Perhaps scalar neutrinos are the lightest supersymmetric partners

Abstract

We consider the possibility that the scalar partners of the neutrinos are the least massive supersymmetric partners, and show that this alternative is compatible with cosmological constraints, which put a significant lower bound on photino masses but not on masses. Various consequences are examined: the photon counting rate for 0--> increases [Gamma](Z0) by about 0.25 GeV; may be enhanced; the decay <inl may be detectable; there can be additional contributions to the rare decay <inl; restrictions on gluino masses, which depend on photinos interacting before they decay, have to be re-examined; scalar neutrinos have suitable characteristics as candidates for dark matter in the universe. We discuss one currently fashionable class of models that can predicr a light .