Measurements are presented of the cross section ratios R ℓ = σ ℓ ( e + e − →ℓ + ℓ − ) σ h ( e + e − →hadrons) for ℓ=e, μ and τ using data taken from a scan around the Z 0 . The results are R e =(5.09± o .32±0.18)%, R μ =(0.46±0.35±0.17)% and R τ =(4.72±0.38±0.29)% where, for the ratio R e , the t -channel contribution has been subtracted. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of lepton universality and test this hypothesis at the energy scale s ∼8300 GeV 2 . The absolute cross sections σ ℓ (e + e − →ℓ + ℓ − ) have also been measured. From the cross sections the leptonic partial widths Γ e =(83.2±3.0±2.4) MeV, (Γ e Γ μ ) 1 2 =(84.6±3.0±2.4) MeV and (Γ e Γ τ ) 1 2 =(82.6±3.3±3.2) MeV have been extracted. Assuming lepton universality the ratio Γ ℓ Γ h =(4.89±0.20±0.12) × 10 −2 w was obtained, together with Γ ℓ =(83.6±1.8±2.2) MeV. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be N v =3.12±0.24±0.25. Al the data are consistent with the predictions of the standard model.

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,

Hadronic decays of Z 0 bosons are studied in the Delphi detector. Global event variables and singel particles inclusive distributions are compared with QCD-based predictions. The mean charged multiplicity is found to be 20.6±1.0 (stat+syst). The mean values of the sphericity, aplanarity, thrust, minor value, p in T and p out T are compared with values found at lower energy e + e − colliders.

In four-jet events from e + e − →Z 0 →multihadrons one can separate the three principal contributions from the triple-gluon vertex, double gluon-bremsstrahlung and the secondary quark-antiquark production, using the shape of the two-dimensional angular distributions in the generalized Nachtmann-Reiter angle θ NR ∗ and the opening angle of the secondary jets. Thus one can identify directly the contribution from the triple-gluon vertex without comparison with a specific non-QCD model. Applying this new method to events taken with the DELPHI-detector we get for the ratio of the colour factor N c to the fermionic Casimir operator C F : N c C F = 2.55 ± 0.55 ( stat. ) ± 0.4 ( fragm. + models ) ± 0.2 ( error in bias ) in agreement with the value 2.25 expected in QCD from N c =3 and C F = 4 3 .

Measurements of the Xi- and anti-Xi+ masses, mass differences, lifetimes and lifetime differences are presented. The anti-Xi+ sample used is much larger than those used previously for such measurements. In addition, the Xi production rates in Z -> b anti-b and Z -> q anti-q events are compared and the position xi* of the maximum of the xi distribution in Z -> q anti-q events is measured.

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.

The production rates for 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-jet hadronic final states have been measured with the DELPHI detector at the e + e − storage ring LEP at centre of mass energies around 91.5 GeV. Fully corrected data are compared to O(α 2 s ) QCD matrix element calculations and the QCD scale parameter Λ MS is determined for different parametrizations of the renormalization scale ω 2 . Including all uncertainties our result is α s ( M 2 Z )=0.114±0.003[stat.]±0.004[syst.]±0.012[theor.].

Three jet events arising from decays of the Z boson, collected by the DELPHI detector, were used to measure differences in quark and gluon fragmentation. Gluon jets were anti-tagged by identifying b quark jets. Unbiased quark jets came from events with two jets plus one photon. Quark and gluon jet properties in different energy ranges were compared for the first time within the same detector. Quark and gluon jets of nearly the same energy in symmetric three jet event topologies were also compared. Using three independent methods, the average value of the ratio of the mean charged multiplicities of gluon and quark jets is $$< r >=1.241 pm 0.015 (stat.)pm 0.025 (syst.).$$ Gluon jets are broader and produce fragments with a softer energy spectrum than quark jets of equivalent energy. The string effect has been observed in fully symmetric three jet events. The measured ratio Rγ of the charged particle flow in the qq̅ inter-jet region of the qq̅g and qq̅γ samples agrees with the perturbative QCD expectation. The dependence of the mean charged multiplicity on the hadronic center-of-mass energy was analysed in photon plus n-jet events. The value for αs(MZ) determined from these data using a QCD prediction with corrections at leading and next-to-leading order is $$←pha_s(M_Z)=0.116pm 0.003 (stat.)pm 03009 (syst.).$$

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A determination of the partial width Γ c c ̄ of the Z 0 boson into charm quark pairs is presented, based on a total sample of 36 900 Z 0 hadronic decays measured with the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider. The production rate of cc̄ events is derived from the inclusive analysis of charged pions coming from the decay of charmed meson D ∗+ → D 0 π + and D ∗− → D ̄ 0 π − where the π ± is constrained by kinematics to have a low p T with respect to the axis. The probability to produce these π ± from D ∗± decay in cc̄ events is taken to be 0.31 ±_0.05 as measured at √ s =10.55 GeV. The measured relative partial width Γ c c ̄ Γ h = 0.162± 0.030 ( stat. ) ±0.050 ( syst. ) is in good agreement with the standard moel value of 0.171. Together with our previous measurement of the total hadronic width Γ h this implies Γ c c ̄ = 282±53 ( stat. )±88( syst. ) MeV .