Testing the Higgs sector of the minimal supersymmetric standard model at large hadron colliders

Abstract

We study the Higgs sector of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, in the context of proton-proton collisions at LHC and SSC energies. We assume a relatively heavy supersymmetric particle spectrum, and include recent results on one-loop radiative corrections to Higgs-boson masses and couplings. We begin by discussing present and future constraints from the LEP experiments. We then compute branching ratios and total widths for the neutral ($h,H,A$) and charged ($H^\\pm$) Higgs particles. We present total cross-sections and event rates for the important discovery channels at the LHC and SSC. Promising physics signatures are given by $h \\to \\gamma \\gamma$, $H \\to \\gamma \\gamma$ or $Z^* Z^*$ or $\\tau^+ \\tau^-$, $A \\to \\tau^+ \\tau^-$, and $t \\to b H^+$ followed by $H^+ \\to \\tau^+ \\nu_{\\tau}$, which should allow for an almost complete coverage of the parameter space of the model.