Decay mode independent search for a light Higgs boson and new scalars

Abstract Using data from e + e − collisions collected with the OPAL detector during the 1990 LEP run, a search was mode for a low mass Higgs boson (H 0 ) with arbitrary decay mode. The existence of a minimal standard model H 0 with mass in the range 0 ⩽ m H ⩽ 11.3 GeV/ c 2 is excluded at the 95% confidence level for all possible decay modes of the H 0 . Limits on the production of Higgs bosons predicted by the minimal supersymmetric standard model and new scalar particles that couple to the Z 0 are presented as a function of the scalar mass.