MSSM Higgs-boson production at the linear collider: dominant corrections to the WW-fusion channel

Abstract

In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) we calculate the corrections to neutral CP -even Higgs-boson production in the WW-fusion and Higgs-strahlung channel, e +e −→ ν ̄ ν{h,H} , at a future linear collider, taking into account all O(α) corrections arising from loops of fermions and sfermions. For the production of the lightest MSSM Higgs boson, h, we find genuine loop corrections (beyond the universal Higgs propagator corrections) of up to −5%. For the heavy CP -even neutral Higgs boson, H, which shows decoupling behavior at tree level, we find non-negligible corrections that can enhance the cross section considerably in parts of the MSSM parameter space. At a center-of-mass energy of s =1000 GeV, heavy CP -even Higgs-boson masses of up to M H ≲700 GeV are accessible at the linear collider in favorable regions of the MSSM parameter space.