Light Stops in a minimal U(1)x extension of the MSSM

TL;DR

This paper explores how extending the MSSM with a U(1)x gauge sector allows for lighter stops to achieve the observed Higgs mass, with implications for collider searches and Z' boson constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal U(1)x extension to the MSSM that enables lighter stops to reproduce the Higgs mass, analyzing the parameter space and experimental bounds.

Findings

Stops around 700-800 GeV can produce the correct Higgs mass.

Z' boson mass bounds are close to 2.5 TeV from LHC run-I.

Projected LHC run-II bounds will further constrain the model.

Abstract

In order to reproduce the measured mass of the Higgs boson mh = 125GeV in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, one usually has to rely on heavy stops, increasing the fine tuning of the electroweak scale. By introducing a new gauge sector, the Higgs mass gets a tree-level contribution via a non-decoupling D-term, and mh = 125 GeV can be obtained with lighter stops. In this paper, we study the values of the stops masses needed to achieve the correct Higgs mass in a setup where the gauge group is extended by a single U(1)x interaction. We derive the experimental limits on the mass of the Z' gauge boson in this setup, then discuss how the stops masses vary as a function of the free parameters introduced by the new sector. We find that the correct Higgs mass can be reproduced with stops in a region between 700 - 800 GeV and a Z' resonance close to the 2.5 TeV bound from the run-I of the LHC, or in a higher region 800 - 900 GeV if the Z' resonance is heavier (3.1 TeV). This region of parameter space will be quickly accessible at run-II of the LHC, and we discuss the impact of the projected run-II bounds on the U(1)x parameter space. We also discuss the phenomenology of the Higgs-like particles introduced to break U(1)x and conclude their effects are too small to be detected at current colliders.