Two samples of exclusive semileptonic decays, 579 B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ events and 261 B 0 → D + ℓ − ν ℓ events, are selected from approximately 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. From the reconstructed differential decay rate of each sample, the product of the hadronic form factor F (ω) at zero recoil of the D (∗)+ meson and the CKM matrix element | V cb | are measured to be F D ∗+ (1)|V cb | = (31.9 ± 1.8 stat ± 1.9 syst ) × 10 −3 , F D + (1)| V cb | = (27.8 ± 6.8 stat ± 6.5 syst ) × 10 −3 . The ratio of the form factors F D + (1) and F D ∗+ (1) is measured to be F D + (1) F D ∗+ (1) = 0.87 ± 0.22 stat ± 0.21 syst . A value of | V cb | is extracted from the two samples, using theoretical constraints on the slope and curvature of the hadronic form factors and their normalization at zero recoil, with the result | V cb | = (34.4 ± 1.6 stat ± 2.3 syst ± 1.4 th ) × 10 −3 . The branching fractions are measured from the two integrated spectra to be Br ( B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ ) = (5.53 ± 0.26 stat ±0.52 syst ) %, Br ( B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ ) = (2.35 ± 0.20 stat ± 0.44 syst ) %.

Inclusive π±, K± and\((p,\bar p)\) differential cross-sections in hadronic decays of the Z have been measured as a function ofz=Phadron/Pbeam, the scaled momentum. The results are based on approximately 520 000 events measured by the ALEPH detector at LEP during 1992. Charged particles are identified by their rate of ionization energy loss in the ALEPH Time Projection Chamber. The position, ξ*, of the peak in the ln(1/z) distribution is determined, and the evolution of the peak position with centre-of-mass energy is compared with the prediction of QCD.

A lower limit on the oscillation frequency of the B s 0 B s 0 system is obtained from approximately four million hadronic Z decays accumulated using the ALEPH detector at LEP from 1991 to 1995. Leptons are combined with opposite sign D s − candidates reconstructed in seven different decay modes as evidence of semileptonic B s 0 decays. Criteria designed to ensure precise proper time reconstruction select 277D s − ℓ + combinations. The initial state of these B s 0 candidates is determined using an algorithm optimized to efficiently utilise the tagging information available for each event. The limit at 95% confidence level on the B s 0 B s 0 oscillation frequency is Δm s > 6.6 ps −1 . The same data is used to update the measurement of the B s 0 lifetime, τ s = 1.54 −0.13 +0.14 (stat) ± 0.04 (syst) ps.

An improved measurement of the average b hadron lifetime is performed using a sample of 1.5 million hadronic Z decays, collected during the 1991–1993 runs of ALEPH, with the silicon vertex detector fully operational. This uses the three-dimensional impact parameter distribution of lepton tracks coming from semileptonic b decays and yields an average b hadron lifetime of 1.533 ± 0.013 ± 0.022 ps.

A measurement of gamma–gamma production of the final states$K^+ K^- \pi^+ \pi ^-$,$K^+ K^- \pi^0 \pi ^0$,$

A maximum likelihood analysis of ARGUS data on two-photon production of π + π + π 0 π 0 π − π − is presented. A small fraction of events is due to the production of omega pairs. The γγ → ωω cross section has its maximum value close to threshold.

We report results on inclusive production of the charmed baryon Λc+ from e+e− annihilations at s=10.5 GeV. Measurements are presented of the inclusive cross section times branching fraction for the continuum production of Λc+ as observed in six different decay modes, and of a new, improved value of the Λc+ mass. The inclusive cross section times the branching fraction into pK−π+ is measured to be 10.0±1.5±1.5 pb summed over all xp. The branching fractions of Λc+ into pK¯0, pK¯0π+π−, Λπ+, Λπ+π−π+, and Ξ−K+π+ relative to that into pK−π+ are measured to be 0.44±0.07±0.05, 0.43±0.12±0.04, 0.18±0.03±0.03, 0.65±0.11±0.12, and 0.15±0.04±0.03, respectively. The Λc+ mass is measured to be 2284.7±0.6±0.7 MeV/c2. The measured momentum distributions for continuum production of Λc+ are compared to analytical fragmentation functions and to other measurements.

We have measured the inclusive branching ratio for B→ψX to be (1.09±0.16±0.21)%, and the exclusive branching ratios for B−→ψK− and B¯ ¯0 *0 to be (0.09±0.05)% and (0.41±0.18)%, respectively. The mass difference between neutral and charged B mesons is 1.1±2.1 MeV, while the difference between the mass of Υ(4S) and twice the mean B-meson mass is 18.5±3.0 MeV. The ψ momentum distribution implies a substantial two-body decay (in agreement with direct measurements), but also some combination of B→ψX with MX>1.5 GeV, and B→ψ’X.

We report measurements made with the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) of the total cross section for e+e−→hadrons at the ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S), and in the nearby nonresonant continuum. We find R=3.77±0.06 (statistical) ± 0.24 (systematic) for the ratio of the nonresonant hadronic cross section to the cross section for muon-pair production at a center-of-mass total energy W=10.4 GeV. For the leptonic decay widths Γee of the ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) we obtain 1.30±0.05±0.08, 0.52±0.03±0.04, and 0.42±0.04±0.03 keV, respectively.

We have used the momentum spectrum of leptons produced in semileptonic B-meson decays to set a 90%-confidence-level upper limit on Γ(b→ulν)Γ(b→clν) of 4%. We also measure the semileptonic branching fractions of the B meson to be (12.0±0.7±0.5)% for electrons and (10.8±0.6±1.0)% for muons.