CHARGED-HIGGS-BOSON DISCOVERY POTENTIAL AT A 500-GEV E(+)E(-) LINEAR COLLIDER

The discovery potential for charged Higgs bosons has been studied with full-statistics background simulations for root s = 500 GeV and L = 10 fb(-1). For the hadronic decay channels H+H- --> c<(sc)over bar>s, t<(bt)over bar>b, a microvertex detector is crucial for establishing a signal over the e(+)e(-) --> <t(t)over bar> background. A combination with a search in the channels H+H- --> <c(s)over bar>tau(-)nu, tau(+)nu tau(-)<(nu)over bar> allows detection sensitivity for charged Higgs bosons up to a mass of about 210 GeV, independent of the charged Higgs decay modes. Sensitivity regions in the m(A)-tan beta parameter space of the Minimal Supersymmetric extention of the Standard Model (MSSM) are given.