A measurement of R(b) using a double tagging method.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 8 (1999) 217-239, 1999.
Inspire Record 476786 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49348

The fraction of Z to bbbar events in hadronic Z decays has been measured by the OPAL experiment using the data collected at LEP between 1992 and 1995. The Z to bbbar decays were tagged using displaced secondary vertices, and high momentum electrons and muons. Systematic uncertainties were reduced by measuring the b-tagging efficiency using a double tagging technique. Efficiency correlations between opposite hemispheres of an event are small, and are well understood through comparisons between real and simulated data samples. A value of Rb = 0.2178 +- 0.0011 +- 0.0013 was obtained, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The uncertainty on Rc, the fraction of Z to ccbar events in hadronic Z decays, is not included in the errors. The dependence on Rc is Delta(Rb)/Rb = -0.056*Delta(Rc)/Rc where Delta(Rc) is the deviation of Rc from the value 0.172 predicted by the Standard Model. The result for Rb agrees with the value of 0.2155 +- 0.0003 predicted by the Standard Model.

1 data table

Second systematic error depends on Rc=Delta(R_c)/R_c ratio, where Delta(R_c) is the deviation of R_c from the value 0.172 predicted by the Standard Model.