A Search for Selectrons and Squarks at HERA

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for selectrons and squarks at HERA using electron-proton collision data, setting new mass bounds for these supersymmetric particles in the minimal supersymmetric model.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental bounds on selectron and squark masses at HERA, extending previous limits within the minimal supersymmetric framework.

Findings

No signal observed for selectrons and squarks.

Excluded mass regions up to 65 GeV for selectrons and squarks.

Excluded lightest supersymmetric particle mass up to 40 GeV.

Abstract

Data from electron-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 300 GeV are used for a search for selectrons and squarks within the framework of the minimal supersymmetric model. The decays of selectrons and squarks into the lightest supersymmetric particle lead to final states with an electron and hadrons accompanied by large missing energy and transverse momentum. No signal is found and new bounds on the existence of these particles are derived. At 95% confidence level the excluded region extends to 65 GeV for selectron and squark masses, and to 40 GeV for the mass of the lightest supersymmetric particle.