Search for charged Higgs bosons in e+e- collisions at √s=181-184 GeV

Data collected at centre-of-mass energies of 181-184 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 56.9 pb(-1), are analysed in a search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons H +/-. Three analyses are employed to select the tau(+)v(tau)tau(-)(v) over bar(tau), c (s) over bar tau(-)(v) over bar(tau)/(c) over bar s tau(+)v(tau) and c (s) over bar s (c) over bar final states. No evidence for a signal is found-Mass limits are set as a function of the branching fraction B(H+ --> tau(+) v(tau)). Under the assumption that the decay modes considered cover the totality of the possible final states, charged Higgs bosons with masses below 59 GeV/c(2) are excluded at 95% C.L. independently of B(H+ --> tau(+)v(tau)). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.