Supersymmetric Effects in Deep Inelastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

Abstract

We compute the supersymmetric (SUSY) contributions to neutrino (antineutrino)-nucleus deep inelastic scattering in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We consider the ratio of neutral current to charged current cross sections, $R_{\nu}$ and $R_{\bar \nu}$, and compare with the deviations of these quantities from the Standard Model predictions implied by the recent NuTeV measurement. After performing a model-independent analysis, we find that SUSY loop corrections generally have the opposite sign from the NuTeV anomaly. We discuss one scenario in which a right-sign effect arises, and show that it is ruled out by other precision data. We also study for R parity-violating (RPV) contributions. Although RPV effects could, in principle, reproduce the NuTeV anomaly, such a possibility is also ruled out by other precision electroweak measurements.