We present an analysis of multiplicity distributions of charged particles produced inZ0 hadronic decays. The results are based on the analysis of 82941 events collected within 100 MeV of theZ0 peak energy with the OPAL detector at LEP. The charged particle multiplicity distribution, corrected for initial-state radiation and for detector acceptance and resolution, was found to have a mean 〈nch〉=21.40±0.02(stat.)±0.43(syst.) and a dispersionD=6.49±0.02(stat.)±0.20(syst.). The shape is well described by the Lognormal and Gamma distributions. A negative binomial parameterisation was found to describe the shape of the multiplicity distribution less well. A comparison with results obtained at lower energies confirms the validity of KNO(-G) scaling up to LEP energies. A separate analysis of events with low sphericity, typically associated with two-jet final states, shows the presence of features expected for models based on a stochastic production mechanism for particles. In all cases, the features observed in the data are well described by the Lund parton shower model JETSET.
Measurements are presented of the inclusive cross section for K ∗ (892) ± production in hadronic decays of the Z 0 using a sample of about half a million events recorded with the OPAL experiment at LEP. Charged K ∗ mesons are reconstructed in the decay channel K 0 S π ± . A mean rate of 0.72±0.02±0.08 K ∗ mesons per hadronic event is found. Comparison of the results with predictions of the JETSET and HERWIG models shows that JETSET overestimates the K ∗± production cross section while HERWIG is consistent with the data.
Using 116.1 fb^-1 of data collected by the BABAR detector, we present an analysis of Xic0 production in B decays and from the ccbar continuum, with the Xic0 decaying into Omega- K+ and Xi- pi+ final states. We measure the ratio of branching fractions B(Xic0 -> Omega- K+)/B(Xic0 -> Xi- pi+) to be 0.294 +- 0.018 +- 0.016, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The Xic0 momentum spectrum is measured on and 40 MeV below the Upsilon(4S) resonance. From these spectra the branching fraction product B(B -> Xic0 X) x B(Xic0 -> Xi- pi+) is measured to be (2.11 +- 0.19 +- 0.25) x 10^-4 and the cross-section product sigma(e+ e- -> Xic0 X) x B(Xic0 -> Xi- pi+) from the continuum is measured to be (388 +- 39 +- 41) fb at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV.
The e+e- -> p anti-p cross section is determined over a range of p anti-p masses, from threshold to 4.5 GeV/c^2, by studying the e+e- -> p anti-p gamma process. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 232 fb^-1, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring, at an e+e- center-of-mass energy of 10.6 GeV. The mass dependence of the ratio of electric and magnetic form factors, |G_E/G_M|, is measured for p anti-p masses below 3 GeV/c^2: its value is found to be significantly larger than 1 for masses up to 2.2 GeV/c^2. We also measure J/psi -> p anti-p and psi(2S) -> p anti-p branching fractions and set an upper limit on Y(4260) -> p anti-p production and decay.
We study the processes e+ e- --> 3(pi+pi-)gamma, 2(pi+pi-pi0)gamma and K+ K- 2(pi+pi-)gamma, with the photon radiated from the initial state. About 20,000, 33,000 and 4,000 fully reconstructed events, respectively, have been selected from 232 fb-1 of BaBar data. The invariant mass of the hadronic final state defines the effective e+e- center-of-mass energy, so that these data can be compared with the corresponding direct e+e- measurements. From the 3(pi+pi-), 2(pi+pi-pi0) and K+ K- 2(pi+pi-) mass spectra, the cross sections for the processes e+ e- --> 3(pi+pi-), e+ e- --> 2(pi+pi-pi0) and e+ e- --> K+ K- 2(pi+pi-) are measured for center-of-mass energies from production threshold to 4.5 GeV. The uncertainty in the cross section measurement is typically 6-15%. We observe the J/psi in all these final states and measure the corresponding branching fractions.
The process e+e- --> pi+ pi- pi0 gamma has been studied at a center-of-mass energy near the Y(4S) resonance using a 89.3 fb-1 data sample collected with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II collider. From the measured 3pi mass spectrum we have obtained the products of branching fractions for the omega and phi mesons, B(omega --> e+e-)B(omega --> 3pi)=(6.70 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.27)10-5 and B(phi --> e+e-)B(phi --> 3pi)=(4.30 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.21)10-5, and evaluated the e+e- --> pi+ pi- pi0 cross section for the e+e- center-of-mass energy range 1.05 to 3.00 GeV. About 900 e+e- --> J/psi gamma --> pi+ pi- pi0 gamma events have been selected and the branching fraction B(J/psi --> pi+ pi- pi0)=(2.18 +/- 0.19)% has been measured.
A search for charmonium and other new states is performed in a study of exclusive initial-state-radiation production of D Dbar events from electron-positron annihilations at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 384 fb-1 and was recorded by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II storage ring. The D Dbar mass spectrum shows clear evidence of the psi(3770) plus other structures near 3.9, 4.1, and 4.4 GeV/c^2. No evidence for Y(4260) -> D Dbar is observed, leading to an upper limit of B(Y(4260) -> D Dbar)/B(Y(4260) -> J/psi pi+ pi-) < 1.0 at 90 % confidence level.
We report e+e- --> b anti-b cross section measurements by the BABAR experiment performed during an energy scan in the range of 10.54 to 11.20 GeV at the PEP-II e+e- collider. A total relative error of about 5% is reached in more than three hundred center-of-mass energy steps, separated by about 5 MeV. These measurements can be used to derive precise information on the parameters of the Y(10860) and Y(11020) resonances. In particular we show that their widths may be smaller than previously measured.
We present a measurement of the cross section of the process $e^+e^-\to\pi^+pi^-\psi(2S)$ from threshold up to 8 GeV center-of-mass energy using events containing initial-state radiation, produced at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ storage rings. The study is based on 298 fb$^{-1}$ of data recorded with the BaBar detector. A structure is observed in the cross-section not far above threshold, near 4.32 GeV. We also investigate the compatibility of this structure with the Y(4260) previously reported by this experiment.
The production of $J/\psi$ mesons in continuum $e^+e^-$ annihilations has been studied with the BABAR detector at energies near the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance, approximately 10.6 GeV. The mesons are distinguished from $J/\psi$ production in B decays through their center-of-mass momentum and energy. We measure the cross section $e^+e^-\to J/\psi X$ to be $2.52\pm 0.21\pm 0.21$ pb: for momentum above 2 GeV/c, it is $1.87\pm 0.10\pm 0.15$ pb. We set a 90% confidence level upper limit on the branching fraction for direct $\Upsilon(4S)$\to J/\psi X$ decays at $4.7\times 10^{-4}$.