The cross section for the production of π+π− or K+K− pairs in γγ interactions is measured for mππ between 1.7 and 3.5 GeV/c2 and for two intervals of γγ center-of-mass scattering angle. Results are compared with predictions of a QCD model.

The production of Λ hyperons in e+e− annihilation has been measured as a function of their total momenta, transverse momenta, and the event thrust. The total production rate is 0.213±0.012±0.018 Λ or Λ¯ per hadronic event. The observation of correlations in rapidity and angles for events with two detected Λ decays supports fragmentation models with local baryon-number compensation.

The production of the charmed meson state D*+ has been observed in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV. The fragmentation function for charmed quarks appears to be peaked about z=0.5.

We have studied several features of the production of charged-hardon pairs by γγ collisions. We have measured the f0 partial width Γf0→γγ(Q2) for Q2 in the range 0<Q2<1.4 GeV2/c2, and obtained Γf0→γγ=2.52±0.13±0.38 keV at Q2≈0. The measured Q2 dependence is in agreement with the generalized vector-dominance model. The cross section for γγ→(π+π−+K+K−) in the mass region 1.6≤Mππ≤2.5 GeV/c2 has also been measured and the result compared with that expected from the QCD continuum.

The total momentum and transverse momentum spectra of electrons in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV have been measured. The inclusive cross section is determined to be 14.4±1.6±5.2 pb for momenta greater than 2 GeV/c. The average semielectronic branching ratios of charm and bottom quarks are measured to be (6.3±1.2±2.1)% and (11.6±2.1±1.7)%, respectively. The fragmentation function for bottom quarks is determined to be peaked at high z, with 〈z〉b=0.75±0.05±0.04.

η production has been investigated by the Mark II collaboration at the SLAC e+e− storage ring PEP. η particles are reconstructed by their γγ decay mode. The η fragmentation function has been measured and found to be in good agreement with the Lund-model prediction. η′ production has been measured for the first time in high-energy e+e− annihilation. There is evidence at the 3σ level for Ds± decay into ηπ± and η′π±.

We present a new high-statistics measurement of the cross section for the process e+e−→e+e−π+π− at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV for invariant pion-pair masses M(π+π−) between 350 MeV/c2 and 1.6 GeV/c2. We observe the f2(1270) and measure its radiative width to be 3.15±0.04±0.39 keV. We also observe an enhancement in the π+π− spectrum near 1 GeV. General agreement is found with unitarized models of the γγ→π+π− reaction that include final-state interactions.

We present results on Λc+ production in 29-GeV e+e− annihilation. The Λc+ are observed via their semileptonic decays to Λe+X and Λμ+X. With radiative corrections, we find σ(e+e−→Λc+X)〉BΛc+→eΛX)= 1.5±0.6±0.5 pb or 0.0038±0.0015±0.0012 Λc+→Λe+X decay per hadronic event, and σ(e+e−Λc+X)B(Λc+→μΛX)= 1.4±1.4±0.4 pb or 0.0035±0.0035±0.0011 Λc+→Λμ+X decay per hadronic event. These results can be used to place constraints on the predictions of various production models.

Inclusive Ω− production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV has been measured with the Mark II detector. From an integrated luminosity of 207 pb−1, we determine a production rate of 0.014±0.006±0.004 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event. This is roughly 35 times the Lund-model prediction of 0.0004 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event, but comparable to the Webber-model prediction of 0.006 Ω−, Ω¯+ per hadronic event. The large rate of Ω− production, compared with production rates for other baryons, and with theoretical predictions based on diquark models, indicates that spin suppression does not hold for Ω− production.

Production rates of multijet hadronic final states are studied ine+e− annihilation at 29 GeV center of mass energy. QCD shower model calculations with exact first order matrix element weighting at the first gluon vertex are capable of reproducing the observed multijet event rates over a large range of jet pair masses. The method used to reconstruct jets is well suited for directly comparing experimental jet rates with parton rates calculated in perturbative QCD. Evidence for the energy dependene of αs is obtained by comparing the observed production rates of 3-jet events with results of similar studies performed at higher center of mass energies.

We have searched for the annihilation of e+e− into the exclusive channels e±τ∓ and μ±τ∓ at √s =29 GeV, using 226 and 133 pb−1, respectively, of data taken with the Mark II detector at the SLAC storage ring PEP. The resulting candidate sample is compatible with the expected background from τ pair production. Our analysis yields 95%-C.L. cross-section limits of σeτ/σμμ<1.8×10−3 and σμτ/σμμ<6.1×10−3, where σμμ is the QED cross section for production of a lepton pair. This is the first high-Q2 test of lepton-flavor conservation involving τ leptons.

