Spontaneous CP Violation in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

Abstract

We re-examine spontaneous $\cp$ violation (SCPV) at the tree level in the context of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM) with two Higgs doublets and a gauge singlet field. We analyse the most general Higgs potential without a discrete $Z_3$ symmetry, and derive an upper bound on the mass of the lightest neutral Higgs boson. We estimate $\epsi_K$ by applying the mass insertion approximation, finding that in order to account for the for the observed $\cp$ violation in the neutral kaon sector a non-trivial flavour structure in the soft-breaking $A$ terms is required and that the upper bound on the lightest Higgs-boson mass becomes stronger. We also discuss the implications of electric dipole moments of the electron and the neutron in SUSY models with SCPV.