A Search for Heavy Stable and Long-Lived Squarks and Sleptons in e^+ e^- Collisions at Energies from 130 to 183 GeV

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for heavy, stable, or long-lived charged particles like squarks and sleptons in electron-positron collisions at energies between 130 and 183 GeV, setting limits on their production.

Contribution

It introduces a novel search method combining Cherenkov light detection and ionization loss measurements to identify heavy particles in collider data.

Findings

No evidence of heavy stable particles was observed.

Upper limits were established on production cross-sections.

Mass limits up to nearly 89 GeV/c^2 were set for certain particles.

Abstract

A search for stable and long-lived heavy charged particles used the data taken by the DELPHI experiment at energies from 130 to 183 GeV. The Cherenkov light detected in the Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector and the ionization loss measured in the Time Projection Chamber identify heavy particles from masses of 2 to nearly 89 GeV/c^2. Upper limits are given on the production cross-section and masses of sleptons, free squarks with a charge of $q = \pm 2/3e$ and hadronizing squarks.