SUPERSYMMETRY BREAKING AND DARK MATTER

We explore the possibility of neutralino dark matter in minimal SUSY GUT models. We emphasize the use of accurate formulae for the squark and slepton masses, and perform our calculations in a general supersymmetry breaking scenario. We find that the prospects for dark matter are largely determined by the ratio of the universal gaugino mass (m1/2) to the universal scalar mass (m0), zeta = m1/2/m0. For zeta << 1, both light (< M(W)) and heavy (> M(W)) dark matter candidates exist, while for zeta almost-equal-to 1 mainly the heavy candidates survive. For zeta >> 1, consistency constraints of the model eliminate most dark matter candidates.