The first observation of open b production in ep collisions is reported. An event sample containing muons and jets has been selected which is enriched in semileptonic b quark decays. The visible cross section \sigma(ep -> b \bar{b}X -> \mu X') for Q^2 < 1 GeV^2, 0.1 < y < 0.8 is measured to be 0.176+-0.016(stat.)+0.026-0.017(syst.) nb for the muons to be detected in the range 35 deg < \theta^\mu < 130 deg and \pt^\mu > 2.0 GeV in the laboratory frame. The expected visible cross section based on a NLO QCD calculation is 0.104+-0.017 nb. The cross sections for electroproduction with Q^2<1 GeV^2 and photoproduction are derived from the data and found to be \sigma(ep-> e b\bar{b}X) = 7.1+-0.6(stat.)+1.5-1.3(syst.) nb and \sigma(\gamma p-> b\bar{b} X) = 111+-10(stat.)+23-20(syst.) at an average <W_{\gamma p}> \sim 180 GeV, respectively.
Inclusive jet production (e+e- -> e+e- +jet+X) is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e+e- centre-of-mass energies sqrt see from 189 to 209 GeV. Jets are reconstructed using the kp jet algorithm. The inclusive differential cross-section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum, ptjet, in the range 5 <ptjet < 40 GeV for pseudo-rapidities, etaj, in the range -1.5 < etaj < 1.5. The results are compared to predictions of perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant.
Muon pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-mu+mu- is studied using the data taken at LEP1 (sqrt(s) \simeq m_Z) with the DELPHI detector during the years 1992-1995. The corresponding integrated luminosity is 138.5 pb^{-1}. The QED predictions have been tested over the whole Q^2 range accessible at LEP1 (from several GeV^2/c^4 to several hundred GeV^2/c^4) by comparing experimental distributions with distributions resulting from Monte Carlo simulations using various generators. Selected events are used to extract the leptonic photon structure function F_2^\gamma. Azimuthal correlations are used to obtain information on additional structure functions, F_A^\gamma and F_B^\gamma, which originate from interference terms of the scattering amplitudes. The measured ratios F_A^\gamma/F_2^\gamma and F_B^\gamma/F_2^\gamma are significantly different from zero and consistent with QED predictions.
The photon structure function F 2 γ has been measured at an average Q 2 value of 6.8 GeV 2 using data collected by the AMY detector at the TRISTAN e + e − collider. The measured F 2 γ is compared with several QCD-based parton density models.
We present a measurement of the cross section for the reaction e + e − → e + e − π + π − π + π − at SPEAR. This channel is found to be large and dominated by the process γγ → ϱ 0 ϱ 0 → π + π − π + π − . The cross section, which is small just above the four-pion threshold, exhibits a large enhancement near the ϱ 0 ϱ 0 threshold.
The reactions e + e − → e + e − e + e − and e + e − → e + e − μ + μ − , in a single tag configuration, are studied at LEP with the L3 detector. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 93.7 pb −1 at s =91 GeV. Differential cross sections are measured for 1.4 GeV 2 ≤Q 2 ≤7.6 GeV 2 . The leptonic photon structure function F γ 2 and azimuthal correlations are measured for e + e − → e + e − μ + μ − . The related structure functions F γ A and F γ B , which originate from interference terms of the scattering amplitudes, are determined for the first time.
We present a new high-statistics measurement of the cross section for the process e+e−→e+e−π+π− at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV for invariant pion-pair masses M(π+π−) between 350 MeV/c2 and 1.6 GeV/c2. We observe the f2(1270) and measure its radiative width to be 3.15±0.04±0.39 keV. We also observe an enhancement in the π+π− spectrum near 1 GeV. General agreement is found with unitarized models of the γγ→π+π− reaction that include final-state interactions.
The inclusive cross section for the production of charmed D<sup loc="post">∗±</sup> mesons in two-photon processes is measured with the AMY detector at the TRISTAN e<sup loc="post">+</sup>e<sup loc="post">−</sup> collider. D<sup loc="post">∗±</sup> mesons are identified from the distribution of charged-particle transverse momenta relative to the jet axis. A data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176 pb<sup loc="post">−1</sup> at a center-of-mass energy of 58 GeV is used to determine a cross section σ(e<sup loc="post">+</sup>e<sup loc="post">−</sup> → e<sup loc="post">+</sup>e<sup loc="post">−</sup>D<sup loc="post">∗±</sup>X) = 270 ± 49(stat) ± 38(syst) pb. The results are compared with theoretical expectations based on the Vector Meson Dominance, direct quark-parton model, and resolved photon processes.
Exclusive production of π and K meson pairs in two photon collisions is measured with ALEPH data collected between 1992 and 2000. Cross-sections are presented as a function of cos θ ∗ and invariant mass, for | cos θ ∗ |<0.6 and invariant masses between 2.0 and 6.0 GeV/ c 2 (2.25 and 4.0 GeV/ c 2 ) for pions (kaons). The shape of the distributions are found to be well described by QCD predictions but the data have a significantly higher normalization.
The reactions gamma gamma -> pi^+pi^-pi^+pi^- and gamma gamma -> pi^+pi^0pi^-pi^0 are studied with the L3 detector at LEP in a data sample collected at centre-of-mass energies from 161GeV to 209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 698/pb. A spin-parity-helicity analysis of the rho^0 rho^0 and rho^+ rho^- systems for two-photon centre-of-mass energies between 1GeV and 3GeV shows the dominance of the spin-parity state 2+ with helicity 2. The contribution of 0+ and 0- spin-parity states is also observed, whereas contributions of 2- states and of a state with spin-parity 2+ and zero helicity are found to be negligible.