Electroweak Precision Data, Light Sleptons and Stability of the SUSY Scalar Potential

Abstract

The light slepton-sneutrino scenario with non-universal scalar masses at the GUT scale is preferred by the electroweak precision data. Though a universal soft breaking mass at or below the Plank scale can produce the required non-universality at the GUT scale through running, such models are in conflict with the stability of the electroweak symmetry breaking vacuum. If the supergravity motivated idea of a common scalar mass at some high scale along with light sleptons is supported by future experiments that may indicate that we are living in a false vacuum. In contrast SO(10) D-terms, which may arise if this GUT group breaks down directly to the Standard Model, can lead to this spectrum with many striking phenomenological predictions, without jeopardizing vacuum stability.