We present results on the inclusive distributions of final-state hadrons created in deep-inelastic electron scattering from protons and deuterons. Data were taken from all portions of the kinematic range simultaneously in an apparatus which had equal detection efficiency for both charge signs. A subset of the produced hadrons were identified with a threshold-type Čerenkov counter. We find that the charge ratio h+h− is a strong function of Q2, xF, and pT2, with little dependence on s. The ratio of production of h− from deuterium to that from hydrogen as a function of φ is flat. The invariant cross section for each charge sign and each target exhibits the seagull effect (a correlation in 〈pT〉 and 〈xF〉). The value of 〈pT〉 for data in the range 0.4<xF<0.85 increases slightly as Q2 increases. The exponential dropoff in pT for production of protons and kaons is similar to that for pions. The dropoff in xF for production of pions shows a definite dependence on Q2, but this effect is largely caused by the decay products of the exclusive ρ0 final state. Finally, f(xF) for π+, π−, K+, K−, p, and p¯ is presented for each target type.

Results are presented of an untagged e + e − → e + e − + π + π − experiment performed at PEP with the DELCO detector. In the invariant-mass range 0.7 ⩽ W ππ < 2.0 GeV/ c 2 , the QED e + e − background is identified and eliminated, and both the π + π − predictions and the μ + μ − and K + K − background substractions are normalized to the measurement of the e e + e − events. The results agree with a simple model of superposition and interference of the f 0 (1270) resonance, produced with helicity 2, with a Born-term continuum. From a fit of the model to the data, the radiative width of the f 0 is determined to be Γ f 0 → γγ = 2.70 ± 0.21 keV.

Measurements of the semileptonic weak-neutral-current reactions νμp→νμp and ν¯μp→ν¯μp are presented. The experiment was performed using a 170-metric-ton high-resolution target detector in the BNL wide-band neutrino beam. High-statistics samples yield the absolute differential cross sections dσ(νμp)/dQ2 and dσ(ν¯μp)/dQ2. A measurement of the axial-vector form factor GA(Q2) is also presented. The results are in good agreement with the standard model SU(2)×U(1). The weak-neutral-current parameter sin2thetaW is determined to be sin2θW=0.220±0.016(stat)−0.031+0.023(syst).

The weak coupling constants of the electron, gVe and gAe, are determined from measurements of the total and differential cross sections for the reaction νμe→νμe. The data also place limits of interest on the magnitudes of a neutrino charge radius and a possible neutrino magnetic dipole moment.

Total and differential cross sections for νμe→νμe and ν¯μe→ν¯μe are measured. Values for the model-independent neutral-current couplings of the electron are found to be gV=−0.107±0.035(stat)±0.028(syst) and gA=−0.514±0.023(stat)±0.028(syst). The electroweak mixing parameter sin2θW is determined to be 0.195±0.018(stat)±0.013(syst). Limits are set for the charge radius and magnetic moment of the neutrino as (〈r2〉)<0.24×10−32 cm2 and fμ<0.85×10−9 Bohr magnetons, respectively.

We present a study of the inclusive production of neutral pions and charged particles from 112 000 hadronic Z 0 decays. The measured inclusive momentum distributions can be reproduced by parton shower Monte Carlo programs and also by an analytical QCD calculation. Comparing our results to e + e − data between √ s = 9 and 91 GeV, we findfind that the evolution of the spectra with center of mass energy is consistent with the QCD predictions.

From 2540 Z 0 → τ + τ − events, we determine the inclusive decay branching fractions of the τ -lepton into one and three charged particles to be 0.856 ± 0.006 (stat.) ± 0.003 (syst.) and 0.144 ± 0.006 (stat.) ± 0.003 (syst.), respectively. The leptonic branching fractions are measured to be 0.175 ± 0.008 (stat.) ± 0.005 (syst.) for τ → μν μ ντ and 0.177 ± 0.007 (stat.) ± 0.006 (syst.) for τ → eν e ν τ . We determined the τ lifetime both from three-prong decays using the decay length and from one-prong decays using the impact parameter. The results from the two independent methods agree and yield a combined value of [0.309 ± 0.023 (stat.) ± 0.030 (syst.)] × 10 −12 s.

A study of inclusive production of the meson resonances ρ 0 , K ∗0 (892), ƒ 0 (975) and ƒ 2 (1270) in hadronic decays of the Z 0 is presented. The measured mean meson multiplicity per hadronic event is 0.83 ± 0.14 for the ρ 0 0.64 ± 0.24 for the K ∗0 (892), 0.10 ± 0.04 for the ƒ 0 (975) in the momentum range p > 0.05 p beam ( x p > 0.05) and 0.11 ± 0.05 for the ƒ 2 (1270) for x p > 0.1 . These values and the corresponding differential cross sections ( 1 σ hadr ) d σ d x p for the vector mesons are in good agreement with the predictions of the JETSET 7.3 PS and HERWIG 5.4 models. The ƒ 2 (1270) production is overestimated by HERWIG but its x p -shape is correctly reproduced. The measured ratios of the production cross sections σ(ƒ 2 (1270)) σ(ρ 0 ) = 0.22 ± 0.08 and σ(ƒ 2 (1270)) σ(ƒ 0 (975)) = 3 −1 +7 for x p > 0.1 are consistent with the results obtained in hadronic reactions.

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−.

The total and the differential cross sections for the reaction e + e − → γγ ( γ ) have been measured with the DELPHI detector at LEP using an integrated luminosity of 36.9 pb −1 . The results agree with the QED predictions and consequently there is no evidence for non-standard channels with the same experimental signature. The lower limits obtained on the QED cutoff parameters are Λ + > 143 GeV and Λ − > 120 GeV, and the lower bound on the mass of an excited electron with an effective coupling constant λ γ = 1 is 132 GeV/ c 2 . Upper limits on the branching ratios for the decays Z 0 → γγ , Z 0 → π 0 γ , Z 0 → ηγ and Z 0 → γγγ have been determined to be 5.5 × 10 −5 , 5.5 × 10 −5 , 8.0 × 10 −5 , and 1.7 × 10 −5 respectively. All the limits are at the 95% confidence level.