We report on a measurement of the mass of the Z 0 boson, its total width, and its partial decay widths into hadrons and leptons. On the basis of 25 801 hadronic decays and 1999 decays into electrons, muons or taus, selected over eleven energy points between 88.28 GeV and 95.04 GeV, we obtain from a combined fit to hadrons and leptons a mass of M z =91.154±0.021 (exp)±0.030 (LEP) GeV, and a total width of Γ z =2.536±0.045 GeV. The errors on M z have been separated into the experimental error and the uncertainty due to the LEP beam energy. The measured leptonic partial widths are Γ ee =81.2±2.6 MeV, Γ μμ =82.6± 5.8 MeV, and Γ ττ =85.7±7.1 MeV, consistent with lepton universality. From a fit assuming lepton universality we obtain Γ ℓ + ℓ − = 81.9±2.0 MeV. The hadronic partial width is Γ had =1838±46 MeV. From the measured total and partial widths a model independent value for the invisible width is calculated to be Γ inv =453±44 MeV. The errors quoted include both the statistical and the systematic uncertainties.

A study of the fragmentation properties of charm and bottom quarks intoD mesons is presented. From 263 700Z0 hadronic decays collected in 1991 with the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider,D0,D+ andD*+ are reconstructed in the modesK−π+,K−π+K+ andD0π+ followed byD0→K−π+, respectively. The fractional decay widths\(\Gamma {{(Z^0\to {D \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {D {\bar D}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\bar D}}X)} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{(Z^0\to {D \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {D {\bar D}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\bar D}}X)} {\Gamma _h }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\Gamma _h }}\) are determined, and first results are presented for the production ofD mesons from\(c\bar c\) and\(b\bar b\) events separately. The average energy fraction ofD*± in charm quark fragmentation is found to be 〈XE(D*)〉c=0.487±0.015 (stat)±0.005 (sys.). Assuming that the fraction ofDs and charm-baryons produced at LEP is similar to that around 10 GeV, theZ0 partial width into charm quark pairs is determined to beΓc/Γh=0.187±0.031 (stat)±0.023 (sys). The probability for ab quark to fragment into\(\bar B_s \) orb-baryons is inferred to be 0.268±0.094 (stat)±0.100 (sys) from the measured probability that it fragments into a\(\bar B^0 \) orB−.

We present measurements of global event shape distributions in the hadronic decays of theZ0. The data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 1.3 pb−1, was collected with the OPAL detector at LEP. Most of the experimental distributions we present are unfolded for the finite acceptance and resolution of the OPAL detector. Through comparison with our unfolded data, we tune the parameter values of several Monte Carlo computer programs which simulate perturbative QCD and the hadronization of partons. Jetset version 7.2, Herwig version 3.4 and Ariadne version 3.1 all provide good descriptions of the experimental distributions. They in addition describe lower energy data with the parameter values adjusted at theZ0 energy. A complete second order matrix element Monte Carlo program with a modified perturbation scale is also compared to our 91 GeV data and its parameter values are adjusted. We obtained an unfolded value for the mean charged multiplicity of 21.28±0.04±0.84, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic.

The forward-backward asymmetry of bottom quarks is measured with statistics of approximately 80 000 hadronic Z 0 decays produced in e + e − collisions at a centre of mass energy of √ s ≈ M z . The tagging of b quark events has been performed using the semileptonic decay channel b→X+ μ . Because the asymmetry depends on the weak coupling, this leads to a precise measurement of the electroweak mixing angle sin 2 θ w . The experimental result is A FB b = 0.115±0.043(stat.)±0.013(syst.). After correcting the value for the B 0 B 0 mixing this becomes A FB b =0.161±0.060(stat.)±0.021(syst.) corresponding to sin 2 θ W MS =0.221±0.011( stat. )±0.004( syst. ) .

