# Upper limit on 𝑚_ℎ in the MSSM and M-SUGRA vs. prospective reach of LEP

## 1 Introduction

Within the MSSM the masses of the $`𝒞𝒫`$-even neutral Higgs bosons are calculable in terms of the other MSSM parameters. The mass of the lightest Higgs boson, $`m_h`$, has been of particular interest, as it is bounded to be smaller than the $`Z`$ boson mass at the tree level. The one-loop results  for $`m_h`$ have been supplemented in the last years with the leading two-loop corrections, performed in the renormalization group (RG) approach , in the effective potential approach  and most recently in the Feynman-diagrammatic (FD) approach . The two-loop corrections have turned out to be sizeable. They can change the one-loop results by up to 20%.

Experimental searches at LEP now exclude a light MSSM Higgs boson with a mass below $``$90 GeV . In the low $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ region, in which the limit is the same as for the Standard Model Higgs boson, a mass limit of even $`m_h\stackrel{>}{}106\mathrm{GeV}`$ has been obtained . Combining this experimental bound with the theoretical upper limit on $`m_h`$ as a function of $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ within the MSSM, it is possible to derive constraints on $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$. In this paper we investigate, for which MSSM parameters the maximal $`m_h`$ values are obtained and discuss in this context the impact of the new FD two-loop result. Resulting constraints on $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ are analyzed on the basis of the present LEP data and of the prospective final exclusion limit of LEP.

The Minimal Supergravity (M-SUGRA) scenario provides a relatively simple and constrained version of the MSSM. In this paper we explore, how the maximum possible values for $`m_h`$ change compared to the general MSSM, if one restricts to the M-SUGRA framework. As an additional constraint we impose that the condition of radiative electroweak symmetry breaking (REWSB)  should be fulfilled.

## 2 The upper bound on $`m_h`$ in the MSSM

The most important radiative corrections to $`m_h`$ arise from the top and scalar top sector of the MSSM, with the input parameters $`m_t`$, $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$ and $`X_t`$. Here we assume the soft SUSY breaking parameters in the diagonal entries of the scalar top mixing matrix to be equal for simplicity, $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_L}=M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_R}`$. This has been shown to yield upper values for $`m_h`$ which comprise also the case where $`M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_L}M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_R}`$, if $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$ is identified with the heavier one of $`M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_L}`$, $`M_{\stackrel{~}{t}_R}`$ . For the off-diagonal entry of the mixing matrix we use the convention

$$m_tX_t=m_t(A_t\mu \mathrm{cot}\beta ).$$
(1)   
Note that the sign convention used for $`\mu `$ here is the opposite of the one used in Ref. .

Since the predicted value of $`m_h`$ depends sensitively on the precise numerical value of $`m_t`$, it has become customary to discuss the constraints on $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ within a so-called “benchmark” scenario (see Ref.  and references therein), in which $`m_t`$ is kept fixed at the value $`m_t=175\mathrm{GeV}`$ and in which furthermore a large value of $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$ is chosen, $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1\mathrm{TeV}`$, giving rise to large values of $`m_h(\mathrm{tan}\beta )`$. In Ref.  it has recently been analyzed how the values chosen for the other SUSY parameters in the benchmark scenario should be modified in order to obtain the maximal values of $`m_h(\mathrm{tan}\beta )`$ for given $`m_t`$ and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$. The corresponding scenario ($`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario) is defined as 

$`m_t=m_t^{\mathrm{exp}}(=174.3\mathrm{GeV}),M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1\mathrm{TeV}`$   
$`\mu =200\mathrm{GeV},M_2=200\mathrm{GeV},M_A=1\mathrm{TeV},m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}=0.8M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}(\mathrm{FD})`$   
$`X_t=2M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}(\mathrm{FD})\mathrm{or}X_t=\sqrt{2}M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}(\mathrm{RG}),`$ (2)   
where the parameters are chosen such that the chargino masses are beyond the reach of LEP2 and that the lightest $`𝒞𝒫`$-even Higgs boson does not dominantly decay invisibly into neutralinos. In eq. (2) $`\mu `$ is the Higgs mixing parameter, $`M_2`$ denotes the soft SUSY breaking parameter in the gaugino sector, and $`M_A`$ is the $`𝒞𝒫`$-odd Higgs boson mass. The gluino mass, $`m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}`$, can only be specified as a free parameter in the FD result (program FeynHiggs ). The effect of varying $`m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}`$ on $`m_h`$ is up to $`\pm 2\mathrm{GeV}`$ . Within the RG result (program subhpole ) $`m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}`$ is fixed to $`m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}=M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$. Compared to the maximal values for $`m_h`$ (obtained for $`m_{\stackrel{~}{g}}0.8M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$) this leads to a reduction of the Higgs boson mass by up to $`0.5\mathrm{GeV}`$. Different values of $`X_t`$ are specified in eq. (2) for the results of the FD and the RG calculation, since within the two approaches the maximal values for $`m_h`$ are obtained for different values of $`X_t`$. This fact is partly due to the different renormalization schemes used in the two approaches .

