Minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM)

The Minimal supersymmetric Standard Model is the supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with two Higgs doublets and the minimal superpartner field content needed for a renormalizable theory.

With hypercharge normalized by $Q_{\mathrm{em}}=T_3+Y$, the renormalizable R-parity-conserving MSSM superpotential is $W=(y_u{)}_{ij}{U}_i^c(Q_j\cdot H_u)+(y_d{)}_{ij}{D}_i^c(Q_j\cdot H_d)+(y_e{)}_{ij}{E}_i^c(L_j\cdot H_d)+\mu H_u\cdot H_d$, with $A\cdot B={ϵ}_{ab}{A}^a{B}^b$. Additional renormalizable R-parity violation allows $\frac{1}{2}{\lambda }_{ijk}(L_i\cdot L_j)E_k^c+{\lambda }_{ijk}^{\prime }(L_i\cdot Q_j)D_k^c+\frac{1}{2}{\lambda }_{ijk}^{\prime \prime }{ϵ}_{abc}{U}_i^{c,a}{D}_j^{c,b}{D}_k^{c,c}+{\kappa }_i{L}_i\cdot H_u$. The two antisymmetries are ${\lambda }_{ijk}=-{\lambda }_{jik}$ and ${\lambda }_{ijk}^{\prime \prime }=-{\lambda }_{ikj}^{\prime \prime }$. The first, second and fourth additional terms violate lepton number; the third violates baryon number.

For the MSSM superfield representations augmented by singlet right-handed neutrino chiral superfields $N_i$, the homogeneous cubic gauge-invariant superpotential contains the four Yukawa structures $Q{H}_{u}U$, $Q{H}_{d}D$, $L{H}_{d}E$, $L{H}_{u}N$ and the additional structures $LLE$, $LQD$, $UDD$, $N{H}_d{H}_u$, $NNN$. Weak-doublet pairs contract with the antisymmetric two-index tensor; $UDD$ contracts with the color three-index tensor. Consequently the $LLE$ coefficient is antisymmetric in its two $L$ indices, the $UDD$ coefficient in its two $D$ indices, and the $NNN$ coefficient symmetric. With $L(N)=-1$, the last five structures violate baryon number or lepton number, whereas the first four conserve both. Singlet fields must not be omitted when classifying a general cubic superpotential.

The MSSM permits a supersymmetric Higgs mass $\mu$, whose natural size is not fixed by soft supersymmetry breaking. Weak-scale symmetry breaking requires it to be comparable to the soft scale rather than a much larger fundamental scale. Superpotential non-renormalization protects a chosen small value radiatively but does not explain that choice; relating its generation to the breaking mechanism addresses the mu problem.

// Target: supersymmetry.bigb

A renormalizable MSSM superpotential is a holomorphic function of chiral superfields and cannot use their conjugates. Gauge-invariant up-type Yukawa couplings require $H_u$ of hypercharge $+1/2$, while down-type and charged-lepton Yukawa couplings require $H_d$ of hypercharge $-1/2$. A single doublet and its conjugate cannot play both roles in the superpotential. This is distinct from higgsino anomaly cancellation.

A single weak-doublet higgsino of hypercharge $+1/2$ contributes $1/4$ to the cubic hypercharge gauge anomaly, $1/4$ to the weak-squared hypercharge coefficient with fundamental index $1/2$, and $1$ to the mixed gauge-gravitational anomaly. A second Higgs chiral doublet of opposite hypercharge cancels all three through its higgsino. The pair also contributes an even number of weak doublets, avoiding a new Witten SU(2) anomaly. Higgs complex scalar fields do not cancel chiral fermion gauge anomalies.

A Higgs chiral doublet is a weak-doublet chiral superfield containing a Higgs complex scalar field, a higgsino and an auxiliary field. In the MSSM, $H_u$ has hypercharge $+1/2$ and $H_d$ has hypercharge $-1/2$. Their paired charges enable higgsino anomaly cancellation and the holomorphic need for two Higgs chiral doublets.

In the MSSM, each fermion generation has chiral superfields $Q:(3,2,1/6)$, $U^c:(\bar{3},1,-2/3)$, $D^c:(\bar{3},1,1/3)$, $L:(1,2,-1/2)$, and $E^c:(1,1,1)$. This uses hypercharge normalized by $Q_{\mathrm{electric}}=T^3+Y$ and only left-handed Weyl spinors. Two Higgs chiral doublets have charges $\pm 1/2$. The three vector superfields transform as $(8,1,0)$, $(1,3,0)$ and $(1,1,0)$, supplying the gauge bosons and gauginos.

