Light Neutralino in the MSSM: a playground for dark matter, flavor physics and collider experiments

Abstract: We investigate the constraints to the light neutralino dark matter scenario in the minimal supersymmetric standard model from available experimental observations such as decays of B and K meson, relic dark matter abundance, and the search for neutralino and Higgs production at colliders. We find that two regions of the MSSM parameter space fulfill all the constraints: a fine-tuned strip with large tan beta where the lightest neutralino can be as light as 8 GeV, and a low tan beta region providing a neutralino mass larger than 16 GeV. The large tan beta strip, which can be compatible with recently reported signals from direct detection experiments, can be fully tested by means of low-energy observables and, in particular, by B_s -> mu mu and Higgs bosons searches at the LHC within the upcoming months.