Gauge mediated supersymmetry signals at the Tevatron involving τ-leptons

Abstract

We consider the phenomenology of GMSB models where the lighter stau is the next to lightest supersymmetric particle. In this situation the dominant signals for supersymmetry at the Tevatron are events where two or three high p T τ-leptons accompanied by large missing transverse energy are produced. This leads to signatures that are very different from the photonic signals for GMSB (where the lightest neutralino is the NLSP) and the dilepton and trilepton signals in the usual supergravity models (involving e and/or μ only) that have been investigated extensively. We find that the inclusive 2 τ-jet signature could be observable at the Tevatron Run 11, while the inclusive 3 τ-jet signature could be important at Run III.