With canonical tree-level global supersymmetry, neutral F-term breaking and no D-term mass shifts, the tree-level supertrace mass sum rule applies in conserved electric and color charge blocks. The corresponding scalar squared-mass average equals the fermion squared-mass average, so not every scalar partner can lie above that average. This obstructs making every squark heavy through direct canonical visible-sector breaking while retaining light quarks. Effective soft supersymmetry breaking, noncanonical interactions, radiative effects or supergravity invalidate the assumptions of that argument.

R-parity is the multiplicative quantum number $R_p=(-1{)}^{3(B-L)+2s}$. Standard Model particles are even and their superpartners are odd.

Matter parity assigns odd parity to the quark and lepton chiral superfields and even parity to the Higgs chiral doublets and gauge superfields. It is related to component R-parity by $R_p=P_M(-1{)}^{2s}$. The Lorentz-invariant action contains an even number of fermions, so conserved matter parity is equivalent to conserved R-parity. Products of four matter superfields can be even while violating baryon number; matter parity alone does not exclude higher-dimensional proton-decay operators.

Matter parity assigns $-1$ to every matter chiral superfield, including a singlet $N$ describing a conjugate right-handed neutrino, and $+1$ to Higgs chiral superfields. Thus the quadratic superpotential term $\frac{1}{2}{M}_{ij}{N}_i{N}_j$ is even, although it changes lepton number by two. The higher-degree operators $QQQL$ and $(L{H}_u{)}^2$ are also even and violate baryon number or lepton number. Exact R-parity therefore forbids the renormalizable trilinear violations $LLE$, $LQD$, $UDD$, $N{H}_d{H}_u$, $NNN$, but does not imply conservation of these continuous charges in every allowed interaction.

R-parity violation permits interactions containing an odd number of superpartners. Renormalizable R-parity-violating interactions can violate lepton number or baryon number, and allowing both generically induces rapid proton decay.

Simultaneous trilinear baryon number and lepton number violation permits a squark to connect the two interactions and induce a dimension-six proton-decay operator. Its coefficient is of order ${\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime }/m_{\tilde{q}}^2$. A dimensional decay-width estimate then gives ${\Gamma }_p\sim |{\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime }{|}^2{m}_p^5/m_{\tilde{q}}^4$, up to phase space and hadronic matrix elements. The flavor antisymmetry of $U^c{D}^c{D}^c$ matters: the two down-type flavor indices must differ. For example, ${\lambda }_{112}^{\prime \prime }$ and ${\lambda }_{112}^{\prime }$ allow strange-squark exchange in $p\to e^{+}{\pi }^0$.

The R-parity violation vertices from $LQD$ and $UDD$ can both contain the same down-type squark. Write its linear couplings as $-\tilde{d}A-{\tilde{d}}^{\ast }{A}^{†}$ and its mass term as $-M^2|\tilde{d}{|}^2$. Eliminating it gives $A^{†}A/M^2$. The cross term is $({\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime \ast }/M^2)(\nu d_L-e{u}_L)(u^{c†}{d}^{c†})+h.c.$, with the color Levi-Civita symbol contracting the three quarks. It changes baryon number and lepton number together and supplies the dimension-six proton-decay operator for $p\to e^{+}{\pi }^0$. The two down-flavor indices in $UDD$ must differ, so strange- or bottom-squark exchange is allowed but identical down flavors vanish.

Exchanging a down-type squark of mass $M$ between $LQD$ and $UDD$ vertices produces a dimension-six effective operator with coefficient $C\sim {\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime }/M^2$. Dimensional analysis then gives a proton decay width ${\Gamma }_p=c_h|{\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime }{|}^2{m}_p^5/M^4$, with a dimensionless factor $c_h$ containing hadronic matrix elements and phase space. A lifetime bound ${\tau }_p>{\tau }_{\min }$ implies $|{\lambda }^{\prime }{\lambda }^{\prime \prime }|<M^2/\sqrt{c_h{\tau }_{\min }{m}_p^5}$. The bound is on the relevant flavour product and depends on the exchanged mass; dimensional analysis alone does not determine $c_h$.

In the MSSM, superpartners change the three Standard Model gauge beta functions so that the inverse gauge couplings meet accurately near $2\times 10^{16}$ GeV, up to threshold and higher-loop corrections. The corresponding Standard Model one-loop lines miss a common intersection.