The cross section for the process e + e − → multihadrons has been measured at the highest PETRA energies. We measure R (the total cross section in units of the point-like e + e - → μ + μ - cross section) to be 2.9 ± 0.7, 4.0 ± 0.5, 4.6 ± 0.4 and 4.2 ± 0.6 at s of 22, 27.7, 30 and 31.6 GeV, respectively. The observed average multiplicity, together with existing low energy data, indicate a rapid increase in multiplicity with increasing energy.
The production of photons ine+e−→γ+hadrons is investigated at three centre of mass energies around 14, 22 and 34 GeV. On average, photons carry 25% of the total available energy, with a multiplicity similar to the charged multiplicity. The inclusive photon spectra are found to scale with the centre of mass energy as a function of the Feynman variablex. π0 and η mesons are reconstructed from their decay photons. The slopes of the spectra are similar to that for charged pions and approximate scaling is observed for π0 production. The mean π0 and η multiplicities are given. The observed photon yield can be fully accounted for by hadron decays and initial state radiation. However, up to one extra photon per event from other sources cannot be excluded.
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