Constraints on R-parity violating supersymmetry from leptonic and semileptonic tau, B_d and B_s decays

We put constraints on several products of R-parity violating lambda lambda' and lambda' lambda' type couplings from leptonic and semileptonic tau, B_d and B_s decays. Most of them are one to two orders of magnitude better than the existing bounds, and almost free from theoretical uncertainties. A significant improvement of these bounds can be made in high luminosity tau-charm or B factories.Comment: 14 pages, latex. A few references added, two typos corrected. Version to be published in Physical Review

U(1) prime dark matter and R-parity violation

Attempts to understand physics beyond the Standard Model must face many phenomenological constraint, from recent Z{sup {degree}} data, neutral current measurements, cosmology and astrophysics, neutrino experiments, tests of lepton-and baryon-number conservation and CP violation, and many other ongoing experiments. The most interesting models are those which are allowed by current data, but offer predictions which can soon be experimentally confirmed or refuted. Two classes of such models are explored in this dissertation. The first, containing an extra U(1){prime} gauge group, has a dark matter candidate which could soon be detected. The second, incorporating supersymmetry with R-parity violation, predicts rare Z{sup {degree}} decays at LEP; some of these models can already be ruled out by LEP data and gluino searches at the Tevatron. 54 refs., 31 figs