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,

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.].

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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 .

Data are presented on the reaction e+e− → γ + no other detected particle at centre-of-mass energies of 89.48, 91.26 and 93.08 GeV. The cross-section for this reaction is related directly to the number of light neutrino generations which couple to the Z° boson, and to several other possible phenomena such as the production of excited neutrinos, the production of any invisible ‘X’ particle, and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino. Based on the observed number of single photon events, the number of light neutrinos that couple to the Z° is measured to be Nv = 2.89 ± 0.38. No evidence is found for anomalous production of energetic single photons, and upper limits at 95% confidence level are determined for excited neutrino production (BR < 4 − 8 × 10−6 depending on its mass), production of an invisible ‘X’ particle (σ, < 0.1 pb for masses below 60 GeV), and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino (< 5.1 × 10-6 μB).

The inclusive production of the f ′ 2 (1525) in hadronic Z 0 decays has been studied in data collected by the DELPHI detector at LEP. The Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors were important tools in the identification of the decay f ′ 2 (1525) → K + K − . The average number of f ′ 2 (1525) produced per hadronic Z decay, 〈f′ 2 〉 = 0.020 ± 0.005 (stat) ± 0.006 (syst), and the momentum distribution of the f ′ 2 (1525) have both been measured. The mass and width of the f ′ 2 (1525) are found to be 〈M f′ 2 〉 = 1535 ± 5 (stat) ± 4 (syst) MeV/c 2 , (T f′ 2 ;) = 60 ± 20 (stat) ± 19 (syst) MeV/c 2

A study of the production of strange octet and decuplet baryons in hadronic decays of the Z recorded by the DELPHI detector at LEP is presented. This includes the first measurement of the∑± average multiplicity. The total and differential cross sections, the event topology and the baryon-antibaryon correlations are compared with current hadronization models.

Charmless hadronic decays of beauty mesons have been searched for using the data collected with the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider. Several two, three and four-body decay modes have been investigated. Particle identification was used to distinguish the final states with protons, kaons and pions. Three candidate events selected in two-body decay modes are interpreted as evidence for charmless B decays. No excess has been found in higher multiplicity modes and improved upper limits for some of the branching ratios are given.