The maximal values for $`m_h`$ as a function of $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ within the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario are higher by about 5 GeV than in the previous benchmark scenario. The constraints on $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ derived within the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario are thus more conservative than the ones based on the previous scenario.

The investigation of the constraints on $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ that can be obtained from the experimental search limits on $`m_h`$ has so far been based on the results for $`m_h`$ obtained within the RG approach . The recently obtained FD  result differs from the RG result by a more complete treatment of the one-loop contributions  and in particular by genuine non-logarithmic two-loop terms that go beyond the leading logarithmic two-loop contributions contained in the RG result . Comparing the FD result (program FeynHiggs) with the RG result (program subhpole) we find that the maximal value for $`m_h`$ as a function of $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ within the FD result is higher by up to 4 GeV.

In Fig. 1 we show both the effect of modifying the previous benchmark scenario to the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario and the impact of the new FD two-loop result on the prediction for $`m_h`$. The maximal value for the Higgs boson mass is plotted as a function of $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ for $`m_t=174.3`$ GeV and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1`$ TeV. The dashed curve displays the benchmark scenario, used up to now by the LEP collaborations . The dotted curve shows the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario. Both curves are based on the RG result (program subhpole). The solid curve corresponds to the FD result (program FeynHiggs) in the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario. The increase in the maximal value for $`m_h`$ by about $`4`$ GeV from the new FD result and by further 5 GeV if the benchmark scenario is replaced by the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario has a significant effect on exclusion limits for $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ derived from the Higgs boson search. Combining both effects, which of course have a very different origin, the maximal Higgs boson masses are increased by almost $`10\mathrm{GeV}`$ compared to the previous benchmark scenario.

From the FD result we find the upper bound of $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}129}`$ GeV in the region of large $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ within the MSSM for $`m_t=174.3\mathrm{GeV}`$ and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1`$ TeV. Higher values for $`m_h`$ are obtained if the experimental uncertainty in $`m_t`$ of currently $`\mathrm{\Delta }m_t=5.1\mathrm{GeV}`$ is taken into account and higher values are allowed for the top quark mass. As a rule of thumb, increasing $`m_t`$ by 1 GeV roughly translates into an upward shift of $`m_h`$ of 1 GeV. An increase of $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}`$ from 1 TeV to 2 TeV enhances $`m_h`$ by about 2 GeV in the large $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ region. As an extreme case, choosing $`m_t=184.5`$ GeV, i.e. two standard deviations above the current experimental central value, and using $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=2`$ TeV leads to an upper bound on $`m_h`$ of $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}141}`$ GeV within the MSSM.

## 3 The prospective upper $`m_h`$ reach of LEP

The four LEP experiments are very actively searching for the Higgs boson. Results presented recently by the LEP collaborations revealed no evidence of a SM Higgs boson signal in the data collected in 1999 at centre-of-mass energies of approximately 192, 196, 200 and 202 GeV. From the negative results of their searches ALEPH, DELPHI and L3 have therefore individually excluded a SM Higgs boson lighter than $``$101–106 $`\mathrm{GeV}`$ (at the 95% confidence level) .

Here we will present the expected exclusion reach of LEP assuming all the data taken by the four experiments in 1999 is combined. The ultimate exclusion reach of LEP – assuming no signal were found in the data to be collected in the year 2000 – will also be estimated for several hypothetical scenarios of luminosity and centre-of-mass energy. These results are then confronted with the theoretical MSSM upper limit on $`m_h(\mathrm{tan}\beta )`$ presented in Section 2, in order to establish to what extent the LEP data can probe the low $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ region. We recall that models in which b-$`\tau `$ Yukawa coupling unification at the GUT scale is imposed favor low $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ values, $`\mathrm{tan}\beta 2`$, which can severely be constrained experimentally by searches at LEP. Alternatively, such models can favor $`\mathrm{tan}\beta 40`$, a region which however can only be partly covered at LEP.

All experimental exclusion limits quoted in this section are implicitly meant at the 95% confidence level (CL).

