Vacuum stability and the MSSM Higgs mass:
Supersymmetry is a leading candidate for beyond-Standard Model physics. A crucial requirement for supersymmetry to be realized is that it does not lead to the catastrophic destruction of the universe, which can occur if the theory contains new lowest-energy vacuum states that are deeper than the one that we live in. As reported in the Journal of High Energy Physics (2014), TRIUMF theorists investigated the implications of this vacuum stability condition on the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) by studying the vacuum structure of the theory as well as the quantum transition rates between vacuum states. A close connection was found between the stability of the Universe, the observed mass of the Higgs boson, and the properties of the supersymmetric partner particles of the top quarks which are currently being searched for with CERN's Large Hadron Collider.