title: Do electroweak precision data and Higgs-mass constraints rule out a scalar bottom quark with mass of order 5 GeV?
abstract: We study the implications of a scalar bottom quark, with a mass of O (5 GeV), within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. Light sbottoms may naturally appear for large tan(beta) and, depending on the decay modes, may have escaped experimental detection. We show that a light sbottom cannot be ruled out by electroweak precision data and the bound on the lightest CP-even Higgs-boson mass. We infer that a light b scenario requires a relatively light scalar top quark whose mass is typically about the top-quark mass. In this scenario the lightest Higgs boson decays predominantly into b pairs and obeys the mass bound m(h) less, similar 123 GeV.
authors.affiliation: Fermilab, Box 500, Batavia, Illinois 60510-0500, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carena
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heinemeyer
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weiglein