New constraints on supergravity models from b-->s gamma.

Abstract

We perform a detailed study of the constraints from $b\to s\gamma$ on a large class of supergravity models, including generic four-parameter supergravity models, the minimal $SU(5)$ supergravity model, and $SU(5)\times U(1)$ supergravity. For each point in the parameter spaces of these models we obtain a range of $B(b\to s\gamma)$ values which should conservatively account for the unknown next-to-leading-order QCD corrections. We then classify these points into three categories: ``excluded" points have ranges of $B(b\to s\gamma)$ which do not overlap with the experimentally allowed range, ``preferred" points have $B(b\to s\gamma)$ ranges which overlap with the Standard Model prediction, and ``Ok" points are neither ``excluded" nor ``preferred" but may become ``excluded" should new CLEO data be consistent with the Standard Model prediction. In {\em all} cases we observe a strong tendency for the ``preferred" points towards one sign of the Higgs mixing parameter $\mu$. For the opposite sign of $\mu$ there is an upper bound on $\tan\beta$: $\tan\beta\lsim25$ in general, and $\tan\beta\lsim6$ for the ``preferred" points. We conclude that new CLEO data will provide a decisive test of supergravity models.