Precision neutral current asymmetry parameter measurements from the tau polarization at LEP.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 21 (2001) 1-21, 2001.
Inspire Record 554583 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49765

Measurements of the tau lepton polarization and forward-backward polarization asymmetry near the Z resonance using the OPAL detector are described. The measurements are based on analyses of tau -> e nu_e nu_tau, tau -> mu nu_mu nu_tau, tau -> pi nu_tau, tau -> rho nu_tau and tau -> a1 nu_tau decays from a sample of 144810 e+e- -> tau+ tau- candidates corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 151 pb-1. Assuming that the tau lepton decays according to V-A theory, we measure the average tau polarization near Ecm = MZ to be <Ptau> = (-14.10 +/- 0.73 +/- 0.55)% and the tau polarization forward-backward asymmetry to be Afb = (-10.55 +/- 0.76 +/- 0.25)%, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Taking into account the small effects of the photon propagator, photon-Z interference and photonic radiative corrections, these results can be expressed in terms of the lepton neutral current asymmetry parameters: Atau = 0.1456 +/- 0.0076 +/- 0.0057, Ae = 0.1454 +/- 0.0108 +/- 0.0036. These measurements are consistent with the hypothesis of lepton universality and combine to give Al = 0.1455 +/- 0.0073. Within the context of the Standard Model this combined result corresponds to sin^2(theta)(lept,effective) = 0.23172 +/- 0.00092. Combing these results with those from the other OPAL neutral current measurements yields a value of sin^2(theta)(lept,effective) = 0.23211 +/- 0.00068.

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Charged multiplicities in Z decays into u, d, and s quarks.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 19 (2001) 257-268, 2001.
Inspire Record 536266 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49812

About 4.4 million hadronic decays of Z bosons, recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of around sqrt(s) = 91.2 GeV, are used to determine the mean charged particle multiplicities for the three light quark flavours. Events from primary u, d, and s quarks are tagged by selecting characteristic particles which carry a large fraction of the beam energy. The charged particle multiplicities are measured in the hemispheres opposite to these particles. An unfolding procedure is applied to obtain these multiplicities for each primary light quark flavour. This yields <n_u> = 17.77 +- 0.51 +0.86 -1.20, <n_d> = 21.44 +- 0.63 +1.46 -1.17, <n_s> = 20.02 +- 0.13 +0.39 -0.37, where statistical and systematic errors are given. The results for <n_u> and <n_d> are almost fully statistically anti-correlated. Within the errors the result is consistent with the flavour independence of the strong interaction for the particle multiplicities in events from the light up, down, and strange quarks.

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Di-jet production in photon photon collisions at s(ee)**(1/2) = from 189-GeV to 209-GeV.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 31 (2003) 307-325, 2003.
Inspire Record 611415 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49662

Di-jet producion is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons at e+e- centre- of-mass energies sqrt(s)ee from 189 to 209 GeV at LEP. The data were collected with the OPAL detector. Jets are reconstructed using an inclusive k_t clustering algorithm for all cross-section measurements presented. A cone jet algorithm is used in addition to study the different structure of the jets resulting from either of the algorithms. The inclusive di-jet cross-section is measured as a function of the mean transverse energy Etm(jet) of the two leading jets, and as a functiuon of the estimated fraction of the photon momentum carried by the parton entering the hard sub-process, xg, for different regions of Etm (jet). Angular distribution in di-jet events are measured and used to demonstrate the dominance of quark and gluon initiated processes in different regions of phase space. Furthermore the inclusive di-jet cross-section as a function of |eta(jet)| and |delta eta (jet)| is presented where eta(jet) is the jet pseudo-rapidity. Different regions of the xg+ -xg- -space are explored to study and control the influence of an underlying event. The results are compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations and to the predictions of the leading order Monte Carlo generator PYTHIA.

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Experimental studies of unbiased gluon jets from e+ e- annihilations using the jet boost algorithm

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.D 69 (2004) 032002, 2004.
Inspire Record 631361 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.74246

We present the first experimental results based on the jet boost algorithm, a technique to select unbiased samples of gluon jets in e+e- annihilations, i.e. gluon jets free of biases introduced by event selection or jet finding criteria. Our results are derived from hadronic Z0 decays observed with the OPAL detector at the LEP e+e- collider at CERN. First, we test the boost algorithm through studies with Herwig Monte Carlo events and find that it provides accurate measurements of the charged particle multiplicity distributions of unbiased gluon jets for jet energies larger than about 5 GeV, and of the jet particle energy spectra (fragmentation functions) for jet energies larger than about 14 GeV. Second, we apply the boost algorithm to our data to derive unbiased measurements of the gluon jet multiplicity distribution for energies between about 5 and 18 GeV, and of the gluon jet fragmentation function at 14 and 18 GeV. In conjunction with our earlier results at 40 GeV, we then test QCD calculations for the energy evolution of the distributions, specifically the mean and first two non-trivial normalized factorial moments of the multiplicity distribution, and the fragmentation function. The theoretical results are found to be in global agreement with the data, although the factorial moments are not well described for jet energies below about 14 GeV.

