A SM-like Higgs near 125 GeV in low energy SUSY: a comparative study for MSSM and NMSSM

TL;DR

This study compares the MSSM and NMSSM models in light of a Higgs near 125 GeV, analyzing experimental constraints and predicting Higgs signals at the LHC, highlighting differences in fine-tuning and signal rates.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive comparison of MSSM and NMSSM under current experimental constraints, focusing on Higgs properties and LHC signal predictions.

Findings

MSSM requires large top squark mass and A_t, leading to fine-tuning.

NMSSM can enhance di-photon and VV* signals more easily.

A significant part of parameter space will be tested by XENON100.

Abstract

Motivated by the recent LHC hints of a Higgs boson around 125 GeV, we assume a SM-like Higgs with the mass 123-127 GeV and study its implication in low energy SUSY by comparing the MSSM and NMSSM. We consider various experimental constraints at 2-sigma level (including the muon g-2 and the dark matter relic density) and perform a comprehensive scan over the parameter space of each model. Then in the parameter space which is allowed by current experimental constraints and also predicts a SM-like Higgs in 123-127 GeV, we examine the properties of the sensitive parameters (like the top squark mass and the trilinear coupling A_t) and calculate the rates of the di-photon signal and the VV^* (V=W,Z) signals at the LHC. Our typical findings are: (i) In the MSSM the top squark and A_t must be large and thus incur some fine-tuning, which can be much ameliorated in the NMSSM; (ii) In the MSSM a light stau is needed to enhance the di-photon rate of the SM-like Higgs to exceed its SM prediction, while in the NMSSM the di-photon rate can be readily enhanced in several ways; (iii) In the MSSM the signal rates of pp -> h -> VV^* at the LHC are never enhanced compared with their SM predictions, while in the NMSSM they may get enhanced significantly; (iv) A large part of the parameter space so far survived will be soon covered by the expected XENON100(2012) sensitivity (especially for the NMSSM).