We have studied the reactions e + e − → e + e − , e + e − → γγ , e + e − → μ + μ − , and e + e − → τ + τ − in the centre-of-mass (CM) energy range from 39.8 to 45.2 GeV using the CELLO detector at PETRA. Upper limits on the partial widths for new spin 0 bosons with masses both within and above the energy range covered are determined. No evidence for contributions of such new particles has been observed up to the highest PETRA energies in a model independent way. Under the assumptions of recently suggested models relating the existence of spin 0 bosons to the radiative width Γ τ of the Z 0 we exclude such bosons at the 95% confidence level for masses below the Z 0 -mass if Γ τ > 20 MeV.

The total e + e − annihilation onto hadron has been measured at CM energies between 33.00 and 36.72 GeV and between 38.66 and 46.78 GeV in steps of 20 and 30 MeV respectively. The average of the ratio R = σ ( e + e − → hadrons )/ σ is 〈 R 〉=3.85±0.12 and 〈 R 〉=4.04±0.10 for the two energy ranges. The systematic error on 〈 R 〉 is 0.31. Both values are consistent with the expectation for the known coloured quarks u, d, s, c and b. No evidence was found for the production of new quarks. If the largest fluctuation in R is interpreted as a narrow resonance, it corresponds to a product of the electronic width and the hadronic branching ratio Γ ee B had >2.9 keV at the 95% confidence level, well below the value expected for the toponium vector ground state with charge 2 3 e . The observed number of aplanar final states rules out the continuum production of a a new heavy flavour with pointlike cross section up to a CM energy of 45.4 GeV for a quarck charge of 1 3 e . and up to 46.6 GeV for 2 3 e at the 95% confidence level.

The differential cross section of the reactione+e−→e+e− at a c.m. energy of 34.7 GeV has been measured. The result, together with our previously measurede+e−→α+α− data, are compared with the standard model predictions. We obtain for the weak neutral current couplings the valuesgv2=0.09×0.06,ga2=0.38×0.08. A fit of the Weinberg mixing angle gives the valuegv2=0.09×0.06,ga2=0.038×0.08. The data are also used to set limits on possible deviations from the pointlike structure of leptons. An upper limit for thee+e− coupling to a heavy spin 0 boson is also given.

We have studied 419 τ pair events produced in the reactione+e−→τ+ τ− at a c.m. energy of 34.6 GeV. We measure the cross section and angular distribution, as well as the decay branching ratios. The production characteristics are consistent with the Standard Electroweak Model predictions of γ andZ0 interference. The branching ratios are generally consistent with the τ decaying according to standard weak interaction principles, but we observe somewhat more decays resulting in single charged hadrons plus neutrals than are predicted by present theory.

We have measured the total normalized cross section R for the process e + e − → hadrons at centre-of-mass energies between 14.0 and 46.8 GeV based on an integrated luminosity of 60.3 pb −1 . The data are well described by the standard SU(3) c ⊗SU(2) L ⊗U(1) model with the production of the five known quarks. No open production of a sixth quark with charge 2/3 or 1/3 occurs below a centre-of-mass energy of 46.6 or 46.3 GeV, respectively. A fitting procedure which takes the correlations between measurements into account was used to determine the electroweak mixing angle sin 2 θ w and the strong coupling constant α s ( S ) in second-order QCD. We applied this procedure to the CELLO data and in addition included the data from other experiments at PETRA and PEP. Both fits give consistent results. The fit to the combined data yields α s (34 2 GeV 2 ) = 0.165±0.030, and sin 2 θ w = 0.236±0.020. Fixing sin 2 θ w at the world average value of 0.23 yields α s (34 2 GeV 2 ) = 0.169±0.025.

The e + e − → μ + μ − reaction has been studied at centre of mass energies ranging between 38.3 abd 46.8 GeV with the CELLO detector at PETRA. We present results on the cross section and the charge asymmetry for this channel. Combining all the data at the average energy 〈 s 〉=43 GeV we obtain R μμ =〈 σ μμ / σ 0 〉=0.98±0.04±0.04, 〈 A μμ 〉=(−14.1±3.7±1.0)%, where σ 0 is the QED cross section and A μμ is the charge asymmetry corrected for pure radiative effects. These results are in good agreement with the expected values of R μμ =1.01 and A μμ =−14.5% at that energy.

A search for single photons, produced in e + e − collisions together with particles interacting only weakly with matter, has been performed using the CELLO detector at the PETRA storage ring. We report on results from data taken at 35 GeV < √ s <46.57 GeV. An upper limit of 8.7 (90% CL) on the number of light neutrino species is set. Combining our result with published results from other e + e − experiments the number of light neutrinos is limited to N v < 4.6 at 90% CL. We also set lower limits on the masses of supersymmetric particles.

We report on the first measurements of e + e − annihilations into hadrons and lepton pairs at centre-of-mass energies between 130 GeV and 140 GeV. In a total luminosity of 5 pb −1 collected with the L3 detector at LEP we select 1577 hadronic and 401 lepton-pair events. The measured cross sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries agree well with the Standard Model predictions.

Using the data recorded with the L3 detector at LEP, we study the process e + e − → μ + μ − ( γ ) for events with hard initial-state photon radiation. The effective centre-of-mass energies of the muons range from 50 GeV to 86 GeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 103.5 pb −1 and yields 293 muon-pair events with a hard photon along the beam direction. The events are used to determine the cross sections and the forward-backward charge asymmetries at centre-of-mass energies below the Z resonance.

We have studied the process e<sup loc="post">+</sup>e<sup loc="post">−</sup> → nγ (n ≥ 2) at an average center-of-mass energy of 133 GeV using the L3 detector at LEP. For an integrated luminosity of 4.95 pb<sup loc="post">−1</sup> we find one γγγγ(γ) final state with only hard photons. The rates of both γγγ and γγ events are consistent with QED expectations. The cross section of the reaction e<sup loc="post">+</sup>e<sup loc="post">−</sup> → γγ(γ) in the polar range 16° &lt; θγ < 164° is measured to be 22.6 ± 2.2 pb. Decays into photons of narrow scalar resonances with masses between 90 and 130 GeV are not observed. The observation of the event with four energetic photons is consistent with QED although the kinematic configuration of the photons is atypical.