FCNC-induced heavy-quark events at the LHC from supersymmetry

We analyze the production and subsequent decay of the neutral Higgs bosons h≡h0,H0,A0 of the MSSM into electrically neutral quark pairs of different flavors (qq′≡tc,bs, depending on h) at the LHC, i.e. σ(pp→h→qq′), and compare with the direct FCNC production mechanisms σ(pp→qq′). The cross-sections are computed in the unconstrained MSSM with minimal flavor-mixing sources and taking into account the stringent bounds from b→sγ. We extend the results previously found for these FCNC processes, which are singularly uncommon in the SM. Specifically, we report here on the SUSY-EW part of σ(pp→h→qq′) and the SUSY-QCD and SUSY-EW contributions to σ(pp→bs). In this way, the complete map of MSSM predictions for the qq′-pairs produced at the LHC becomes available. The upshot is that the most favorable channels are: (1) the Higgs boson FCNC decays into bs, and (2) the direct production of tc pairs, both of them at the ∼1 pb level and mediated by SUSY-QCD effects. If, however, the SUSY-QCD part is suppressed, we find a small SUSY-EW yield for σ(pp→h→tc)max∼10−4 pb but, at the same time, σ(pp→h→bs)max∼0.1-1 pb, which implies a significant number (∼104-105) of bs pairs per 100 fb−1 of integrated luminosity.