Results on e + e − annihilation into hadrons at c.m. energies between 22 and 31.6 GeV are presented. The data were accumulated with the PLUTO detector at PETRA. The events are dominantly of the two-jet type. The value of the relative hadronic cross section R =3.88 ± 0.22 along with the details of the sphericity and thrust distribution rule out an open (tt̄) channel (Q t = 2 3 ) below 30 GeV. The inclusive muon results support the above conclusion.
Hadron production by e + e − annihilation has been studied for c.m. energies W between 13 and 31.6 GeV. As a function of 1n W the charged particle multiplicity grows faster at high energy than at lower energies. This is correlated with a rise in the plateau of the rapidity distribution. The cross section s d σ /d x is found to scale within ±30% for x > 0.2 and 5 ⩽ W ⩽ 31.6 GeV.
We report on the results of the study of e + e − collisions at the highest PETRA energy of √ s = 31.57 GeV, using the 4π sr, electromagnetic and calorimetric detector Mark J. Based on 88 hadron events, and an integrated luminosity of 243 nb −1 we obtain R = σ (e + e − → hadrons)/ σ (e + e − → μ + μ − ) = 4.0 ± 0.5 (statistical) ± 6 (systematic). The R value, the measured thrust distribution and average spherocity show no evidence for the production of new quark flavors.
We have observed e + e − hadrons at C.M. energies of 13 GeV and 17 GeV at PETRA using the TASSO detector. We find R (13 GeV) = 5.6 ± 0.7 and R (17 GeV) = 4.0 ± 0.7. The additional systematic uncertainty is 20%. Comparing inclusive charged hadron spectra we observe scaling between 5 GeV and 17 GeV for x = p / p beam > 0.2; however the 13 GeV cross section is above the 17 GeV cross section for smaller x . This may be due to copious bb̄ production. The events become increasingly jet like at high energies as evidenced by a shrinking sphericity distribution with increasing energy.
Inclusive cross sections of η production by e + e - annihilation for c.m. energies between 4.0 and 5.0 GeV are presented. The η production is shown to be correlated with the production of a weakly decaying particle, indicating that its main source is F production. At the 4.42 GeV resonance it is correlated with a low energy photon, suggesting F F ∗ or F ∗ F ∗ production. A mass determination of the F is made at 4.42 GeV using the F → ηπ decay channel.
The total cross section for e + e − annihilation into hadronic final states between 3.6 and 5.2 GeV was measured by the nonmagnetic inner detector of DASP, which has similar trigger and detection efficiencies for photons and charged particles. The measured difference in R = σ had / σμμ between 3.6 GeV and 5.2 GeV is ΔR = 2.1 ± 0.3. We observe three peaks at cm energies of 4.04, 4.16 and 4.417 GeV, the parameters of which, when interpreted as resonances, are given.
We have measured the production cross section for K s 0 in e + e − annihilation from 3.6 to 5.0 GeV center of mass energy. A substantial increase of the K s 0 yield is observed around 4 GeV in qualitative agreement with the charm hypothesis.
Using the solenoidal magnetic detector PLUTO, we have measured the total cross section for e + e − annihilation into hadrons. Results are presented for center of mass energies between 3.6 and 4.8 GeV, and in the regions of the J ψ (3.1) and ψ(3.7) resonances. We also present results for the 2 prong cross section in the energy range 3.6 to 4.8 GeV.
This report reviews the experimental investigation of high energy e + e − interactions by the MARK J collaboration at PETRA, the electron-positron colliding beam accelerator at DESY in Hamburg, Germany. The physics objectives include studies of several purely electromagnetic processes and hadronic final states, which further our knowledge of the nature of the fundamental constituents and of their strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions. Before discussing the physics results, the main features and the principal components of the MARK J detector are discussed in terms of design, function, and performance. Several aspects of the on-line data collection and the off-line analysis are also outlined. Results are presented on tests of quantum electrodynamics using e + e − → e + e − , μ + μ − and τ + τ − , on the measurement of R , the ratio of the hadronic to the point-like muon pair cross section, on the search for new quark flavors, on the discovery of three jet events arising from the radiation of hard noncollinear gluons as predicted by quantum chromodynamics, and on the determination of the strong coupling constant α s .
Using the data sets of 17.3 pb$^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s}=$ 3.773 GeV and 6.5 pb$^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s}=$ 3.650 GeV with the BESII detector at the BEPC collider, we have measured the observed cross sections for 18 exclusive light hadron final states produced in $e^+e^-$ annihilation at the two energy points.