We present the midrapidity charged pion invariant cross sections and the ratio of $\pi^-$-to-$\pi^+$ production ($5<p_T<13$ GeV/$c$), together with the double-helicity asymmetries ($5<p_T<12$ GeV/$c$) in polarized $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV. The cross section measurements are consistent with perturbative calculations in quantum chromodynamics within large uncertainties in the calculation due to the choice of factorization, renormalization, and fragmentation scales. However, the theoretical calculation of the ratio of $\pi^-$-to-$\pi^+$ production when considering these scale uncertainties overestimates the measured value, suggesting further investigation of the uncertainties on the charge-separated pion fragmentation functions is needed. Due to cancellations of uncertainties in the charge ratio, direct inclusion of these ratio data in future parameterizations should improve constraints on the flavor dependence of quark fragmentation functions to pions. By measuring charge-separated pion asymmetries, one can gain sensitivity to the sign of $\Delta G$ through the opposite sign of the up and down quark helicity distributions in conjunction with preferential fragmentation of positive pions from up quarks and negative pions from down quarks. The double-helicity asymmetries presented are sensitive to the gluon helicity distribution over an $x$ range of $\sim$0.03--0.16.

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 .

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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.

From measurements of the cross sections for e + e − → hadrons and the cross sections and forward-backward charge-asymmetries for e e −→ e + e − , μ + μ − and π + π − at several centre-of-mass energies around the Z 0 pole with the DELPHI apparatus, using approximately 150 000 hadronic and leptonic events from 1989 and 1990, one determines the following Z 0 parameters: the mass and total width M Z = 91.177 ± 0.022 GeV, Γ Z = 2.465 ± 0.020 GeV , the hadronic and leptonic partial widths Γ h = 1.726 ± 0.019 GeV, Γ l = 83.4 ± 0.8 MeV, the invisible width Γ inv = 488 ± 17 MeV, the ratio of hadronic over leptonic partial widths R Z = 20.70 ± 0.29 and the Born level hadronic peak cross section σ 0 = 41.84±0.45 nb. A flavour-independent measurement of the leptonic cross section gives very consistent results to those presented above ( Γ l = 83.7 ± 0.8 rmMeV ). From these results the number of light neutrino species is determined to be N v = 2.94 ±0.10. The individual leptonic widths obtained are: Γ e = 82.4±_1.2 MeV, Γ u = 86.9±2.1 MeV and Γ τ = 82.7 ± 2.4 MeV. Assuming universality, the squared vector and axial-vector couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are: V ̄ l 2 = 0.0003±0.0010 and A ̄ l 2 = 0.2508±0.0027 . These values correspond to the electroweak parameters: ϱ eff = 1.003 ± 0.011 and sin 2 θ W eff = 0.241 ± 0.009. Within the Minimal Standard Model (MSM), the results can be expressed in terms of a single parameter: sin 2 θ W M ̄ S = 0.2338 ± 0.0027 . All these values are in good agreement with the predictions of the MSM. Fits yield 43< m top < 215 GeV at the 95% level. Finally, the measured values of Γ Z and Γ inv are used to derived lower mass bounds for possible new particles.

We present the first measurement of the left-right cross section asymmetry (ALR) for Z boson production by e+e− collisions. The measurement was performed at a center-of-mass energy of 91.55 GeV with the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider which utilized a longitudinally polarized electron beam. The average beam polarization was (22.4±0.6)%. Using a sample of 10 224 Z decays, we measure ALR to be 0.100±0.044(stat)±0.004(syst), which determines the effective weak mixing angle to be sin2θWeff=0.2378 ±0.0056(stat)±0.0005(syst).

During the 1992 running period of the LEP e + e − collider, the DELPHI experiment accumulated approximately 24 pb − of data at the Z 0 peak. The decays into hadrons and charged leptons have been analysed to give values for the cross sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries which are significantly improved with respect to those previously published by the DELPHI collaboration. Incorporating these new data, more precise values for the Z 0 resonance parameters are obtained from model-independent fits. The results are interpreted within the framework of the Standard Model, yielding for the top quark mass m t = 157 −48 +36 (expt.) −20 +19 (Higgs) GeV, and for the effective mixing angle sin 2 θ eff lept = 0.2328 ± 0.0013 (expt.) −0.0003 +0.0001 (Higgs), where (Higgs) represents the variation due to Higgs boson mass in the range 60 to 1000 GeV, with central value 300 GeV.

During the LEP running periods in 1990 and 1991 DELPHI has accumulated approximately 450 000 Z 0 decays into hadrons and charged leptons. The increased event statistics coupled with improved analysis techniques and improved knowledge of the LEP beam energies permit significantly better measurements of the mass and width of the Z 0 resonance. Model independent fits to the cross sections and leptonic forward- backward asymmetries yield the following Z 0 parameters: the mass and total width M Z = 91.187 ± 0.009 GeV, Γ Z = 2.486 ± 0.012 GeV, the hadronicf and leptonic partials widths Γ had = 1.725 ± 0.012 GeV, Γ ℓ = 83.01 ± 0.52 MeV, the invisible width Γ inv = 512 ± 10 MeV, the ratio of hadronic to leptonic partial widths R ℓ = 20.78 ± 0.15, and the Born level hadronic peak cross section σ 0 = 40.90 ± 0.28 nb. Using these results and the value of α s determined from DELPHI data, the number of light neutrino species is determined to be 3.08 ± 0.05. The individual leptonic widths are found to be: Γ e = 82.93 ± 0.70 MeV, Γ μ = 83.20 ± 1.11 MeV and Γ τ = 82.89 ± 1.31 MeV. Using the measured leptonic forward-backward asymmetries and assuming lepton universality, the squared vector and axial-vector couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are found to be g V ℓ 2 = (1.47 ± 0.51) × 10 −3 and g A ℓ 2 = 0.2483 ± 0.0016. A full Standard Model fit to the data yields a value of the top mass m t = 115 −82 +52 (expt.) −24 +52 (Higgs) GeV, corresponding to a value of the weak mixing angle sin 2 θ eff lept = 0.2339±0.0015 (expt.) −0.0004 +0.0001 (Higgs). Values are obtained for the variables S and T , or ϵ 1 and ϵ 3 which parameterize electroweak loop effects.