Intermediate mass Higgs bosons at TeV $e\gamma$ colliders in the $\mathcal{MSSM}$

Abstract

We study the cross sections for the production of intermediate mass Higgs bosons via the reactions $e^{-}\gamma \to {\nu }_e{W}^{-}{\Phi }^0$, $e^{-}\gamma \to {\nu }_e{H}^{-}{\Phi }^0$, $e^{-}\gamma \to e^{-}{Z}^0{\Phi }^0$ and $e^{-}\gamma \to e^{-}{H}^{+}{H}^{-}$ in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (with ${\Phi }^0=H^0,h^0$ and, where possible, $A^0$) at TeV energies, taking into account $b$--tagging capabilities. We find that the rates for $e^{-}\gamma \to {\nu }_e{W}^{-}{\Phi }^0$ are large enough to permit the discovery of at least one between $h^0$ and $H^0$ over the whole intermediate mass range of $M_{A^0}$, at all $\tan \beta$, using the $(jj)(b\bar{b})$ final state. The $\mathcal{C}\mathcal{P}$-odd neutral $A^0$ and the charged $H^{\pm }$'s can be detected via the processes $e^{-}\gamma \to {\nu }_e{H}^{-}{A}^0$, with $A^0\to b\bar{b}$, and $e^{-}\gamma \to e^{-}{H}^{+}{H}^{-}$, resorting to the leptonic decay $H^{\pm }\to {\nu }_{\tau }{\tau }^{+}({\bar{\nu }}_{\tau }{\tau }^{-})$, but only for $M_{A^0}\approx 60$ GeV. Finally, we present explicit formulae for the helicity amplitudes of these processes.

Comments: 24 pages and 9 figures (figs.1-4 included, figs.5-9 will be sent on request), LaTex file (uses Feynman.tex), Turin Univ. preprint DFTT 79/93 (Some control sequences undefined in previous version have been added)