Constraints on supersymmetric models from catalytic primordial nucleosynthesis of beryllium

The catalysis of nuclear reactions by negatively charged relics leads to increased outputs of primordial Li-6 and Be-9. In combination with observational constraints on the primordial fractions of Li-6 and Be-9, this imposes strong restrictions on the primordial abundance and the lifetime of charged relics. We analyze the constraints from the catalysis of Be-9 on supersymmetric models in which the gravitino is the lightest supersymmetric particle and a charged slepton-such as the lighter stau-the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP). Barring the special cases in which the primordial fraction of the slepton NLSP is significantly depleted, we find that the Be-9 data require a slepton NLSP lifetime of less than 6 x 10(3) s. We also address the issue of the catalytic destruction of Li-6 and Be-9 by late-forming bound states of protons with negatively charged relics, finding that it does not lead to any significant modification of the limit on the slepton lifetime.