Search for charged Higgs bosons in e(+)e(-) collisions at root s = 130-172 GeV

A search is described to detect charged Higgs bosons via the process e(+)e --> H+H, using data collected by the OPAL detector at center-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 25 pb(-1) The decay channels are assumed to be H+--> qq and H+ tau(+)nu(tau). No evidence for charged Higgs boson production is observed. The lower limit for its mass is determined to be 52 GeV at 95% confidence level, independent of the H+-->tau(+) nu tau branching ratio. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.