Inclusive and semi-inclusive cross sections for gp0 production in 100, 200, and 360 GeV/c π−p interactions are presented. Differential cross sections for ρ0 production as functions of c.m. rapidity and transverse momentum are compared with the corresponding differential cross sections for pion production. Effects of various methods of estimating background on the values obtained for ρ0 production cross sections are discussed. About 10% of the final-state charged pions appear to come from ρ0 decay. Thus, while ρ0 production and decay is a significant source of final-state pions, other sources must contribute the majority of the produced pions.

We report on a measurement of the mass of the Z 0 boson, its total width, and its partial decay widths into hadrons and leptons. On the basis of 25 801 hadronic decays and 1999 decays into electrons, muons or taus, selected over eleven energy points between 88.28 GeV and 95.04 GeV, we obtain from a combined fit to hadrons and leptons a mass of M z =91.154±0.021 (exp)±0.030 (LEP) GeV, and a total width of Γ z =2.536±0.045 GeV. The errors on M z have been separated into the experimental error and the uncertainty due to the LEP beam energy. The measured leptonic partial widths are Γ ee =81.2±2.6 MeV, Γ μμ =82.6± 5.8 MeV, and Γ ττ =85.7±7.1 MeV, consistent with lepton universality. From a fit assuming lepton universality we obtain Γ ℓ + ℓ − = 81.9±2.0 MeV. The hadronic partial width is Γ had =1838±46 MeV. From the measured total and partial widths a model independent value for the invisible width is calculated to be Γ inv =453±44 MeV. The errors quoted include both the statistical and the systematic uncertainties.

The Beijing Spectrometer (BES) experiment has observed purely leptonic decays of the Ds meson in the reaction e+e−→Ds+Ds− at a c.m. energy of 4.03 GeV. Three events are observed in which one Ds decays hadronically to φπ, K¯*0K, or K¯0K, and the other decays leptonically to μνμ or τντ. With the assumption of μ−τ universality, values of the branching fraction, B(Ds→μνμ)=(1.5−0.6−0.2+1.3+0.3)%, and the Ds pseudoscalar decay constant, fDs=(4.3−1.3−0.4+1.5+0.4)×102 MeV, are obtained.

We have measured the photon yield in lepton pair events recorded by the OPAL detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.1 pb −1 at centre-of-mass energies between 88 GeV and 94 GeV. The results are compared to QED expectations for initial and final state photon radiation. No anomalous photon yield has been found, and stringent limits on the branching ratio for exotic radiative three body Z 0 decays into a photon and a pair of leptons are obtained. We also place limits on possible Z 0 decays into a photon and a resonance X with subsequent decays of X into a pair of leptons. Acollinear μ + μ − events with missing momentum along the beam direction are identified as events with hard initial state photon radiation and used to measure an average cross section of 15 ± 8 6 pb for e + e − annihilation into μ + μ − , in the so far untested range of centre-of-mass energies between 60 GeV and 84 GeV. This value is consistent with a cross section of 24 pb, expected from Z 0 and photon exchange.

A sample of 25000 Z 0 → τ + τ − events collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP in 1991 and 1992 is used to measure the leptonic branching fractions of the τ lepton. The results are B(τ → eν ν ) = (17.51 ± 0.39) % and B(τ → μν ν ) = (17.02 ± 0.31) %. The ratio of the muon and electron couplings to the weak charged current is measured to be g μ g e = 1.000 ± 0.013 , satisfying e-μ universality. The leptonic branching fraction corrected to the value for a massless lepton, assuming e-μ universality, is found to be B(τ → lν ν ) = (17.50 ± 0.25) %.

Measurements of the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry for the reaction e + e − → μ + μ − using the DELPHI detector at LEP are presented. The data come from a scan around the Z 0 peak at seven centre of mass energies, giving a sample of 3858 events in the polar angle region 22° < θ < 158°. From a fit to the cross section for 43° < θ < 137°, a polar angle region for which the absolute efficiency has been determined, the square root of the product of the Z 0 → e + e − and Z 0 → μ + μ − partial widths is determined to be (Γ e Γ μ ) 1 2 = 85.0 ± 0.9( stat. ) ± 0.8( syst. ) MeV . From this measurement of the partial width, the value of the effective weak mixing angle is determined to be sin 2 ( θ w ) = 0.2267 ± 0.0037 . The ratio of the hadronic to muon pair partial widths is found to be Γ h / Γ μ = 19.89 ± 0.40(stat.) ± 0.19(syst.). The forward-backward asymmetry at the resonance peak energy E CMS = 91.22 GeV is found to be A FB = 0.028 ± 0.020(stat.) ± 0.005(syst.). From a combined fit to the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry data, the products of the electron and muon vector and axial-vector coupling constants are determined to be V e V μ = 0.0024 ± 0.0015(stat.) ± 0.0004(syst.) and A e A μ = 0.253 ± 0.003(stat.) ± 0.003 (syst.). The results are in good agreement with the expectations of the minimal standard model.

We report on the production ofe± μ∓ pairs in 450 GeV/c pBe collisions at the CERN SPS. Theeμ signal, which has average missing energy of 21 GeV, is shown to be consistent with expectations from charm decay, and implies a σ ×B for\(c\bar c\) production in p-nucleon collisions of 0.63 ± 0.35μb. Alternatively, using an estimate of charm production from other experiments, the data imply a 95% confidence level upper limit of 1.16μb on any new physics process which producese±μ∓.

The couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are studied using measurements of the lepton pair cross sections and forward-backward asymmetries at centre of mass energies near to the mass of the Z 0 . The data are consistent with lepton universality. Using a parametrisation of the lepton pair differential cross section which assumes that the Z 0 has only vector and axial couplings to leptons, the charged leptonic partial decay width of the Z 0 is determined to be Г ol+ol− = 83.1±1.9 MeV and the square of the product of the effective axial vector and vector coupling constants of the Z 0 to charged leptons to be a ̌ 2 ol v ̌ 2 ol = 0.0039± 0.0083 , in agreement with the standard model. A parametrisation in the form of the improved Born approximation gives effective leptonic axial vector and vector coupling constants a ̌ 2 ol = 0.998±0.024 and v ̌ 2 ol = 0.0044±0.0083 . In the framework of the standard model, the values of the parameters ϱ z and sin 2 θ w are found to be 0.998±0.024 and 0.233 +0.045 −0.012 respectively. Using the relationship in the minimal standard model between ϱ z and sin 2 θ w , the results sin 2 θ SM w = 0.233 +0.007 −0.006 is obtained. Our previously published measurement of the ratio of the hadronic to the leptonic partial width of the Z 0 is update: R z = 21.72 +0.71 −0.65 .

We have measured the charge asymmetry in like-sign dilepton yields from B^0 B^0-bar meson decays using the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring. We find a_ll = [N(l+l+) - N(l-l-)]/[N(l+l+) + N[l-l-)] = +0.013 +/- 0.050 +/- 0.005 . We combine this result with a previous, independent measurement and obtain Re(epsilon_B)/(1+|epsilon_B|^2) = +0.0035 +/- 0.0103 +/- 0.0015 (uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively) for the CP impurity parameter, epsilon_B.

Data on multiplicities of charged particles produced in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon are presented. It is shown that the mean multiplicity of negative particles is proportional to the mean number of nucleons participating in the collision both for nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions. The apparent consistency of pion multiplicity data with the assumption of an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is critically discussed.