Cross-section and angular distributions for hadronic and lepton-pair final states in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 189 GeV and 209 GeV, measured with the OPAL detector at LEP, are presented and compared with the predictions of the Standard Model. The measurements are used to determine the electromagnetic coupling constant alphaem at LEP2 energies. In addition, the results are used together with OPAL measurements at 91-183 GeV within the S-matrix formalism to determine the gamma-Z interference term and to make an almost model-independent measurement of the Z mass. Limits on extensions to the Standard Model described by effective four-fermion contact interactions or the addition of a heavy Z boson are also presented.
CM energy values.
Measured cross section for QUARK QUARKBAR (HADRON) production. The data are corrected to no interference between initial and final state radiation.
Measured cross section for MU+ MU- production. The data are corrected to no interference between initial and final state radiation.
We employ data taken by the JADE and OPAL experiments for an integrated QCD study in hadronic e+e- annihilations at c.m.s. energies ranging from 35 GeV through 189 GeV. The study is based on jet-multiplicity related observables. The observables are obtained to high jet resolution scales with the JADE, Durham, Cambridge and cone jet finders, and compared with the predictions of various QCD and Monte Carlo models. The strong coupling strength, alpha_s, is determined at each energy by fits of O(alpha_s^2) calculations, as well as matched O(alpha_s^2) and NLLA predictions, to the data. Matching schemes are compared, and the dependence of the results on the choice of the renormalization scale is investigated. The combination of the results using matched predictions gives alpha_s(MZ)=0.1187+{0.0034}-{0.0019}. The strong coupling is also obtained, at lower precision, from O(alpha_s^2) fits of the c.m.s. energy evolution of some of the observables. A qualitative comparison is made between the data and a recent MLLA prediction for mean jet multiplicities.
Overall result for ALPHAS at the Z0 mass from the combination of the ln R-matching results from the observables evolved using a three-loop running expression. The errors shown are total errors and contain all the statistics and systematics.
Weighted mean for ALPHAS at the Z0 mass determined from the energy evolutions of the mean values of the 2-jet cross sections obtained with the JADE and DURHAMschemes and the 3-jet fraction for the JADE, DURHAM and CAMBRIDGE schemes evaluted at a fixed YCUT.. The errors shown are total errors and contain all the statistics and systematics.
Combined results for ALPHA_S from fits of matched predicitions. The first systematic (DSYS) error is the experimental systematic, the second DSYS error isthe hadronization systematic and the third is the QCD scale error. The values of ALPHAS evolved to the Z0 mass using a three-loop evolution are also given.
Cross-sections and angular distributions for hadronic and lepton pair final states in e+e- collisions at a centre-of-mass energy near 189 GeV, measured with the OPAL detector at LEP, are presented and compared with the predictions of the Standard Model. The results are used to measure the energy dependence of the electromagnetic coupling constant alpha_em, and to place limits on new physics as described by four-fermion contact interactions or by the exchange of a new heavy particle such as a sneutrino in supersymmetric theories with R-parity violation. A search for the indirect effects of the gravitational interaction in extra dimensions on the mu+mu- and tau+tau- final states is also presented.
Hadronic cross section.
The cross sections for hadronic, and muon- and tau-pair production in the two sprime/s regions.
The cross sections for electron -pair production with various angular cuts.
We have studied hadronic events produced at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 161 GeV. We present distributions of event shape variables, jet rates, charged particle momentum spectra and multiplicities. We determine the strong coupling strength to be αs(161 GeV) = 0.101±0.005(stat.)±0.007(syst.), the mean charged particle multiplicity to be 〈nch〉(161 GeV) = 24.46 ± 0.45(stat.) ± 0.44(syst.) and the position of the peak in the ξp = ln(1/xp) distribution to be ξ0(161 GeV) = 4.00 ±0.03(stat.)±0.04(syst.). These results are compared to data taken at lower centre-of-mass energies and to analytic QCD or Monte Carlo predictions. Our measured value of αs(161 GeV) is consistent with other measurements of αs. Within the current statistical and systematic uncertainties, the PYTHIA, HERWIG and ARIADNE QCD Monte Carlo models and analytic calculations are in overall agreement with our measurements. The COJETS QCD Monte Carlo is in general agreement with the data for momentum weighted distributions like Thrust, but predicts a significantly larger charged particle multiplicity than is observed experimentally.
Determination of alpha_s.
Multiplicity and higher moments.
Thrust distribution.
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.
Determination of alpha_s.
Multiplicity and high moments.
Tmajor distribution.
Forum