Searches for Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking Topologies in e+e- collisions at LEP2

In gauge-mediated supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking (GMSB) models the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is the gravitino and the phenomenology is driven by the nature of the next-to-lightest SUSY particle (NLSP) which is either the lightest neutralino, the stau or mass degenerate sleptons. Since the NLSP decay length is effectively unconstrained, searches for all possible lifetime and NLSP topologies predicted by GMSB models in e+e- collisions are performed on the data sample collected by OPAL at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV at LEP. Results independent of the NLSP lifetime are presented for all relevant final states including direct NLSP pair-production and, for the first time, also NLSP production via cascade decays of heavier SUSY particles. None of the searches shows evidence for SUSY particle production. Cross-section limits are presented at the 95% confidence level both for direct NLSP production and for cascade decays, providing the most general, almost model independent results. These results are then interpreted in the framework of the minimal GMSB (mGMSB) model, where large areas of the accessible parameter space are excluded. In the mGMSB model, the NLSP masses are constrained to be larger than 53.5 GeV/c^2, 87.4 GeV/c^2 and 91.9 GeV/c^2 in the neutralino, stau and slepton co-NLSP scenarios, respectively. A complete scan on the parameters of the mGMSB model is performed, constraining the universal SUSY mass scale Lambda from the direct SUSY particle searches: Lambda > 40, 27, 21, 17, 15 TeV/c^2 for messenger indices N=1, 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively, for all NLSP lifetimes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Proceedings of SUSY06, the 14th International Conference on Supersymmetry and the Unification of Fundamental Interactions, UC Irvine, California, 12-17 June 200

Inclusive Jet Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at (see)\sqrt(s_{ee}) from 189 to 209 GeV

Inclusive jet production (e(+)e(-) -> e(+)e(-) + jet + X) is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e(+)e(-) centre-of-mass energies root s(ee) from 189 to 209 GeV. Jets are reconstructed using the k(perpendicular to) jet algorithm. The inclusive differential cross-section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum, p(T)(jet), in the range 5 < p(T)(jet) < 40 GeV for pseudo-rapidities, eta(jet), in the range - 1.5 < eta(jet) < 1.5. The results are compared to predictions of perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved