We present a new high-statistics measurement of the cross section for the process e+e−→e+e−π+π− at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV for invariant pion-pair masses M(π+π−) between 350 MeV/c2 and 1.6 GeV/c2. We observe the f2(1270) and measure its radiative width to be 3.15±0.04±0.39 keV. We also observe an enhancement in the π+π− spectrum near 1 GeV. General agreement is found with unitarized models of the γγ→π+π− reaction that include final-state interactions.
Measurements of cross sections of inelastic and diffractive processes in proton--proton collisions at LHC energies were carried out with the ALICE detector. The fractions of diffractive processes in inelastic collisions were determined from a study of gaps in charged particle pseudorapidity distributions: for single diffraction (diffractive mass $M_X < 200$ GeV/$c^2$) $\sigma_{\rm SD}/\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 0.21 \pm 0.03, 0.20^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$, and $0.20^{+0.04}_{-0.07}$, respectively at centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76$, and 7~TeV; for double diffraction (for a pseudorapidity gap $\Delta\eta > 3$) $\sigma_{\rm DD}/\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 0.11 \pm 0.03, 0.12 \pm 0.05$, and $0.12^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$, respectively at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76$, and 7~TeV. To measure the inelastic cross section, beam properties were determined with van der Meer scans, and, using a simulation of diffraction adjusted to data, the following values were obtained: $\sigma_{\rm INEL} = 62.8^{+2.4}_{-4.0} (model) \pm 1.2 (lumi)$ mb at $\sqrt{s} =$ 2.76~TeV and $73.2^{+2.0}_{-4.6} (model) \pm 2.6 (lumi)$ mb at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7~TeV. The single- and double-diffractive cross sections were calculated combining relative rates of diffraction with inelastic cross sections. The results are compared to previous measurements at proton--antiproton and proton--proton colliders at lower energies, to measurements by other experiments at the LHC, and to theoretical models.
The cross section for the production of π+π− or K+K− pairs in γγ interactions is measured for mππ between 1.7 and 3.5 GeV/c2 and for two intervals of γγ center-of-mass scattering angle. Results are compared with predictions of a QCD model.
The production of Λ hyperons in e+e− annihilation has been measured as a function of their total momenta, transverse momenta, and the event thrust. The total production rate is 0.213±0.012±0.018 Λ or Λ¯ per hadronic event. The observation of correlations in rapidity and angles for events with two detected Λ decays supports fragmentation models with local baryon-number compensation.
Inclusive Ω− production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV has been measured with the Mark II detector. From an integrated luminosity of 207 pb−1, we determine a production rate of 0.014±0.006±0.004 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event. This is roughly 35 times the Lund-model prediction of 0.0004 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event, but comparable to the Webber-model prediction of 0.006 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event. The large rate of Ω− production, compared with production rates for other baryons, and with theoretical predictions based on diquark models, indicates that spin suppression does not hold for Ω− production.
Inclusive Ξ− production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV has been measured with the Mark II detector. From an integrated luminosity of 207 pb−1, we determine a production rate of 0.017±0.004±0.004 Ξ−+Ξ¯+ per hadronic event. A search for Ξ*0(1530)→Ξ−π+ leads to an upper limit of N(Ξ*0)/N(Ξ−)<0.35 at a 90% confidence level.
We have measured the K0+K¯ 0 inclusive cross section in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV with the Mark II detector SLAC PEP. We find 1.27±0.03±0.15 K0+K¯ 0 per hadronic event. We have also used time-of-flight particle identification to measure the K± rate over the momentum range 300–900 MeV/c.
η production has been investigated by the Mark II collaboration at the SLAC e+e− storage ring PEP. η particles are reconstructed by their γγ decay mode. The η fragmentation function has been measured and found to be in good agreement with the Lund-model prediction. η′ production has been measured for the first time in high-energy e+e− annihilation. There is evidence at the 3σ level for Ds± decay into ηπ± and η′π±.
A precise measurement of the ratio R of the total cross section e+e−→hadrons to the pointlike cross section e+e−→μ+μ− at a center-of-mass energy of 29.0 GeV is presented. The data were taken with the upgraded Mark II detector at the SLAC storage ring PEP. The result is R=3.92±0.05±0.09. The luminosity has been determined with three independent luminosity monitors measuring Bhabha scattering at different angular intervals. Recent calculations of higher-order QED radiative corrections are used to estimate the systematic error due to missing higher-order radiative corrections in the Monte Carlo event generators.
Earlier measurements at LEP of isolated hard photons in hadronic Z decays, attributed to radiation from primary quark pairs, have been extended in the ALEPH experiment to include hard photon productioninside hadron jets. Events are selected where all particles combine democratically to form hadron jets, one of which contains a photon with a fractional energyz≥0.7. After statistical subtraction of non-prompt photons, the quark-to-photon fragmentation function,D(z), is extracted directly from the measured 2-jet rate. By taking into account the perturbative contributions toD(z) obtained from anO(ααs) QCD calculation, the unknown non-perturbative component ofD(z) is then determined at highz. Provided due account is taken of hadronization effects nearz=1, a good description of the other event topologies is then found.
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