In this Report, QCD results obtained from a study of hadronic event structure in high energy e^+e^- interactions with the L3 detector are presented. The operation of the LEP collider at many different collision energies from 91 GeV to 209 GeV offers a unique opportunity to test QCD by measuring the energy dependence of different observables. The main results concern the measurement of the strong coupling constant, \alpha_s, from hadronic event shapes and the study of effects of soft gluon coherence through charged particle multiplicity and momentum distributions.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 130.1 GeV.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 136.1 GeV.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 161.3 GeV.
Exclusive rho^+ rho^- production in two-photon collisions involving a single highly-virtual photon is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies 89 GeV < \sqrt{s} < 209 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 854.7 pb^-1. The cross section of the process gamma gamma^* -> rho^+ rho^- is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region: 1.2 GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2 and 1.1 GeV < W_gg < 3 GeV. The \rho^+\rho^- production cross section is found to be of the same magnitude as the cross section of the process gamma gamma^* -> rho^0 rho^0, measured in the same kinematic region by L3, and to have similar W_gg and Q^2 dependences.
Cross sections for the reaction E+ E- --> E+ E- RHO+ RHO-. The differentialcross sections are corrected to the centre of each bin.
Cross sections for the two photon production of RHO+ RHO-.
Differential cross section for the process E+ E- --> E+ E- (RHO+ PI- PI0 + RHO+ RHO- PI0 PI0) corrected to bin centre.
Exclusive rho^0 rho^0 production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real and a mid-virtuality photon is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies 183GeV < sqrt{s} < 209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 684.8/pb. The cross section of the process gamma gamma* -> rho^0 rho^0 is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, Wgg, in the kinematic region: 0.2GeV^2 < q^2 < 0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < Wgg < 3GeV.
Production cross section as a function of Q**2. Differential cross sectionsare corrected to the centre of each bin.
Production cross section for two-photon data as a function of Q**2.
Production cross section as a function of W.
The process e^+e^- --> Z gamma, where the Z boson decays into hadrons or neutrinos, is studied with data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 189 GeV up to 209 GeV. The cross sections are measured and found to be in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Limits on triple neutral-gauge-boson couplings, forbidden in the Standard Model at tree level, are derived. Limits on the energy scales at which the anomalous couplings could be manifest are set. They range from 0.3 TeV to 2.3 TeV depending on the new physics effect under consideration.
Cross sections as a function of c.m. energy.
Hadron production and lepton-pair production in e+e- collisions are studied with data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=192-208GeV. Using a total integrated luminosity of 453/pb, 36057 hadronic events and 12863 lepton-pair events are selected. The cross sections for hadron production and lepton-pair production are measured for the full sample and for events where no high-energy initial-state-radiation photon is emitted prior to the collisions. Lepton-pair events are further investigated and forward-backward asymmetries are measured. Finally, the differential cross sections for electron-positron pair-production is determined as a function of the scattering angle. An overall good agreement is found with Standard Model predictions.
Measured hadron cross section for the inclusive data sample.
Measured hadron cross section for the high-energy data sample.
Measured MU+ MU- cross section for the inclusive data sample.
Measurements of inclusive production of the Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons in two-photon collisions with the L3 detector at LEP are presented. The inclusive differential cross sections for Lambda and Xi- are measured as a function of the baryon transverse momentum, pt, and pseudo-rapidity, eta. The mean number of Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons per hadronic two-photon event is determined in the kinematic range 0.4 GeV < pt< 2.5 GeV, |eta| < 1.2. Overall agreement with the theoretical models and Monte Carlo predictions is observed. A search for inclusive production of the pentaquark theta+(1540) in two-photon collisions through the decay theta+ -> proton K0s is also presented. No evidence for production of this state is found.
Differential cross section for LAMBDA production.
Differential cross section for LAMBDA production.
Differential cross section for XI- production.
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.
Cross section for 4PI and (RHO0 RHO0) production.
Cross section for 4PI and (RHO+ RHO-) production.
Spin parity analysis fits for RHO0 RHO0.
Results are presented from a study of the structure of high energy hadronic events recorded by the L3 detector at sqrt(s)>192 GeV. The distributions of several event shape variables are compared to resummed O(alphaS^2) QCD calculations. We determine the strong coupling constant at three average centre-of-mass energies: 194.4, 200.2 and 206.2 GeV. These measurements, combined with previous L3 measurements at lower energies, demonstrate the running of alphaS as expected in QCD and yield alphaS(mZ) = 0.1227 +- 0.0012 +- 0.0058, where the first uncertainty is experimental and the second is theoretical.
The measured ALPHA_S at three centre-of-mass energies from fits to the individual event shape distributions. The first error is statistcal, the first DSYS error is the experimental systematic uncertainty, and the second DSYS error is the theoryuncertainty.
Updated ALPHA_S measurements from the BT, BW and C-Parameter distributions,from earlier L3 data at lower centre-of-mass energies.. The first error is the total experimental error (stat+sys in quadrature) and the DSYS error is the theory uncertainty.
Combined ALPHA_S values from the five event shape variables. The first error is statistical, the first DSYS error is the experimental systematic uncertainity, the second DSYS error is the uncertainty from the hadronisdation models, andthethird DSYS errpr is the uncertainty due to uncalculated higher orders in the QCDpredictions.
Exclusive rho+rho- production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real photon, gamma, and a mid-virtuality photon, gamma*, is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 684.8pb^-1. The cross section of the gamma gamma* -> rho+ rho- process is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region: 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 <0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < W_gg < 3GeV. These results, together with previous L3 measurements of rho0 rho0 and rho+ rho- production, allow a study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho process over the Q^2-region 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2.
Production cross section as a function of Q**2. Differential cross sectionsare corrected to the centre of each bin.
Production cross section for two-photon data as a function of Q**2.
Production cross section as a function of W.
Compton scattering of quasi-real virtual photons, gamma e+- -> gamma e+-, is studied with 0.6fb-1 of data collected by the L3 detector at the LEP e+e- collider at centre-of-mass energies root(s')=189-209GeV. About 4500 events produced by the interaction of virtual photons emitted by e+- of one beam with e-+ of the opposite beam are collected for effective centre-of-mass energies of the photon-electron and photon-positron systems in the range from root(s')= 35GeV up to root(s')=175GeV, the highest energy at which Compton scattering was ever probed. The cross sections of the gamma e+- -> gamma e+- process as a function of root(s') and of the rest-frame scattering angle are measured, combined with previous L3 measurements down to root(s')~20GeV, and found to agree with the QED expectations.
Measured Compton scattering cross section as a function of the effective centre of mass of the photon-electron system. THETA(RF=CM) is the electron rest frame scattering angle.
The measured angular distribution over the photon-electron centre of mass energy range 35 to 175 GeV.
The measured Compton scattering cross section using the full data sample including the lower energy data from Acciarri et al. PL B439(1998)183. Errors are combined statistics and systematics.
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