Measurements are presented of the polarisation of W+W- boson pairs produced in e+e- collisions, and of CP-violating WWZ and WWGamma trilinear gauge couplings. The data were recorded by the OPAL experiment at LEP during 1998, where a total integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1 was obtained at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. The measurements are performed through a spin density matrix analysis of the W boson decay products. The fraction of W bosons produced with longitudinal polarisation was found to be sigma_L/sigma_total = (21.0 +- 3.3 +- 1.6)% where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The joint W boson pair production fractions were found to be sigma_TT/sigma_total = (78.1 +- 9.0 +- 3.2) %, sigma_LL/sigma_total = (20.1 +- 7.2 +- 1.8) % and sigma_TL/sigma_total = (1.8 +- 14.7 +- 3.8) %. In the CP-violating trilinear gauge coupling sector we find kappa_z = -0.20 +0.10 -0.07, g^z_4 = -0.02 +0.32 -0.33 and lambda_z = -0.18 +0.24 -0.16, where errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties. In each case the coupling is determined with all other couplings set to their Standard Model values except those related to the measured coupling via SU(2)_LxU(1)_Y symmetry. These results are consistent with Standard Model expectations.

The total cross sections for the elastic electroproduction of $\rh0$ and $J/\Psi$ mesons for $Q~2$ $>$ 8 GeV$~2$ and $\langle W \rangle \simeq 90$ GeV/c$~2$ are measured at HERA with the H1 detector. The measurements are for an integrated electron$-$proton luminosity of $\simeq$3pb$~{-1}$. The dependences of the total virtual photon$-$proton ($\gamma~* p$) cross sections on $Q~2$, $W$ and the momentum transfer squared to the proton ($t$), and, for the $\rho$, the dependence on the polar decay angle ($\cos \theta~*$), are presented. The $J/\Psi$ : $\rh0$ cross section ratio is determined. The results are discussed in the light of theoretical models and of the interplay of hard and soft physics processes.

We report on a search for metastable positively and negatively charged states of strange quark matter in Au+Pb reactions at 11.6 A GeV/c in experiment E864. We have sampled approximately six billion 10% most central Au+Pb interactions and have observed no strangelet states (baryon number A < 100 droplets of strange quark matter). We thus set upper limits on the production of these exotic states at the level of 1-6 x 10^{-8} per central collision. These limits are the best and most model independent for this colliding system. We discuss the implications of our results on strangelet production mechanisms, and also on the stability question of strange quark matter.

We present the midrapidity charged pion invariant cross sections and the ratio of $\pi^-$-to-$\pi^+$ production ($5<p_T<13$ GeV/$c$), together with the double-helicity asymmetries ($5<p_T<12$ GeV/$c$) in polarized $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV. The cross section measurements are consistent with perturbative calculations in quantum chromodynamics within large uncertainties in the calculation due to the choice of factorization, renormalization, and fragmentation scales. However, the theoretical calculation of the ratio of $\pi^-$-to-$\pi^+$ production when considering these scale uncertainties overestimates the measured value, suggesting further investigation of the uncertainties on the charge-separated pion fragmentation functions is needed. Due to cancellations of uncertainties in the charge ratio, direct inclusion of these ratio data in future parameterizations should improve constraints on the flavor dependence of quark fragmentation functions to pions. By measuring charge-separated pion asymmetries, one can gain sensitivity to the sign of $\Delta G$ through the opposite sign of the up and down quark helicity distributions in conjunction with preferential fragmentation of positive pions from up quarks and negative pions from down quarks. The double-helicity asymmetries presented are sensitive to the gluon helicity distribution over an $x$ range of $\sim$0.03--0.16.

The cross sections for the charged current processes ${e~{-}p}\rightarrow{\nu_e+hadrons}$ and, for the first time, ${e~{+}p}\rightarrow{\overline{\nu}_e+hadrons}$ are measured at HERA for transverse momenta larger than 25 GeV.

