Preliminary results of searches for Higgs bosons predicted by extensions of the SM are presented. The results are based on the OPAL data collected in 2000 at sqrt(s)=200-209 GeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of about 210 pb-1. Searches are performed for the MSSM processes e+e- -> hZ and e+e- -> hA. The analyses are sensitive to Higgs decays into b-bbar or tau+tau-. A lower limit on the H+ mass of 72.2 GeV is obtained assuming Br(H+ -> tau nu)+Br(H+ -> qqbar)=1. In addition, we search for W*-mediated decays of H+ to A f-fbar, which can be the dominant decay mode in two Higgs doublet models of type I. Searches are also conducted for the hZ process in which the h decays hadronically with no requirement on the flavour of the decays. A limit on mh is set at 101.8 GeV for a hadronically decaying Higgs boson. We also search for the decays of Higgs bosons to invisible particles and to photons (h->gamma gamma), assuming the SM Higgs-strahlung production cross-section.



Stefan Soldner-Rembold
2001-05-14