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 ⁶Li and ⁹Be. In combination with observational constraints on the primordial fractions of ⁶Li and ⁹Be, this imposes strong restrictions on the primordial abundance and the lifetime of charged relics. We analyze the constraints from the catalysis of ⁹Be 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 ⁹Be data require a slepton NLSP lifetime of less than 6 × 10³s. We also address the issue of the catalytic destruction of ⁶Li and ⁹Be 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.