Searches for R-Parity Violating Decays of Gauginos at 183 GeV at LEP

Abstract

Searches for pair-produced charginos and neutralinos with R-parity violating decays have been performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 56 pb-1 collected with the OPAL detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. An important consequence of R-parity violation is that the lightest supersymmetric particle becomes unstable. The searches have been performed under the assumptions that the lightest supersymmetric particle promptly decays and that only one R-parity violating coupling is dominant for each of the decay modes considered. Such processes would yield multiple leptons, leptons plus jets, or multiple jets with or without significant missing energy in the final state. No excess of such events above Standard Model backgrounds has been observed. Limits are presented on the production cross-sections of gauginos in R-parity violating scenarios. Limits are also presented in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.