Limits on Sparticle Dark Matter

Abstract

Arguments are given that the lightest supersymmetric particle should be a neutralino $\chi$. Minimizing the fine tuning of the gauge hierarchy favours $\Omega_{\chi} h^2 \sim 0.1$. There are important constraints on the parameter space of the MSSM from the stability of the electroweak vacuum. Co-annihilation with the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle is potentially significant. Incorporating the latest accelerator constraints from LEP and elsewhere, we find that 50 GeV $\lappeq m_\chi \lappeq$ 600 GeV and $\tan\beta \gappeq$ 2.5, if soft supersymmetry breaking parameters are assumed to be universal.