SUPERSYMMETRIC NEUTRINO MASSES, R-SYMMETRIES, AND THE GENERALIZED MU-PROBLEM

In supersymmetric models a tree-level neutrino mass could originate fr om the (weak-scale) superpotential. We propose and examine a realizati on of that idea, which arises naturally in the framework of a spontane ously broken U(1) R-symmetry. The solution to the neutrino mass proble m could shed light in this framework on the possible resolution of the mu-problem. Furthermore, the suppression of the neutrino mass in comp arison to the weak scale arises dynamically and need not be encoded in the superpotential. The latter mechanism operates, for example, in un iversal models for the soft supersymmetry breaking terms. Phenomenolog ical and cosmological implications of the model are also discussed, so me of which are shown to hold more generally. We also note that future signatures could include observable enhancement of dijet and multijet production rates and a correlation between the supersymmetric and neu trino spectra.