Four-body decay of the lighter top squark constrained by the lighterCP-even Higgs boson mass bound

Abstract

We reinvestigated the parameter space allowing a large branching ratio (BR) of the 4-body decay of the lighter top squark (${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{t}}_{1}$) accessible at Tevatron Run-II by imposing the lighter $CP$-even Higgs boson mass (${m}_{{h}^{0}}$) bound from LEP. Important constraints were obtained in mSUGRA as well as in the unconstrained supersymmetric models. Our results show that the prospect of searching the lighter top squark via the 4-body decay mode, in particular, the $\ensuremath{\ell}+n\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{\text{jets}}+{\mathrm{E\ensuremath{\llap{\not\;}}}}_{T}$ signal, is not promising in mSUGRA due to the above bound on ${m}_{{h}^{0}}$. The existing bounds on ${m}_{{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{t}}_{1}}$ from Tevatron Run-I and LEP assuming 100% BR of the loop decay of ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{t}}_{1}$ are, therefore, valid to a good approximation. We also find that large BRs of the above 4-body decay are allowed in the unconstrained model over significant regions of parameter spaces and the possibility that this decay mode is the main discovery channel at Tevatron Run-II is open. We have briefly reviewed the theoretical uncertainties in the calculation of ${m}_{{h}^{0}}$ and their consequences for the constraints obtained by us. We have commented upon, with illustrative examples, how the above parameter space is affected if future experiments push the Higgs boson mass bound upward.