The DELPHI experiment at LEP uses Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors for particle identification. The good understanding of the RICH detectors allows the identification of charged pions, kaons and proto

Event shape and charged particle inclusive distributions are measured using 750000 decays of the Z to hadrons from the DELPHI detector at LEP. These precise data allow a decisive confrontation with models of the hadronization process. Improved tunings of the JETSET, ARIADNE and HERWIG parton shower models and the JETSET matrix element model are obtained by fitting the models to these DELPHI data as well as to identified particle distributions from all LEP experiments. The description of the data distributions by the models is critically reviewed with special importance attributed to identified particles.

Data collected at the Z resonance using the DELPHI detector at LEP are used to determine the charged hadron multiplicity in gluon and quark jets as a function of a transverse momentum-like scale. The colour factor ratio, \cacf, is directly observed in the increase of multiplicities with that scale. The smaller than expected multiplicity ratio in gluon to quark jets is understood by differences in the hadronization of the leading quark or gluon. From the dependence of the charged hadron multiplicity on the opening angle in symmetric three-jet events the colour factor ratio is measured to be: C_A/C_F = 2.246 \pm 0.062 (stat.) \pm 0.080 (syst.) \pm 0.095 (theo.)

Previously published and as yet unpublished QCD results obtained with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 are presented. The unprecedented statistics allows detailed studies of both perturbative and non-perturbative aspects of strong interactions to be carried out using hadronic Z and tau decays. The studies presented include precise determinations of the strong coupling constant, tests of its flavour independence, tests of the SU(3) gauge structure of QCD, study of coherence effects, and measurements of single-particle inclusive distributions and two-particle correlations for many identified baryons and mesons.

We have studied hadronic events from e+e- annihilation data at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt{s}=172, 183 and 189 GeV. The total integrated luminosity of the three samples, measured with the OPAL detector, corresponds to 250 pb^-1. We present distributions of event shape variables, charged particle multiplicity and momentum, measured separately in the three data samples. From these we extract measurements of the strong coupling alpha_s, the mean charged particle multiplicity <nch> and the peak position xi_0 in the xi_p=ln(1/x_p) distribution. In general the data are described well by analytic QCD calculations and Monte Carlo models. Our measured values of alpha_s, <nch> and xi_0 are consistent with previous determinations at sqrt{s}=MZ.

We have studied hadronic events produced at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 161 GeV. We present distributions of event shape variables, jet rates, charged particle momentum spectra and multiplicities. We determine the strong coupling strength to be αs(161 GeV) = 0.101±0.005(stat.)±0.007(syst.), the mean charged particle multiplicity to be 〈nch〉(161 GeV) = 24.46 ± 0.45(stat.) ± 0.44(syst.) and the position of the peak in the ξp = ln(1/xp) distribution to be ξ0(161 GeV) = 4.00 ±0.03(stat.)±0.04(syst.). These results are compared to data taken at lower centre-of-mass energies and to analytic QCD or Monte Carlo predictions. Our measured value of αs(161 GeV) is consistent with other measurements of αs. Within the current statistical and systematic uncertainties, the PYTHIA, HERWIG and ARIADNE QCD Monte Carlo models and analytic calculations are in overall agreement with our measurements. The COJETS QCD Monte Carlo is in general agreement with the data for momentum weighted distributions like Thrust, but predicts a significantly larger charged particle multiplicity than is observed experimentally.

We have studied hadronic events produced at LEP at centre-of-mass energies of 130 and 136 GeV. Distributions of event shape observables, jet rates, momentum spectra and multiplicities are presented and compared to the predictions of several Monte Carlo models and analytic QCD calculations. From fits of event shape and jet rate distributions to\({\mathcal{O}}(\alpha _s^2 ) + NLLA\) QCD calculations, we determineαs(133 GeV)=0.110±0.005(stat.)±0.009(syst.). We measure the mean charged particle multiplicity 〈nch〉=23.40±0.45(stat.) ±0.47(syst.) and the position ζ0 of the peak in the ζp = ln(1/xp) distribution ζ0=3.94±0.05(stat.)±0.11(syst.). These results are compared to lower energy data and to analytic QCD or Monte Carlo predictions for their energy evolution.

We have measured the differential production cross sections as a function of scaled momentum x_p=2p/E_cm of the identified hadron species pi+, K+, K0, K*0, phi, p, Lambda0, and of the corresponding antihadron species in inclusive hadronic Z0 decays, as well as separately for Z0 decays into light (u, d, s), c and b flavors. Clear flavor dependences are observed, consistent with expectations based upon previously measured production and decay properties of heavy hadrons. These results were used to test the QCD predictions of Gribov and Lipatov, the predictions of QCD in the Modified Leading Logarithm Approximation with the ansatz of Local Parton-Hadron Duality, and the predictions of three fragmentation models. Ratios of production of different hadron species were also measured as a function of x_p and were used to study the suppression of strange meson, strange and non-strange baryon, and vector meson production in the jet fragmentation process. The light-flavor results provide improved tests of the above predictions, as they remove the contribution of heavy hadron production and decay from that of the rest of the fragmentation process. In addition we have compared hadron and antihadron production as a function of x_p in light quark (as opposed to antiquark) jets. Differences are observed at high x_p, providing direct evidence that higher-momentum hadrons are more likely to contain a primary quark or antiquark. The differences for pseudoscalar and vector kaons provide new measurements of strangeness suppression for high-x_p fragmentation products.

The charged particle multiplicities of two- and three-jet events from the reaction e+e- -> Z0 -> hadrons are measured for Z0 decays to light quark (uds) flavors. Using recent theoretical expressions to account for biases from event selection, results corresponding to unbiased gluon jets are extracted over a range of jet energies from about 11 to 30 GeV. We find consistency between these results and direct measurements of unbiased gluon jet multiplicity from upsilon and Z0 decays. The unbiased gluon jet data including the direct measurements are compared to corresponding results for quark jets. We perform fits based on analytic expressions for particle multiplicity in jets to determine the ratio r = Ng/Nq of multiplicities between gluon and quark jets as a function of energy. We also determine the ratio of slopes, r(1) = (dNg/dy)/(dNq/dy), and of curvatures, r(2) = (d2Ng/dy2)/(d2Nq/dy2), where y specifies the energy scale. At 30 GeV, we find r = 1.422 +/- 0.051, r(1) = 1.761 +/- 0.071 and r(2) = 1.98 +/- 0.13, where the uncertainties are the statistical and systematic terms added in quadrature. These results are in general agreement with theoretical predictions. In addition, we use the measurements of the energy dependence of Ng and Nq to determine an effective value of the ratio of QCD color factors, CA/CF. Our result, CA/CF = 2.23 +/- 0.14 (total), is consistent with the QCD value of 2.25.

The fragmentation function for the process e+e−→h+X, whereh represents a hadron, may be decomposed into transverse, longitudinal and asymmetric contributions by analysis of the distribution of polar production angles. A number of new tests of QCD have been proposed using these fragmentation functions, but so far no data have been published on the separate components. We have performed such a separation using data on charged particles from hadronic Z0 decays atOpal, and have compared the results with the predictions of QCD. By integrating the fragmentation functions, we determine the average charged particle multiplicity to be\(\overline {n_{ch} }= 21.05 \pm 0.20\). The longitudinal to total cross-section ratio is determined to be σL/σtot=0.057±0.005. From the longitudinal fragmentation function we are able to extract the gluon fragmentation function. The connection between the asymmetry fragmentation function and electroweak asymmetrics is discussed.