Measurements of the Xi- and anti-Xi+ masses, mass differences, lifetimes and lifetime differences are presented. The anti-Xi+ sample used is much larger than those used previously for such measurements. In addition, the Xi production rates in Z -> b anti-b and Z -> q anti-q events are compared and the position xi* of the maximum of the xi distribution in Z -> q anti-q events is measured.
The nature of b-quark jet hadronisation has been investigated using data taken at the Z peak by the DELPHI detector at LEP. Two complementary methods are used to reconstruct the energy of weakly decaying b-hadrons, E^weak_B. The average value of x^weak_B = E^weak_B/E_beam is measured to be 0.699 +/- 0.011. The resulting x^weak_B distribution is then analysed in the framework of two choices for the perturbative contribution (parton shower and Next to Leading Log QCD calculation) in order to extract measurements of the non-perturbative contribution to be used in studies of b-hadron production in other experimental environments than LEP. In the parton shower framework, data favour the Lund model ansatz and corresponding values of its parameters have been determined within PYTHIA~6.156 from DELPHI data: a= 1.84^{+0.23}_{-0.21} and b=0.642^{+0.073}_{-0.063} GeV^-2, with a correlation factor rho = 92.2%. Combining the data on the b-quark fragmentation distributions with those obtained at the Z peak by ALEPH, OPAL and SLD, the average value of x^weak_B is found to be 0.7092 +/- 0.0025 and the non-perturbative fragmentation component is extracted. Using the combined distribution, a better determination of the Lund parameters is also obtained: a= 1.48^{+0.11}_{-0.10} and b=0.509^{+0.024}_{-0.023} GeV^-2, with a correlation factor rho = 92.6%.
Infrared and collinear safe event shape distributions and their mean values are determined in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 45 and 202 GeV. A phenomenological analysis based on power correction models including hadron mass effects for both differential distributions and mean values is presented. Using power corrections, alpha_s is extracted from the mean values and shapes. In an alternative approach, renormalisation group invariance (RGI) is used as an explicit constraint, leading to a consistent description of mean values without the need for sizeable power corrections. The QCD beta-function is precisely measured using this approach. From the DELPHI data on Thrust, including data from low energy experiments, one finds beta_0 = 7.86 +/- 0.32 for the one loop coefficient of the beta-function or, assuming QCD, n_f = 4.75 +/- 0.44 for the number of active flavours. These values agree well with the QCD expectation of beta_0=7.67 and n_f=5. A direct measurement of the full logarithmic energy slope excludes light gluinos with a mass below 5 GeV.
The multiplicity distributions of charged particles in restricted rapidity intervals inZ0 hadronic decays measured by the DELPHI detector are presented. The data reveal a shoulder structure, best visible for intervals of intermediate size, i.e. for rapidity limits around ±1.5. The whole set of distributions including the shoulder structure is reproduced by the Lund Parton Shower model. The structure is found to be due to important contributions from 3-and 4-jet events with a hard gluon jet. A different model, based on the concept of independently produced groups of particles, “clans”, fluctuating both in number per event and particle content per clan, has also been used to analyse the present data. The results show that for each interval of rapidity the average number of clans per event is approximately the same as at lower energies.
DELPHI results are presented on the inclusive production of the neutral mesons ρ 0 , f 0 (980), f 2 (1270), K ∗0 2 (1430) and f ′ 2 (1525) in hadronic Z 0 decays. They are based on about 2 million multihadronic events collected in 1994 and 1995, using the particle identification capabilities of the DELPHI Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors and measured ionization losses in the Time Projection Chamber. The total production rates per hadronic Z 0 decay have been determined to be: 1.19±0.10 for ρ 0 ; 0.164±0.021 for f 0 (980); 0.214±0.038 for f 2 (1270); 0.073±0.023 for K ∗0 2 (1430) ; and 0.012±0.006 for f ′ 2 (1525). The total production rates for all mesons and differential cross-sections for the ρ 0 , f 0 (980) and f 2 (1270) are compared with the results of other LEP experiments and with models.
An analysis of the production of the Λ baryon in the hadronic decays of the Z 0 is presented, based on about 993K multihadronic events collected by the DELPHI detector at LEP during 1991 and 1992. The differencial cross section of the Λ and the correlations between Λ and Λ produced in the same event are compared to current models, based both on string fragmentation and on cluster decay. The predictions of the string fragmentation model are found to give satisfactory agreements with the data, clearly better than those of the cluster model.
This analysis, based on a sample of 170000 hadronic Z0 decays, provides a measurement of the K ± and p/ p differential cross sections which is compared to string- and cluster fragmentation models. The total multiplicities for K ± and p/ p per hadronic event were found to be: NK = 2.26 ± 0.18 and N p = 1.07 ± 0.14. The positions ξ * of the maxima of the differential cross sections as a function of ξ = ln(1/ x p ) for K ± and p/ p were determined to be 2.63 ± 0.07 and 2.96 ± 0.16 respectively. A comparison of the ξ * values for various identified particles measured at LEP with the prediction of the Modified Leading Logarithm Approximation with Local Parton Hadron Duality model has been performed. The measured ξ * position as a function of the hadron mass, after corrections due to particle decays, is in agreement with the model calculation.
A study of the production of strange octet and decuplet baryons in hadronic decays of the Z recorded by the DELPHI detector at LEP is presented. This includes the first measurement of the∑± average multiplicity. The total and differential cross sections, the event topology and the baryon-antibaryon correlations are compared with current hadronization models.
An updated analysis using about 1.5 million events recorded at $\sqrt{s} = M_Z$ with the DELPHI detector in 1994 is presented. Eighteen infrared and collinear safe event shape observables are measured as a function of the polar angle of the thrust axis. The data are compared to theoretical calculations in ${\cal O} (\alpha_s^2)$ including the event orientation. A combined fit of $\alpha_s$ and of the renormalization scale $x_{\mu}$ in $\cal O(\alpha_s^2$) yields an excellent description of the high statistics data. The weighted average from 18 observables including quark mass effects and correlations is $\alpha_s(M_Z^2) = 0.1174 \pm 0.0026$. The final result, derived from the jet cone energy fraction, the observable with the smallest theoretical and experimental uncertainty, is $\alpha_s(M_Z^2) = 0.1180 \pm 0.0006 (exp.) \pm 0.0013 (hadr.) \pm 0.0008 (scale) \pm 0.0007 (mass)$. Further studies include an $\alpha_s$ determination using theoretical predictions in the next-to-leading log approximation (NLLA), matched NLLA and $\cal O(\alpha_s^2$) predictions as well as theoretically motivated optimized scale setting methods. The influence of higher order contributions was also investigated by using the method of Pad\'{e} approximants. Average $\alpha_s$ values derived from the different approaches are in good agreement.