Decay H^+ -> W^+ gamma in a nonlinear R_xi-gauge

Abstract

A new evaluation of the charged Higgs boson decay $H^+ -> W^+\gamma$ is presented in the context of the general two-Higgs doublet model. A nonlinear $R_\xi$-gauge which considerably simplifies the calculation is introduced and simple expressions are obtained for the fermionic and bosonic contributions. The $H^+ -> W^+\gamma$ branching ratio is analyzed for several values of the parameters of the model. Although this decay can have a branching fraction as large as $10^{-4}$ in a certain region of the parameter space, it is found that such a region is disfavored by the most recent constraints on $b -> s\gamma$, $g-2$ of the muon, $Z -> b \bar b$, and the $\rho$ parameter, along with the exclusions from direct searches at the CERN $e^-e^+$ LEP collider. The possibility of detecting this decay at future colliders is discussed.