Higgs boson theory and phenomenology mass measurements and nuclear physics: Recent results from ISOLTRAP

Precision electroweak data presently-favors a weakly-coupled Higgs sector as the mechanism responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking. Low-energy supersymmetry provides a natural framework for weakly-coupled elementary scalars. In this review, we summarize the theoretical properties of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson and the Higgs sector of the minimal super-symmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM). We then survey the phenomenology of the SM and MSSM Higgs bosons at the Tevatron, LHC and a future e**+e**- linear collider. We focus on the Higgs discovery potential of present and future colliders and stress the importance of precision measurements of Higgs boson properties. 459 Refs.31 The Penning trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP is a facility for high- precision mass measurements of short-lived radioactive nuclei installed at ISOLDE/CERN in Geneva. More than 200 masses have been measured with relative uncertainties of 1 multiplied by 10**-**7 or even close to 1 multiplied by 10**-**8 in special cases. This publication gives an overview of the measurements performed with ISOLTRAP and discusses some results. 32 Refs.