Right-handed sneutrino as cold dark matter of the Universe

Abstract

We consider the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) extended by introducing three right-handed (s)neutrinos to account for neutrino masses in the oscillation experiments. Assuming that the neutrino masses are purely Dirac type, the lightest right-handed sneutrino ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{R}$ can be the lightest superparticle (LSP), which is a good candidate of cold dark matter (CDM) of the Universe. We study the possibility of realizing ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{R}$-CDM, paying special attention to the production of ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{R}$ via decay of the next-to-lightest superparticle after its freeze-out time. It is shown that the late decay of the MSSM-LSP (the LSP among superparticles in the MSSM) can produce a sufficient amount of ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{R}$ to explain the observed dark matter density, and that the ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{R}$-CDM scenario can be realized in a wide range of parameter space. We also consider the constraint on the decay of MSSM-LSP from the big bang nucleosynthesis; we found that the case with stau being the MSSM-LSP is severely constrained.