The production of Jψ mesons in Z0 decays is studied using 3.6 million hadronic events recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP. The inclusive Z0 to Jψ and b-quark to Jψ branching ratios are measured from the total yield of Jψ mesons, identified from their decays into lepton pairs. The Jψ momentum distribution is used to study the fragmentation of b-quarks. The production rate of ψ′ mesons, identified from their decays into a Jψ and a π+π− pair, is measured as well. The following results are obtained: ${Br(Z^{0}⌝ghtarrow {⤪ J}/ i X)=(3.9pm 0.2pm 0.3)cdot 10^{-3} {⤪ and} ↦op Br(Z^0⌝ghtarrow  i ^⌕ime X)=(1.6pm 0.3pm 0.2)cdot 10^{-3}, }$ where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Finally the Jψ sample is used to reconstruct exclusive b-hadron decays and calculate the corresponding b-hadron branching ratios and masses.

The production of neutral kaons in e+e− annihilation at centre-of-mass energies in the region of the Z0 mass and their Bose-Einstein correlations are investigated with the OPAL detector at LEP. A total of about 1.26×106 Z0 hadronic decay events are used in the analysis. The production rate of K0 mesons is found to be 1.99±0.01±0.04 per hadronic event, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Both the rate and the differential cross section for K0 production are compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo generators. This comparison indicates that the fragmentation is too soft in bothJetset andHerwig. Bose-Einstein correlations in Ks0Ks0 pairs are measured through the quantityQ, the four momentum difference of the pair. A threshold enhancement is observed in Ks0Ks0 pairs originating from a mixed sample of\(K^0 \bar K^0\) and K0K0 (\(\bar K^0 \bar K^0\)) pairs. For the strength of the effect and for the radius of the emitting source we find values of λ=1.14±0.23±0.32 andR0=(0.76±0.10±0.11) fm respectively. The first error is statistical and the second systematic.

We have used data from the OPAL detector at LEP to reconstruct D ∗ mesons and secondary vertices in jets. We have studied the hemispheres of the events opposite these jets and obtain values of the hemisphere charged particle multiplicity in Z 0 → u u , d d , s s , Z 0 → c c and Z 0 → b b events of n uds = 10.41 ± 0.06 ± 0.09 ± 0.19 ; n c = 10.76 ± 0.20 ± 0.14 ± 0.19 ; n b = 11.81 ± 0.01 ± 0.12 ± 0.21 where the first errors are statistical, the second systmatic and the third a common scale uncertainty. We find the difference in total charged particle multiplicity between c and b quark events and light (u, d, s) quark events to be δ cl = 0.69 ± 0.51 ± 0.35; δ bl = 2.79 ± 0.12 ± 0.27. These results are compared to the predictions of various models and QCD based calculations.

A study of b quark fragmentation at LEP is presented using a sample of semileptonic B decays containing a fully reconstructed charm meson. The data are compared to several theoretical models for heavy quark fragmentation; the free parameters in these models are fitted and the sensitivity of the model parameters to the rate of P-wave B meson production is studied. The mean scaled energy fraction of B 0 and B + mesons has been determined to be < x E > = 0.695 ± 0.006 ± 0.003 ± 0.007, where the errors are statistical, systematic and model dependence respectively. This result is consistent with previous, less direct measurements from inclusive leptonic B decays. Also presented is a model independent fit to the shape of the energy distribution of weakly decaying B mesons at LEP.

We have studied the production of D*± mesons in a sample of 1.25 million multihadronic decays of the Z0, in which 1969 candidates have been identified. We have determined the total multiplicity of charged D* mesons in multihadronic Z0 decays to be

The production of Δ ++ baryons has been measured using 3.5 million hadronic Z 0 decays collected with the OPAL detector at LEP. The production rate and fragmentation function are presented. A total of 0.22 ± 0.04 ± 0.04 Δ ++ + ( Δ ) −− per hadronic Z 0 decay is observed. The fragmentation function is found to be softer than that predicted by the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo event generators. With this measurement of Δ ++ production, at least one baryon of each strangeness level in the lightest baryon decuplet has now been measured at LEP.

The fragmentation function for the process e+e−→h+X, whereh represents a hadron, may be decomposed into transverse, longitudinal and asymmetric contributions by analysis of the distribution of polar production angles. A number of new tests of QCD have been proposed using these fragmentation functions, but so far no data have been published on the separate components. We have performed such a separation using data on charged particles from hadronic Z0 decays atOpal, and have compared the results with the predictions of QCD. By integrating the fragmentation functions, we determine the average charged particle multiplicity to be\(\overline {n_{ch} }= 21.05 \pm 0.20\). The longitudinal to total cross-section ratio is determined to be σL/σtot=0.057±0.005. From the longitudinal fragmentation function we are able to extract the gluon fragmentation function. The connection between the asymmetry fragmentation function and electroweak asymmetrics is discussed.

Measurements have been made in the OPAL experiment at LEP of the inclusive production of strange vector φ(1020) and K*(892)0 mesons, and the tensor meson K2*(1430)0. The overall production rates per hadronic Z0 decay have been determined to be 0.100±0.004stat.±0.007syst. φ(1020) mesons, 0.74±0.03stat.±0.03syst. K*(892)0 mesons and (forxE<0.3) 0.19±0.04stat.±0.06syst. K2*(1430)0 mesons. The measurements for the vector states update previously published results based on lower statistics, while the K2*(1430)0 rate represents the first direct measurement of a strange tensor state in Z0 decay. For the vector states, both the overall production rates and normalised differential cross sections, with respect to the scaled energy variablexE, have been compared to JETSET and HERWIG predictions. The peak positions in the ζ=ln(1/xp) distributions have been measured and compared to measurements of other hadron states.

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We have studied hadronic events produced at LEP at centre-of-mass energies of 130 and 136 GeV. Distributions of event shape observables, jet rates, momentum spectra and multiplicities are presented and compared to the predictions of several Monte Carlo models and analytic QCD calculations. From fits of event shape and jet rate distributions to\({\mathcal{O}}(\alpha _s^2 ) + NLLA\) QCD calculations, we determineαs(133 GeV)=0.110±0.005(stat.)±0.009(syst.). We measure the mean charged particle multiplicity 〈nch〉=23.40±0.45(stat.) ±0.47(syst.) and the position ζ0 of the peak in the ζp = ln(1/xp) distribution ζ0=3.94±0.05(stat.)±0.11(syst.). These results are compared to lower energy data and to analytic QCD or Monte Carlo predictions for their energy evolution.