Limits on Sparticle Dark Matter

Abstract

Arguments are given that the lightest supersymmetric particle should be a neutralino $χ$. Minimizing the fine tuning of the gauge hierarchy favours $Ω_χ h^2 \sim 0.1$. There are important constraints on the parameter space of the MSSM from the stability of the electroweak vacuum. Co-annihilation with the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle is potentially significant. Incorporating the latest accelerator constraints from LEP and elsewhere, we find that 50 GeV $\lappeq m_χ\lappeq$ 600 GeV and $\tanβ\gappeq$ 2.5, if soft supersymmetry breaking parameters are assumed to be universal.

13 pages LaTeX, uses aipproc.sty (included), 9 eps figures, talk presented at COSMO 98, Asilomar, California, November 1998