Search for charginos in e+e- interactions at sqrt(s) = 189 GeV

An update of the searches for charginos and gravitinos is presented, based on a data sample corresponding to the 158 pb^{-1} recorded by the DELPHI detector in 1998, at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. No evidence for a signal was found. The lower mass limits are 4-5 GeV/c^2 higher than those obtained at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. The (\mu,M_2) MSSM domain excluded by combining the chargino searches with neutralino searches at the Z resonance implies a limit on the mass of the lightest neutralino which, for a heavy sneutrino, is constrained to be above 31.0 GeV/c^2 for tan(beta) \geq 1.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figure

Updated precision measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons

The measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons using inclusively reconstructed secondary vertices has been updated using both an improved processing of previous data and additional statistics from new data. This has reduced the statistical and systematic uncertainties and gives \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.582 \pm 0.011\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.027\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.} Combining this result with the previous result based on charged particle impact parameter distributions yields \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.575 \pm 0.010\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.026\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.

A measurement of B+ and B0 lifetimes using Mathematical expression events

A measurement of B meson lifetimes is presented using data collected from 1991 to 1993 by the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider. Samples of events with a D meson and a lepton in the same jet are selected where {Mathematical expression} and D*ℓ+ events originate mainly from the semileptonic decays of B+ and B0 mesons, respectively. From the reconstructed B decay length and the estimated B momentum, taking into account the dilution due to B decays into {Mathematical expression}, the following B meson lifetimes and lifetime ratio are measured: {Mathematical expression} and an average lifetime of B+ and B0 mesons is obtained: {Mathematical expression} © 1995 Springer-Verlag

Search for pair-produced neutralinos in events with photons and missing energy from e+e- collisions at √s=130-183 GeV

The events with two photons and missing (transverse) energy collected by the DELPHI detector at centre-of-mass energies between 130 GeV and 183 GeV have been studied to search for processes of the type e+e- → YY with the subsequent decay Y → Xγ, where X is an undetectable neutral particle. Reactions of this kind are expected in supersymmetric models, where the Y particle can be either the lightest neutralino, decaying to a photon and a gravitino, or the next-to-lightest neutralino, decaying to a photon and the lightest neutralino. To study the case of long-lived Y particles, a search for single-photon events with the reconstructed photon axis pointing far from the beam interaction region has also been performed. No evidence for a deviation from Standard Model expectations has been observed in the data and upper limits have been derived on the signal cross-section as a function of the the X and Y masses and of the Y mean decay path