Search for the Production of Scalar Bottom Quarks in p anti-p Collisions at s**(1/2) =1.96 TeV

We report on a search for direct scalar bottom quark (sbottom) pair production in p anti-p collisions at s**(1/2) = 1.96 TeV, in events with large missing transverse energy and two jets of hadrons in the final state, where at least one of the jets is required to be identified as originating from a b quark. The study uses a CDF Run II data sample corresponding to 2.65 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. The data are in agreement with the standard model. In an R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric scenario, and assuming that the sbottom decays exclusively into a bottom quark and a neutralino, 95% confidence-level upper limits on the sbottom pair production cross section of 0.1 pb are obtained. For neutralino masses below 70 GeV/c2, sbottom masses up to 230 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% confidence level.