CMS-SUS-21-001
Search for direct pair production of supersymmetric partners of τ leptons in the final state with two hadronically decaying τ leptons and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV
A search for the direct production of a pair of τ sleptons, the supersymmetric partners of τ leptons, is presented. Each τ slepton is assumed to decay to a τ lepton and the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), .... The search is carried out in events identified as containing two τ leptons, each decaying to one or more hadrons and a neutrino, and significant transverse momentum imbalance. In addition to scenarios in which the τ sleptons decay promptly, the search also addresses scenarios in which the τ sleptons have sufficiently long lifetimes to give rise to nonprompt τ leptons. The data ... 138 fb−1. No significant excess is seen with respect to standard model expectations. Upper limits on cross sections for the pair production of τ sleptons are obtained in the framework of simplified models. In a scenario in which the τ sleptons are superpartners of left-handed τ leptons, and each undergoes a prompt decay to a τ lepton and a nearly massless LSP, τ slepton masses between 115 and 340 GeV are excluded. In a scenario in which the lifetime of the τ sleptons corresponds to cτ0 = 0.1 mm, where τ0 represents the mean proper lifetime of the τ slepton, masses between 150 and 220 GeV are excluded.