The total and the differential cross sections for the reaction e + e − → γγ ( γ ) have been measured with the DELPHI detector at LEP using an integrated luminosity of 36.9 pb −1 . The results agree with the QED predictions and consequently there is no evidence for non-standard channels with the same experimental signature. The lower limits obtained on the QED cutoff parameters are Λ + > 143 GeV and Λ − > 120 GeV, and the lower bound on the mass of an excited electron with an effective coupling constant λ γ = 1 is 132 GeV/ c 2 . Upper limits on the branching ratios for the decays Z 0 → γγ , Z 0 → π 0 γ , Z 0 → ηγ and Z 0 → γγγ have been determined to be 5.5 × 10 −5 , 5.5 × 10 −5 , 8.0 × 10 −5 , and 1.7 × 10 −5 respectively. All the limits are at the 95% confidence level.

Data are presented on the reaction e+e− → γ + no other detected particle at centre-of-mass energies of 89.48, 91.26 and 93.08 GeV. The cross-section for this reaction is related directly to the number of light neutrino generations which couple to the Z° boson, and to several other possible phenomena such as the production of excited neutrinos, the production of any invisible ‘X’ particle, and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino. Based on the observed number of single photon events, the number of light neutrinos that couple to the Z° is measured to be Nv = 2.89 ± 0.38. No evidence is found for anomalous production of energetic single photons, and upper limits at 95% confidence level are determined for excited neutrino production (BR < 4 − 8 × 10−6 depending on its mass), production of an invisible ‘X’ particle (σ, < 0.1 pb for masses below 60 GeV), and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino (< 5.1 × 10-6 μB).

A search has been made for direct production of heavy quarkonium states in more than 3 million hadronic Z0 decays in the 1991–1994 DELPHI data. Prompt J/ψ, ψ(2S) and Υ candidates have been searched for through their leptonic decay modes using criteria based on the kinematics and decay vertex positions. New upperlimits are set at the 90% confidence level for Br(Z0 → (QQ) X)/Br (Z0 → hadrons) for various strong production mechanisms of J/ψ and Υ these range down to 0.9 × 10−4. The limits are set in the presence of a small excess (∼ 1% statistical probability of a background fluctuation) in the sum of candidates from prompt J/ψ, ψ(2S), Υ(1S),Υ(2S) and Υ(3S) relative to the estimated background.

None

Exclusive production of proton-antiproton pairs by two photon scattering at CM energies between 2.0 GeV and 3.1 GeV has been measured with the TASSO detector at the e + e − storage ring PETRA. The angular distribution is flat within the accepted CM angular range | cos Θ ∗ |⩽0.7 . The integrated cross section (| cos Θ ∗ |⩽0.6) drops from about 4 nb at 2 GeV to less than 0.5 nb above 3 GeV. For the two-photon production of the η c (2984) and its subsequent decay into proton-antiproton the upper limit Γ(η c →γγ)· B (η c → p p )<0.32 keV (95% CL) is found.

The inclusive production of D*+- mesons in photon-photon collisions has been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP at e+e- centre-of-mass energies of 183 and 189GeV. The D* mesons are reconstructed in their decay to D0pi+ with the D0 observed in the two decay modes Kpi+ and Kpi+pi-pi+. After background subtraction, 100.4+-12.6(stat) D*+- mesons have been selected in events without observed scattered beam electron ("anti-tagged") and 29.8+-5.9 (stat) D*+- mesons in events where one beam electron is scattered into the detector ("single-tagged"). Direct and single-resolved events are studied separately. Differential cross-sections as functions of the D* transverse momentum p_t and pseudorapidity \eta are presented in the kinematic region 2<p_t<12GeV and \eta<1.5. They are compared to next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations. The total cross-section for the process (e+e- to e+e-ccbar), where the charm quarks are produced in the collision of two quasi-real photons, is measured to be 842+-97(stat)+-75(syst)+-196(extrapolation)pb. A first measurement of the charm structure function F2 of the photon is performed in the kinematic range 0.0014<x<0.87 and 5<Q^2<100 GeV^2, and the result is compared to a NLO perturbative QCD calculation.

The ratios R vp and R vp of the neutral current to charged current cross sections for neutrino and antineutrino interactions on protons have been measured in BEBC. The beam was the CERN SPS 400 GeV wideband beam. The bubble chamber, equipped with the standard External Muon Identifier, was surrounded with an additional plane of wire chambers (Internal Picket Fence), which was added to improve neutral current event identification. For a total transverse momentum of the charged hadrons above 0.45 GeV/ c and a charged multiplicity of at least 3, it was found that R vp = 0.384 ± 0.015 and R vp = 0.338 ± 0.014 ± 0.016, corresponding to a value of sin 2 θ w (M w MS of 0.225 ± 0.030 . Combining the results from hydrogen and an isoscalar target, the differences of the neutral current chiral coupling constants were found to be u 2 l − d 2 L = −0.080 ± 0.043 ± 0.012 and u 2 R − d 2 R = 0.021±0.055±0.028.

The reaction γγ→K + K − π + π − π 0 has been observed for the first time, using the ARGUS detector at the e + e − storage ring DORIS II at DESY. The cross section shows an enhancement for W γγ close to 3 GeV/ c 2 . Searches for γγ→ωφ and for γγ→φφ leading to this final state, as well as for γγ→φφ→2K + 2K − , have been performed. The derived upper limits for ωφ and φφ production are compatible with q q q q model predictions.

Using BEBC equipped with a hydrogen-filled neon-surrounded track-sensitive target, the charged current cross sections and structure functions of hydrogen and neon targets traversed by the same neutrinos and antineutrinos are compared directly. The measured total cross-section ratios between hydrogen and neon allow precise total cross-section values for hydrogen to be inferred. Using this normalization, the ν and ν hydrogen data are combined and the quark distributions in free nucleons, parametrised as functions of ξ, are extracted. This free-nucleon parametrisation is then compared directly with the neon data in order to measure nuclear effects such as those recently reported by the EMC collaboration. Only small effects are seen, in excellent agreement with recent SLAC data in a more similar A and q 2 range.

We report the first observation of an orbitally excited baryon, the Λ(1520), in quark and gluon fragmentation. The production rate is found to be (1.15±0.21±0.16)×10 −2 and (0.80±0.17 −0.13 +0.10 )×10 −2 Λ (1520) hyperons per event in direct ϒ decays and in the continuum, respectively. In contrast to the observed situation for ground state baryons, the production of the Λ(1520) in direct ϒ decays shows little or no enhancement with respect to continuum production.