Electroweak precision data, light sleptons and stability of the SUSY scalar potential

The light slepton-sneutrino scenario with nonuniversal scalar masses at the GUT scale is preferred by the electroweak precision data. Though a universal soft breaking mass at or below the Plank scale can produce the required nonuniversality at the GUT scale through running, such models are in conflict with the stability of the electroweak symmetry breaking vacuum. If the supergravity motivated idea of a common scalar mass at some high scale along with light sleptons is supported by future experiments that may indicate that we are living in a false vacuum. In contrast SO(10) D-terms, which may arise if this GUT group breaks down directly to the Standard Model, can lead to this spectrum with many striking phenomenological predictions, without jeopardizing vacuum stability. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.