Cross-sections for hadronic and leptonic two-fermion events, and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries, have been measured in e + e − collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 161 GeV, using the OPAL detector at LEP. Results are presented both including and excluding the dominant production of radiative γZ 0 events. We have measured R b , the ratio of the number of b b to all multihadronic events at 161 GeV, and compared it to the result obtained at 130–136 GeV. All results agree well with the Standard Model expectations. In a model-independent fit to the Z 0 lineshape, the data presented here give an improved precision on the γZ 0 -interference term. The data have also been used to obtain new limits on extensions of the Standard Model described by effective four-fermion contact interactions.
We report on a study of inclusiveπ0 and η meson production inπ+p andK+p interactions at 250 GeV/c beam momentum. The Feynman-x spectrum ofπ0 is very similar in shape and normalization to that of negatively charged particles produced in the same experiment. The results are compared with data at other energies and with FRITIOF model predictions. This model overestimates the η cross section by a factor of 2.5. It reproduces theπ0 cross section correctly, but predicts a too hardπ0x distribution.
Inclusive jet production (e+e- -> e+e- +jet+X) is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e+e- centre-of-mass energies sqrt see from 189 to 209 GeV. Jets are reconstructed using the kp jet algorithm. The inclusive differential cross-section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum, ptjet, in the range 5 <ptjet < 40 GeV for pseudo-rapidities, etaj, in the range -1.5 < etaj < 1.5. The results are compared to predictions of perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant.
A study of the inclusive charged hadron production in two-photon collisions is described. The data were collected with the DELPHI detector at LEP II. Results on the inclusive single-particle p_T distribution and the differential charged hadrons dsigma/dp_T cross-section are presented and compared to the predictions of perturbative NLO QCD calculations and to published results.
The dilepton mass spectrum in pp¯→l+l−+X interactions is studied using dielectrons (ee) and dimuons (μμ) in 110pb−1 of data collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The data are consistent with standard model predictions. The mass spectrum, being a probe for new physics, is examined for new interactions of quarks and leptons from a common composite structure. Assuming a contact interaction with the conventional coupling g02/4π=1, limits on chiral quark-electron and quark-muon compositeness scales in the range of 2.5 to 4.2 TeV are obtained.
The inclusive single and double differential cross-sections for neutral and charged current processes with four-momentum transfer squared Q^2 between 150 and 30,000 GeV2 and with Bjorken x between 0.0032 and 0.65 are measured in e^+ p collisions. The data were taken with the H1 detector at HERA between 1994 and 1997, and they correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.6 pb^-1. The Q^2 evolution of the parton densities of the proton is tested, yielding no significant deviation from the prediction of perturbative QCD. The proton structure function F_2(x,Q^2) is determined. An extraction of the u and d quark distributions at high x is presented. At high Q^2 electroweak effects of the heavy bosons Z0 and W are observed and found to be consistent with Standard Model expectation.
The inclusive cross sections times leptonic branching ratios for W and Z boson production in PbarP collisions at Sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV were measured using the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider: Sigma_W*B(W->e, nu) = 2.36 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.13 nb, Sigma_W*B(W->mu,nu) = 2.09 +/- 0.23 +/- 0.11 nb, Sigma_Z*B(Z-> e, e) = 0.218 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.012 nb, Sigma_Z*B(Z->mu,mu) = 0.178 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.009 nb. The first error is the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty, and the second reflects the uncertainty in the luminosity. For the combined electron and muon analyses we find: [Sigma_W*B(W->l,nu)]/[Sigma_Z*B(Z->l,l)] = 10.90 +/- 0.49. Assuming Standard Model couplings, this result is used to determine the width of the W boson: Gamma(W) = 2.044 +/- 0.093 GeV.
The inclusive e^-p single and double differential cross sections for neutral and charged current processes are measured with the H1 detector at HERA, in the range of four-momentum transfer squared Q^2 between 150 and 30000 GeV^2, and Bjorken x between 0.002 and 0.65. The data were taken in 1998 and 1999 with a centre-of-mass energy of 320 GeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 16.4 pb^(-1). The data are compared with recent measurements of the inclusive neutral and charged current e^+p cross sections. For Q^2>1000 GeV^2 clear evidence is observed for an asymmetry between e^+p and e^-p neutral current scattering and the generalised structure function xF_3 is extracted for the first time at HERA. A fit to the charged current data is used to extract a value for the W boson propagator mass. The data are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions.
Di-jet production is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e+e- centre-of-mass energies 161 and 172 GeV. The jets are reconstructed using a cone jet finding algorithm. The angular distributions of direct and double-resolved processes are measured and compared to the predictions of leading order and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD. The jet energy profiles are also studied. The inclusive two-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse energy and rapidity and compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The inclusive two-jet cross-section as a function of rapidity is compared to the prediction of the leading order Monte Carlo generators PYTHIA and PHOJET. The Monte Carlo predictions are calculated with different parametrisations of the parton distributions of the photon. The influence of the `underlying event' has been studied to reduce the model dependence of the predicted jet cross-sections from the Monte Carlo generators.
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.