We investigate the expectations for the light Higgs signal in the minimal supersymmetric standard model in different search channels at the LHC. After taking into account dark matter and flavor constraints in the minimal supersymmetric standard model with 11 free parameters as well as LHC results on the Higgs sector, we show that the light Higgs signal in the $\gamma \gamma$ channel is expected to be at most at the level of the standard model Higgs, while the $h\to b\overline{b}$ from $W$ fusion and/or the $h\to \tau \overline{\tau }$ can be enhanced. For the main discovery mode, we show that a strong suppression of the signal occurs in two different cases: low $M_A$ or large invisible width. The former is however strongly constrained by the recent LHC results. A more modest suppression is associated with the effect of light supersymmetric particles. Looking for such modification of the Higgs properties and searching directly for supersymmetric partners and pseudoscalar Higgs offer two complementary probes of supersymmetry at the LHC.

• Received 29 December 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.85.115013