The differential cross sections for lepton pair production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV have been measured and found to be in good agreement with the standard model of the electroweak interaction. With the assumption of e−μ−τ universality, the weak neutral-current couplings are determined to be ga2=0.23±0.05 and gv2=0.03±0.04.

This Letter reports a search for the production by e+e− annihilation of a single photon accompanied by particles that interact only weakly in matter. The search was performed at the SLAC e+e− storage ring PEP (√s =29 GeV) with a new detector, ASP. No unexpected signal was observed. The limit Nν<14 (90% C.L.) is placed on the number of light neutrino species, and the mass of scalar electrons predicted by theories of supersymmetry is constrained to mẽ>51 GeV/c2 (90% C.L.) for mγ̃=0 and degenerate ẽ mass states.

This paper presents a study of events produced in 29-GeV electron-positron annihilation in which there are just two noncollinear charged particles, no detected photons, and two or more undetected particles. These events can be explained by attributing them primarily to the reactions e+e−→e+e−e+e− and e+e−→e+e−μ+μ− where just two particles appear in the Mark II detector. There is no evidence for unconventional sources for such events.

Inclusive ψ production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV has been measured with the Mark II detector. The ψ cross section is found to be 1.1±0.5±0.4 pb. After subtraction of the expected contribution from B decay, an upper limit of 0.02σμμ is obtained for other sources of ψ production.

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We have searched for the lepton-flavor-violating decay D0→e±μ∓ in 204 pb−1 of e+e− annihilation data at Ec.m.=29 GeV from the Mark II detector. No candidates were found; we estimate an upper limit on the cross section times branching ratio of σ(e+e−→D0,D¯0; inclusive)B(D0→e±μ∓)<0.35 pb at the 90% confidence level. Simple assumptions yield the rough limit B(D0→e±μ∓)<2.1×10−3. AE.

The inclusive transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons and K 0 's produced in tagged photon-photon collisions, are measured and compared to model calculations up to a p T of 5 GeV/ c . The relative abundance of K 0 's favor the inclusion of charm.

Inclusive Ξ− production in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV has been measured with the Mark II detector. From an integrated luminosity of 207 pb−1, we determine a production rate of 0.017±0.004±0.004 Ξ−+Ξ¯+ per hadronic event. A search for Ξ*0(1530)→Ξ−π+ leads to an upper limit of N(Ξ*0)/N(Ξ−)<0.35 at a 90% confidence level.

We have made a detailed comparison of the charged-particle flow in three-jet events (e+e−→qq¯g) and radiative two-jet events (e+e−→qq¯γ) from e+e− annihilation at Ec.m.=29 GeV. Accurate comparisons can be made because these two event types have similar topologies. In the angular region between the quark and antiquark jets, we observe substantially fewer charged tracks in the two-jet events than in the radiative three-jet events.

Multihadronic e+e− annihilation events at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV have been studied with both the original (PEP 5) Mark II and the upgraded Mark II detectors. Detector-corrected distributions from global shape analyses such as aplanarity, Q2-Q1, sphericity, thrust, minor value, oblateness, and jet masses, and inclusive charged-particle distributions including x, rapidity, p⊥, and particle flow are presented. These distributions are compared with predictions from various multihadron event models which use leading-logarithmic shower evolution or QCD matrix elements at the parton level and string or cluster fragmentation for hadronization. The new generation of parton-shower models gives, on the average, a better description of the data than the previous parton-shower models. The energy behavior of these models is compared to existing e+e− data. The predictions of the models at a center-of-mass energy of 93 GeV, roughly the expected mass of the Z0, are also presented.

We have observed hadronic final states produced in the decays of Z bosons. In order to study the parton structure of these events, we compare the distributions in sphericity, thurst, aplanarity, and number of jets to the predictions of several QCD-based models and to data from lower energies. The data and models agree within the present statistical precision.

We report a measurement of the inclusive charged-particle distribution for gluon jets derived from nearly threefold-symmetric three-jet events taken at center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV in e+e− annihilation. The charged-particle spectrum for these jets is observed to fall off more rapidly than those of quark jets of the same energy.

This Letter reports results of a search for radiative production, by e+e− annihilation of particles that interact only weakly in matter. The search has been made in the total data set of 115 pb−1 acquired with the ASP detector at the SLAC storage ring PEP (s=29 GeV). No anomalous signal was observed. The number of generations of light neutrinos has been limited to Nν<7.5 (90% confidence level). Limits are also placed on the masses of particles predicted to exist by models of supersymmetry.

A search for single electrons from the decay of singly produced scalar electrons has been made at the PEP storage ring at SLAC. No events of this type have been found in 123 pb−1 of data, resulting in a cross-section limit of less than 2.4×10−2 pb within the detector acceptance, and a 95%-confidence-level lower limit on the scalar-electron mass of 22.2 GeV/c2.