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Scaling violations of quark and gluon jet fragmentation functions in e+ e- annihilations at s**(1/2) = 91.2-GeV and 183-GeV - 209-GeV.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 37 (2004) 25-47, 2004.
Inspire Record 648738 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.74689

Flavour inclusive, udsc and b fragmentation functions in unbiased jets, and flavour inclusive, udsc, b and gluon fragmentation functions in biased jets are measured in e+e- annihilations from data collected at centre-of-mass energies of 91.2, and 183-209 GeV with the OPAL detector at LEP. The unbiased jets are defined by hemispheres of inclusive hadronic events, while the biased jet measurements are based on three-jet events selected with jet algorithms. Several methods are employed to extract the fragmentation functions over a wide range of scales. Possible biases are studied in the results are obtained. The fragmentation functions are compared to results from lower energy e+e- experiments and with earlier LEP measurements and are found to be consistent. Scaling violations are observed and are found to be stronger for the fragmentation functions of gluon jets than for those of quarks. The measured fragmentation functions are compared to three recent theoretical next-to-leading order calculations and to the predictions of three Monte Carlo event generators. While the Monte Carlo models are in good agreement with the data, the theoretical predictions fail to describe the full set of results, in particular the b and gluon jet measurements.

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Inclusive analysis of the b quark fragmentation function in Z decays at LEP. ((B))

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 29 (2003) 463-478, 2003.
Inspire Record 599181 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.43196

A study of b quark hadronisation is presented using inclusively reconstructed B hadrons in about four million hadronic Z decays recorded in 1992-2000 with the OPAL detector at LEP. The data are compared to different theoretical models, and fragmentation function parameters of these models are fitted. The average scaled energy of weakly decaying B hadrons is determined to be &lt;xe>=0.7193+-0.0016(stat)+0.0036-0.0031(syst)

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A Measurement of K*+- (892) production in hadronic Z0 decays

The OPAL collaboration Acton, P.D. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 305 (1993) 407-414, 1993.
Inspire Record 342766 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.28930

Measurements are presented of the inclusive cross section for K ∗ (892) ± production in hadronic decays of the Z 0 using a sample of about half a million events recorded with the OPAL experiment at LEP. Charged K ∗ mesons are reconstructed in the decay channel K 0 S π ± . A mean rate of 0.72±0.02±0.08 K ∗ mesons per hadronic event is found. Comparison of the results with predictions of the JETSET and HERWIG models shows that JETSET overestimates the K ∗± production cross section while HERWIG is consistent with the data.

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A Study of charged particle multiplicities in hadronic decays of the Z0

The OPAL collaboration Acton, P.D. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 53 (1992) 539-554, 1992.
Inspire Record 321190 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.14774

We present an analysis of multiplicity distributions of charged particles produced inZ0 hadronic decays. The results are based on the analysis of 82941 events collected within 100 MeV of theZ0 peak energy with the OPAL detector at LEP. The charged particle multiplicity distribution, corrected for initial-state radiation and for detector acceptance and resolution, was found to have a mean 〈nch〉=21.40±0.02(stat.)±0.43(syst.) and a dispersionD=6.49±0.02(stat.)±0.20(syst.). The shape is well described by the Lognormal and Gamma distributions. A negative binomial parameterisation was found to describe the shape of the multiplicity distribution less well. A comparison with results obtained at lower energies confirms the validity of KNO(-G) scaling up to LEP energies. A separate analysis of events with low sphericity, typically associated with two-jet final states, shows the presence of features expected for models based on a stochastic production mechanism for particles. In all cases, the features observed in the data are well described by the Lund parton shower model JETSET.

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Inclusive production of charged hadrons in photon photon collisions.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 651 (2007) 92-101, 2007.
Inspire Record 734955 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48554

The inclusive production of charged hadrons in the collisions of quasi-real photons e+e- -> e+e- +X has been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. The data were taken at e+e- centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. The differential cross-sections as a function of the transverse momentum and the pseudorapidity of the hadrons are compared to theoretical calculations of up to next-to-leading order (NLO) in the strong coupling constant alpha{s}. The data are also compared to a measurement by the L3 Collaboration, in which a large deviation from the NLO predictions is observed.

