Results onK0 and Λ production ine+e− annihilation at c.m. energies of 14, 22 and 34 GeV are presented. The shape of theK0 and Λ differential cross sections are very similar to each other and to those of π±,K± and\(p(\bar p)\). Scaling violations are observed forK0 production. We obtain a value for the probability to produce strange quark-antiquark pairs relative to that to produce up or down quark-antiquark pairs of 0.35±0.02±0.05. The value ofRh=σ(e+e-→hX)/σµµ is shown to rise steadily with c.m. energy for all particle species. At 34 GeV we find 1.48±0.05K0 and 0.31±0.03 Λ per event. We have searched for possible Λ polarization. The production ofK0's and Λ's in jets is examined as a function ofpT2 and rapidity and compared to that of all charged particles; the yields in two and three jets are also investigated. Results are presented from events with two baryons\((\Lambda ,\bar \Lambda ,por\bar p)\) observed.
We compared the multiplicities of pizero, eta, Kzero and of charged particles in quark and gluon jets in 3-jet events, as measured by the OPAL experiment at LEP. The comparisons were performed for distributions unfolded to 100% pure quark and gluon jets, at an effective scale Qjet which took into account topological dependences of the 3-jet environment. The ratio of particle multiplicity in gluon jets to that in quark jets as a function of Qjet for pizero, eta and Kzero was found to be independent of the particle species. This is consistent with the QCD prediction that the observed enhancement in the mean particle rate in gluon jets with respect to quark jets should be independent of particle species. In contrast to some theoretical predictions and previous observations, we observed no evidence for an enhancement of eta meson production in gluon jets with respect to quark jets, beyond that observed for charged particles. We measured the ratio of the slope of the average charged particle multiplicity in gluon jets to that in quark jets, C, and we compared it to a next-to-next-to-next-to leading order calculation. Our result, C=2.27+-0.20(stat+syst),is about one standard deviation higher than the perturbative prediction.
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