Implications of a Large $B_s \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-$ Branching Fraction for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

Abstract

Very recently, the CDF Collaboration reported the first non-zero measurement of the $B_s \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-$ branching fraction. The central value of this measurement is more than 5 times of that predicted in the Standard Model and, if confirmed, would indicate the existence of new physics. We consider the implications of this measurement for the specific case of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), and find that it requires large values of $\tan \beta$ ($\gsim 30$) and favors moderate values for the masses of the heavy higgs bosons ($m_A, m_H \sim 300-1200$ GeV). We also discuss the implications of this measurement for neutralino dark matter, finding that (within the MSSM) regions of parameter space in which the lightest neutralino can efficiently annihilate through the pseudoscalar higgs resonance (the $A$-funnel region) are favored.