenesis at colliders.

Contribution

It analyzes the impact of a light right-handed stop on Higgs signatures, linking collider observables to electroweak baryogenesis in the MSSM.

Findings

Enhanced Higgs production via gluon fusion

Suppressed Higgs decay into photon pairs

Potential testability at Tevatron and LHC

Abstract

Electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) in the MSSM can account for the cosmological baryon asymmetry, but only within a restricted region of the parameter space. In particular, MSSM EWBG requires a mostly right-handed stop that is lighter than the top quark and a standard model-like light Higgs boson. In the present work we investigate the effects of the light stop on Higgs boson production and decay. Relative to the standard model Higgs boson, we find a large enhancement of the Higgs production rate through gluon fusion and a suppression of the Higgs branching fraction into photon pairs. These modifications in the properties of the Higgs boson are directly related to the effect of the light stop on the electroweak phase transition, and are large enough that they can potentially be tested at the Tevatron and the LHC.