It has been proposed  that the LEP-combined expected 95% CL lower bound on $`m_h`$, $`m_h^{95}`$, for a data set consisting of data accumulated at given centre-of-mass energies can be estimated by solving the equation

$$n(m_h^{95})=(\sigma _0_{eq})^\alpha ,$$
(3)   
where $`n(m_h^{95})`$ is the number of signal events produced at the 95% CL limit. The equivalent luminosity, $`_{eq}`$, is the luminosity that one would have to accumulate at the highest centre-of-mass energy in the data set in order to have the same sensitivity as in the real data set, where the data is split between several different $`\sqrt{s}`$ values. For a SM Higgs boson signal, the parameters $`\sigma _0`$ and $`\alpha `$ are $``$38 pb and $``$0.4, respectively . (These parameter values are obtained from a fit to the actual LEP-combined expected limits from $`\sqrt{s}=161`$ GeV up to $`\sqrt{s}=188.6`$ GeV .) The predicted $`m_h`$ limits obtained with this method are expected to approximate the more accurate combinations done by the LEP Higgs Working Group, with an uncertainty of the order of $`\pm `$ 0.3 $`\mathrm{GeV}`$.

Solving eq. (3) for the existing LEP data with 183 GeV $`\stackrel{<}{}\sqrt{s}\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}202}`$ GeV (Table 1) results in a predicted combined exclusion of $`m_h<108.2\mathrm{GeV}`$ for the SM Higgs boson (see Figure 2a).

Based on the current LEP operational experience, it is believed that in the year 2000 stable running is possible up to $`\sqrt{s}=206`$ GeV. Figure 2b demonstrates the impact of additional data collected at $`\sqrt{s}=206`$ GeV on the exclusion. For instance, if no evidence of a signal were found in the data, collecting 500 (1000) pb<sup>-1</sup> at this centre-of-mass energy would increase the $`m_h`$ limit to 113.0 (114.1) $`\mathrm{GeV}`$. Figure 2c shows the degradation in the sensitivity to a Higgs boson signal if the data in the year 2000 were accumulated at $`\sqrt{s}=205`$ GeV instead: in this case the luminosity required to exclude up to $`m_h=113\mathrm{GeV}`$ would be 840 pb<sup>-1</sup>.

In Table 2 the expected SM Higgs boson limit is shown for several possible LEP running scenarios in the year 2000. Taking into account that the experimental MSSM $`m_h`$ exclusion in the range $`0.5\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{tan}\beta \stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}3}`$ is (i) essentially independent of $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ and (ii) equal in value to the SM $`m_h`$ exclusion (see e.g. ), $`m_h^{95}`$ can be converted into an excluded $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ range in the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ benchmark scenario described in Section 2. This is done by intersecting the experimental exclusion and the solid curve in Figure 1. Using the LEP data taken until the end of 1999 (for which $`m_h^{95}=108.2\mathrm{GeV}`$) one can already expect to exclude $`0.6\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{tan}\beta \stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}1.9}`$ within the MSSM for $`m_t=174.3`$ GeV and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1`$ TeV. Note that in determining the excluded $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ regions in Table 2 the theoretical uncertainty from unknown higher-order corrections has been neglected. As can be seen from Table 2, several plausible scenarios for adding new data at higher energies can extend the exclusion to $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}113}\mathrm{GeV}`$ ($`0.5\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{tan}\beta \stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}2.4}`$).

## 4 The upper limit on $`m_h`$ in the M-SUGRA scenario

The M-SUGRA scenario is described by four independent parameters and a sign, namely the common squark mass $`M_0`$, the common gaugino mass $`M_{1/2}`$, the common trilinear coupling $`A_0`$, $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ and the sign of $`\mu `$. The universal parameters are fixed at the GUT scale, where we assumed unification of the gauge couplings. Then they are run down to the electroweak scale with the help of renormalization group equations . The condition of REWSB puts an upper bound on $`M_0`$ of about $`M_0\stackrel{<}{}`$ 5 TeV (depending on the values of the other four parameters).

In order to obtain a precise prediction for $`m_h`$ within the M-SUGRA scenario, we employ the complete two-loop RG running with appropriate thresholds (both logarithmic and finite for the gauge couplings and using the so called $`\theta `$-function approximation for the masses ) including full one-loop minimization conditions for the effective potential, in order to extract all the parameters of the M-SUGRA scenario at the EW scale. This method has been combined with the presently most precise result of $`m_h`$ based on a Feynman-diagrammatic calculation . This has been carried out by combining the codes of two programs namely, SUITY  and FeynHiggs .

