In this paper an investigation of the production of D ∗ ± mesons produced in e + e − collisions at energies around the Z 0 pole is presented. Based on 115 D ∗ ± mesons with x D∗  2E D ∗ /E cm > 0.2 the properties of D ∗ mesons produced in the reaction Z 0 → c c are studied. Fixing the yield and the fragmentation function of bottom quarks to the values obtained at LEP using lepton tags, and average energy fraction of the D ∗ ± mesons from primary charmed quarks of 〈x c → D ∗ 〉 = 0.52 ± 0.03 +- 0.01 is found and Γ z 0 →c c = (323 ± 61 ± 35) MeV is determined. The first error is the combined statistical and systematic error from this experiment, and the second the total error from other sources.

The cross section and jet rates ofZ0 decays into photons and quarks are compared with matrix element Monte Carlos ofO(ααs). Good agreement is found between data and theoretical predic

New measurements are presented of the photon structure function F_2^gamma(Q) at four values of Q^2 between 9 and 59 GeV/c^2 based on data collected with the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies of 161-172 GeV, with a total integrated luminosity of 18.1 pb^-1. The evolution of F_2^gamma with Q^2 in bins of x is determined in the Q^2 range from 1.86 to 135 GeV/c^2 using data taken at centre-of-mass energies of 91 GeV and 161-172 GeV. F_2^gamma is observed to increase with Q^2 with a slope of 1/alpha_em dF_2^gamma/dln(Q^2) = 0.10 +0.05 -0.03 measured in the range 0.1 < x < 0.6.

A study of W-pair production in e+e- annihilations at Lep2 is presented, based on 877 W+W- candidates corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 57 pb-1 at sqrt(s) = 183 GeV. Assuming that the angular distributions of the W-pair production and decay, as well as their branching fractions, are described by the Standard Model, the W-pair production cross-section is measured to be 15.43 +- 0.61 (stat.) +- 0.26 (syst.) pb. Assuming lepton universality and combining with our results from lower centre-of-mass energies, the W branching fraction to hadrons is determined to be 67.9 +- 1.2 (stat.) +- 0.5 (syst.)%. The number of W-pair candidates and the angular distributions for each final state (qqlnu,qqqq,lnulnu) are used to determine the triple gauge boson couplings. After combining these values with our results from lower centre-of-mass energies we obtain D(kappa_g)=0.11+0.52-0.37, D(g^z_1)=0.01+0.13-0.12 and lambda=-0.10+0.13-0.12, where the errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties and each coupling is determined setting the other two couplings to the Standard Model value. The fraction of W bosons produced with a longitudinal polarisation is measured to be 0.242+-0.091(stat.)+-0.023(syst.). All these measurements are consistent with the Standard Model expectations.

Deep inelastic electron-photon scattering is studied using e+e- data collected by the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s_ee} ~ M_{Z^0}. The photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) is explored in a Q^2 range of 1.1 to 6.6 GeV/c^2 at lower x values than ever before. To probe this kinematic region events are selected with a beam electron scattered into one of the OPAL luminosity calorimeters at scattering angles between 27 and 55 mrad. A measurement is presented of the photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) at <Q^2> = 1.86 GeV^2 and 3.76 GeV^2 in five logarithmic x bins from 0.0025 to 0.2.

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.

The helicity density matrix elements rho[00] of rho(770)+- and omega(782) mesons produced in Z decays have been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. Over the measured meson energy range, the values are compatible with 1/3, corresponding to a statistical mix of helicity -1, 0 and +1 states. For the highest accessible scaled energy range 0.3 < x_E < 0.6, the measured rho[00] values of the rho(770)+- and the omega are 0.373 +- 0.052 and 0.142 +- 0.114, respectively. These results are compared to measurements of other vector mesons.

The total hadronic cross-section sigma_gg(W) for the interaction of real photons, gg->hadrons, is measured for gg centre-of-mass energies 10<W<110 GeV. The cross-section is extracted from a measurement of the process e+e- -> e+e-g*g* -> e+e- hardrons, using a luminosity function for the photon flux together with form factors for extrapolating to real photons (Q^2=0 GeV^2). The data were taken with the OPAL detector at LEP at e+e- centre-of-mass energies 161, 172 and 183 GeV. The cross-section sigma_gg(W) is compared with Regge factorisation and with the energy dependence observed in gp and pp interactions. The data are also compared to models which predict a faster rise of sigma_gg(W) compared to gp and pp interactions due to additional hard gg interactions not present in hadronic collisions.

We present a test of the flavour independence of the strong coupling constant for charm and bottom quarks with respect to light (uds) quarks, based on a hadronic event sample obtained with the OPAL detector at LEP. Five observables related to global event shapes were used to measure alpha_s in three flavour tagged samples (uds, c and b). The event shape distributions were fitted by Order(alpha_s**2) calculations of jet production taking into account mass effects for the c and b quarks. We find: = 0.997 +- 0.038(stat.) +- 0.030(syst.) +- 0.012(theory) and = 0.993 +- 0.008(stat.) +- 0.006(syst.) +- 0.011(theory) for the ratios alpha_s(charm)/alpha_s(uds) and alpha_s(b)/alpha_s(uds) respectively.

The correlated production of Lambda and Lambdabar baryons has been studied using 4.3 million multihadronic Zo decays recorded with the OPAL detector at LEP. Di-lambda pairs were investigated in the full data sample and for the first time also in 2-jet and 3-jet events selected with the k_t algorithm. The distributions of rapidity differences from correlated Lambda-Lambdabar pairs exhibit short-range, local correlations and prove to be a sensitive tool to test models, particularly for 2-jet events. The JETSET model describes the data best but some extra parameter tuning is needed to improve agreement with the experimental results in the rates and the rapidity spectra simultaneously. The recently developed modification of JETSET, the MOdified Popcorn Scenarium (MOPS), and also HERWIG do not give satisfactory results. This study of di-lambda production in 2- and 3-jet events supports the short-range compensation of quantum numbers.