Di-jet event rates have been measured for deep-inelastic scattering in the kinematic domain ~5 < Q^2 < ~100 GeV^2 and ~10^(-4) < x_Bj < ~10^(-2), and for jet transverse momenta squared p_t^2 > ~Q^2. The analysis is based on data collected with the H1 detector at HERA in 1994 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 2 pb^(-1). Jets are defined using a cone algorithm in the photon-proton centre of mass system requiring jet transverse momenta of at least 5 GeV. The di-jet event rates are shown as a function of Q^2 and x_Bj. Leading order models of point-like interacting photons fail to describe the data. Models which add resolved interacting photons or which implement the colour dipole model give a good description of the di-jet event rate. This is also the case for next-to-leading order calculations including contributions from direct and resolved photons.

Quasi-elastic (z >0.95) photo-production of psi' mesons has been observed at HERA for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies in the range 40 to 160 GeV. The psi' mesons were identified through their decays to l+l- and to J/psi pi+ pi-, where the J/psi subsequently decays to l+l-, the lepton l being either a muon or an electron. The cross-section for quasi-elastic photoproduction was measured to be [18.0 +- 2.8 (stat) +- 3.0(syst)] nb at a photon-proton centre-of-mass energy of 80 GeV. The ratio of the psi' to J/psi quasi-elastic cross-sections is 0.150 +- 0.027 (stat) +- 0.022 (syst).

We present the final results from Experiment 864 of a search for charged and neutral strange quark matter produced in interactions of 11.5 GeV/c per nucleon Au beams with Pt or Pb targets. Searches were made for strange quark matter with A&gt;4. Approximately 30 billion 10% most central collisions were sampled and no strangelet states with A&lt;100 were observed. We find 90% confidence level upper limits of approximately 10^{-8} per central collision for both charged and neutral strangelets. These limits are for strangelets with proper lifetimes greater than 50 ns. Also limits for H^{0}-d and pineut production are given. The above limits are compared with the predictions of various models. The yields of light nuclei from coalescence are measured and a penalty factor for the addition of one nucleon to the coalescing nucleus is determined. This is useful in gauging the significance of our upper limits and also in planning future searches for strange quark matter.

This paper describes an update of the double tagging measurement of the fraction, Rb, of Z0 → bb̅ events in hadronic Z0 decays, with statistics improved by including the data collected in 1994. The presence of electrons or muons from semileptonic decays of bottom hadrons and the detection of bottom hadron decay vertices were used together to obtain an event sample enriched in Z0 → bb̅ decays. The efficiency of the bb̅ event tagging was obtained from the data by comparing the numbers of events having a bottom signature in either one or both thrust hemispheres. Efficiency correlations between opposite event hemispheres are small (< 0.5%) and well understood through comparisons between the real and simulated data samples. A value of Rb= 0.2175 ± 0.0014 ± 0.0017 was obtained, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The uncertainty on the decay width Γ(Z0 → cc̅) is not included in these errors. The result depends on Rc as follows: $${⩼ Delta R_{⤪ b}⩈er R_{⤪ b}}=-0.084{⩼ Delta R_{⤪ c}⩈er R_{⤪ c}},$$ where ΔRc is the deviation of Rc from the value 0.172 predicted by the Standard Model.

Measurements of helicity density matrix elements have been made for the φ(1020), D*± and B* vector mesons in multihadronic Z0 decays in the OPAL experiment at LEP. Results for inclusive φ produced with high energy show evidence for production preferentially in the helicity zero state, with ρ00 = 0.54 ± 0.08, compared to the value of 1/3 expected for no spin alignment. The corresponding element for the D*± has a value of 0.40 ± 0.02, also suggesting a deviation from 1/3. The B* result, with ρ00 = 0.36 ± 0.09, is consistent with no spin alignment. Off-diagonal elements have been measured for the f and D* mesons; for the D* the element Re ρ1−1 is non-zero, indicating non-independent fragmentation of the primary quarks.