In order to investigate the upper limit on the Higgs boson mass in the M-SUGRA scenario, we keep $`\mathrm{tan}\beta `$ fixed at a large value, $`\mathrm{tan}\beta =30`$. Concerning the sign of the Higgs mixing parameter, $`\mu `$, we find larger $`m_h`$ values (compatible with the constraints discussed below) for negative $`\mu `$ (in the convention of eq. (1)). In the following we analyze the upper limit on $`m_h`$ as a function of the other M-SUGRA parameters, $`M_0`$, $`M_{1/2}`$ and $`A_0`$. Our results are displayed in Fig. 3 for four values of $`A_0`$: $`A_0=0,500,1000,1500\mathrm{GeV}`$. We show contour lines of $`m_h`$ in the $`M_0M_{1/2}`$-plane. The numbers inside the plots indicate the lightest Higgs boson mass in the respective area within $`\pm 0.5\mathrm{GeV}`$. The upper bound on the lightest $`𝒞𝒫`$-even Higgs boson mass is found to be at most 127 GeV. This upper limit is reached for $`M_0500\mathrm{GeV}`$, $`M_{1/2}400\mathrm{GeV}`$ and $`A_0=1500\mathrm{GeV}`$. Concerning the analysis the following should be noted:

* We have chosen the current experimental central value for the top quark mass, $`m_t=174.3`$ GeV. As mentioned above, increasing $`m_t`$ by 1 GeV results in an increase of $`m_h`$ of approximately $`1\mathrm{GeV}`$.
* The M-SUGRA parameters are taken to be real, no SUSY $`𝒞𝒫`$-violating phases are assumed.
* We have chosen negative values for the trilinear coupling, because $`m_h`$ turns out to be increased by going from positive to negative values of $`A_0`$. $`|A_0|`$ is restricted from above by the condition that no negative squares of squark masses and no charge or color breaking minima appear.
* The regions in the $`M_0M_{1/2}`$-plane that are excluded for the following reasons are also indicated:

+ REWSB: parameter sets that do not fulfill the REWSB condition.
    + CCB: regions where charge or color breaking minima occur or negative squared squark masses are obtained at the EW scale.
    + LSP: sets where the lightest neutralino is not the LSP. Mostly there the lightest scalar tau becomes the LSP.
    + Chargino limit: parameter sets which correspond to a chargino mass that is already excluded by direct searches.
* We do not take into account the $`bs\gamma `$ constraint as the authors of Ref.  do. This could reduce the upper limit but still the experimental and theoretical uncertainties of this constraint are quite large.

## 5 Conclusions

We have analyzed the upper bound on $`m_h`$ within the MSSM. Using the Feynman-diagrammatic result for $`m_h`$, which contains new genuine two-loop corrections, leads to an increase of $`m_h`$ of up to $`4\mathrm{GeV}`$ compared to the previous result obtained by renormalization group methods. We have furthermore investigated the MSSM parameters for which the maximal $`m_h`$ values are obtained and have compared the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ scenario with the previous benchmark scenario. For $`m_t=174.3`$ GeV and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1`$ TeV we find $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}129}`$ GeV as upper bound in the MSSM. In case that no evidence of a Higgs signal is found before the end of running in 2000, experimental searches for the Higgs boson at LEP can ultimately be reasonably expected to exclude $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}113}\mathrm{GeV}`$. In the context of the $`m_h^{\mathrm{max}}`$ benchmark scenario (with $`m_t=174.3`$ GeV, $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1`$ TeV) this rules out the interval $`0.5\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{tan}\beta \stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}2.4}`$ at the 95% confidence level within the MSSM. Within the M-SUGRA scenario, the upper bound on $`m_h`$ is found to be $`m_h\stackrel{<}{}\mathrm{\hspace{0.33em}127}\mathrm{GeV}`$ for $`m_t=174.3\mathrm{GeV}`$. This upper limit is reached for the M-SUGRA parameters $`M_0500\mathrm{GeV}`$, $`M_{1/2}400\mathrm{GeV}`$ and $`A_0=1500\mathrm{GeV}`$. The upper bound within the M-SUGRA scenario is lower by 2 and 4 GeV than the bound obtained in the general MSSM for $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=1\mathrm{TeV}`$ and $`M_{\mathrm{SUSY}}=2\mathrm{TeV}`$, respectively.

## Acknowledgements

A.D. acknowledges financial support from the Marie Curie Research Training Grant ERB-FMBI-CT98-3438. A.D. would also like to thank Ben Allanach for useful discussions. P.T.D. would like to thank Jennifer Kile for providing the Standard Model Higgs boson production cross-sections. G.W. thanks C.E.M. Wagner for useful discussions.

## References