Abstract:

As LEP2 collects increasing amounts of e+e- annihilation data at ever higher energies, the sensitivity of the four LEP experiments to Higgs boson production in the Standard Model and the MSSM extends to higher Higgs boson masses. Searching for higher-mass Higgs bosons requires re-optimizing existing analyses and inventing new techniques for extending the reach to make full use of the LEP2 data sample. The current state and recent history of the OPAL searches for neutral Higgs boson production will be described. The searches for Higgs boson production by the four LEP experiments represent many different search analyses for the same particle at different energies in different decay modes by different collaborations, and they must be combined on short timescales. The procedure for combining these results quickly, correctly, and optimally will be described.