A measurement of the cross section for e + e - → hadrons using 11 000 hadronic decays of the Z boson at ten different center-of-mass energies is presented. A three-parameter fit gives the following values for the Z mass M z , the total width Γ z , the product of the electronic and hadronic partial widths Γ e Γ h , and the unfolded pole cross section σ 0 : M Z =91.171±0.030(stat)±0.030 (beam) GeV, Γ Z =2.511±0.065 GeV, Γ e Γ h =0.148±0.006 (stat.)±0.004 (syst.) GeV 2 , σ 0 =41.6±0.7(stat.)±1.1 (syst.) nb,

We report on a search for new quarks in hadronic Z° decays. From the event shape analysis of a data sample containing 2185 multihadronic annihilation events, we observe no evidence for the top or b' quarks. We derive limits for the top and b' quark masses under the assumption of various possible standard model and non-standard model decay schemes. Our search is sensitive to quark masses larger than 23 GeV/ c 2 ; it yields the following lower limits at a 95% confidence level: 44.5 GeV/ c 2 for the top quark mass and 45.2 GeV/ c 2 for the b′ quark mass.

Relative production rates of multijet hadronic final states of Z 0 boson decays, observed in e + e − annihilation around 91 GeV centre of mass energy, are presented. The data can be well described by analytic O( α s 2 ) QCD calculations and by QCD shower model calaculations with parameters as determined at lower energies. A first judgement of Λ MS and of the renormalization scale μ 2 in O( α s 2 ) QCD results in values similar to those obtained in the continuum of e + e − annihilations. Significant scaling violations are observed when the 3-jet fractions are compared to the corresponding results from smaller centre of mass energies. They can be interpreted as being entirely due tot the energy dependence of α s , as proposed by the nonabelian nature of QCD, The possibility of an energy independent coupling constant can be excluded with a significance of 5.7 standard deviations.

The production of K 0 mesons in e + e − interactions at center of mass energies in the region of the Z 0 mass has been investigated with the OPAL detector at LEP. The rate is found to be 2.10±0.02±0.14 K 0 , Z 0 per hadronic event. The predictions from the JETSET and HERWIG generators agree very well with both the rate and the scale invariant cross section (1/σ had β) (dσ/d x E ) for K 0 production. Comparisons of the inclusive momentum spectrum with predictions of an analytical QCD formula and with data from lower center of mass energies are presented.

We present an analysis of multiplicity distributions of charged particles produced inZ0 hadronic decays. The results are based on the analysis of 82941 events collected within 100 MeV of theZ0 peak energy with the OPAL detector at LEP. The charged particle multiplicity distribution, corrected for initial-state radiation and for detector acceptance and resolution, was found to have a mean 〈nch〉=21.40±0.02(stat.)±0.43(syst.) and a dispersionD=6.49±0.02(stat.)±0.20(syst.). The shape is well described by the Lognormal and Gamma distributions. A negative binomial parameterisation was found to describe the shape of the multiplicity distribution less well. A comparison with results obtained at lower energies confirms the validity of KNO(-G) scaling up to LEP energies. A separate analysis of events with low sphericity, typically associated with two-jet final states, shows the presence of features expected for models based on a stochastic production mechanism for particles. In all cases, the features observed in the data are well described by the Lund parton shower model JETSET.

Measurements of the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry for the reaction e + e − → μ + μ − using the DELPHI detector at LEP are presented. The data come from a scan around the Z 0 peak at seven centre of mass energies, giving a sample of 3858 events in the polar angle region 22° < θ < 158°. From a fit to the cross section for 43° < θ < 137°, a polar angle region for which the absolute efficiency has been determined, the square root of the product of the Z 0 → e + e − and Z 0 → μ + μ − partial widths is determined to be (Γ e Γ μ ) 1 2 = 85.0 ± 0.9( stat. ) ± 0.8( syst. ) MeV . From this measurement of the partial width, the value of the effective weak mixing angle is determined to be sin 2 ( θ w ) = 0.2267 ± 0.0037 . The ratio of the hadronic to muon pair partial widths is found to be Γ h / Γ μ = 19.89 ± 0.40(stat.) ± 0.19(syst.). The forward-backward asymmetry at the resonance peak energy E CMS = 91.22 GeV is found to be A FB = 0.028 ± 0.020(stat.) ± 0.005(syst.). From a combined fit to the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry data, the products of the electron and muon vector and axial-vector coupling constants are determined to be V e V μ = 0.0024 ± 0.0015(stat.) ± 0.0004(syst.) and A e A μ = 0.253 ± 0.003(stat.) ± 0.003 (syst.). The results are in good agreement with the expectations of the minimal standard model.