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Inclusive Jet Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at $\sqrt{s_{ee}}$ from 189 to 209 GeV

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 658 (2008) 185-192, 2008.
Inspire Record 754316 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48798

Inclusive jet production (e+e- -> e+e- +jet+X) is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e+e- centre-of-mass energies sqrt see from 189 to 209 GeV. Jets are reconstructed using the kp jet algorithm. The inclusive differential cross-section is measured as a function of the jet transverse momentum, ptjet, in the range 5 <ptjet < 40 GeV for pseudo-rapidities, etaj, in the range -1.5 < etaj < 1.5. The results are compared to predictions of perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant.

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Charged particle momentum spectra in e+ e- annihilation at s**(1/2) = 192-GeV - 209-GeV.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 27 (2003) 467-481, 2003.
Inspire Record 595335 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48893

Charged particle momentum distributions are studied in the reaction e+e- -> hadrons, using data collected with the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies from 192 GeV to 209 GeV. The data correspond to an average centre-of- mass energy of 201.7 GeV and a total integrated luminosity of 433 pb-1. The measured distributions and derived quantities, in combination with corresponding results obtained at lower centre-of-mass energies, are compared to QCD predictions in various theoretical approaches to study the energy dependence of the strong interaction and to test QCD as the theory describing it. In general, a good agreement is found between the measurements and the corresponding QCD predictions.

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QCD studies with e+ e- annihilation data at 172-GeV to 189-GeV.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 16 (2000) 185-210, 2000.
Inspire Record 513476 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49000

We have studied hadronic events from e+e- annihilation data at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt{s}=172, 183 and 189 GeV. The total integrated luminosity of the three samples, measured with the OPAL detector, corresponds to 250 pb^-1. We present distributions of event shape variables, charged particle multiplicity and momentum, measured separately in the three data samples. From these we extract measurements of the strong coupling alpha_s, the mean charged particle multiplicity <nch> and the peak position xi_0 in the xi_p=ln(1/x_p) distribution. In general the data are described well by analytic QCD calculations and Monte Carlo models. Our measured values of alpha_s, <nch> and xi_0 are consistent with previous determinations at sqrt{s}=MZ.

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A Measurement of the production of D*+- mesons on the Z0 resonance

The OPAL collaboration Akers, R. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 67 (1995) 27-44, 1995.
Inspire Record 382219 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48317

We have studied the production of D*± mesons in a sample of 1.25 million multihadronic decays of the Z0, in which 1969 candidates have been identified. We have determined the total multiplicity of charged D* mesons in multihadronic Z0 decays to be

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Study of Phi(1020), D*+- and B* spin alignment in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 74 (1997) 437-449, 1997.
Inspire Record 440103 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.47515

Measurements of helicity density matrix elements have been made for the φ(1020), D*± and B* vector mesons in multihadronic Z0 decays in the OPAL experiment at LEP. Results for inclusive φ produced with high energy show evidence for production preferentially in the helicity zero state, with ρ00 = 0.54 ± 0.08, compared to the value of 1/3 expected for no spin alignment. The corresponding element for the D*± has a value of 0.40 ± 0.02, also suggesting a deviation from 1/3. The B* result, with ρ00 = 0.36 ± 0.09, is consistent with no spin alignment. Off-diagonal elements have been measured for the f and D* mesons; for the D* the element Re ρ1−1 is non-zero, indicating non-independent fragmentation of the primary quarks.

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Sigma+, Sigma0 and Sigma- hyperon production in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; Altekamp, N. ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 73 (1997) 587-600, 1997.
Inspire Record 421977 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.47948

The production rates of the $J_{P}={1⩈er 2}^{+}$ octet Σ baryons in hadronic Z0 decays have been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. The inclusive production rates per hadronic Z0 decay of the three isospin states (including the respective antiparticle) have been separately measured for the first time: $άtrix {n_{Sigma^{+}}=0.099pm 0.008pm 0.013ŗ n_{Sigma^{0}}=0.071pm 0.012pm 0.013ŗ n_{Sigma^{-}}=0.083pm 0.006pm 0.009ŗ}$ where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. Differential cross-sections are also presented for the Σ+ and Σ− and compared with JETSET and HERWIG predictions. Assuming full isospin symmetry, the average inclusive rate is: ${1⩈er 3}[n_{Sigma^{+}+Sigma^{0}+Sigma^{-}}]=0.084pm 0.005 ({⤪ stat.}) pm 0.008 ({⤪ syst.})$.

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The Production of neutral kaons in Z0 decays and their Bose-Einstein correlations

The OPAL collaboration Akers, R. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 67 (1995) 389-402, 1995.
Inspire Record 393503 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48008

The production of neutral kaons in e+e− annihilation at centre-of-mass energies in the region of the Z0 mass and their Bose-Einstein correlations are investigated with the OPAL detector at LEP. A total of about 1.26×106 Z0 hadronic decay events are used in the analysis. The production rate of K0 mesons is found to be 1.99±0.01±0.04 per hadronic event, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Both the rate and the differential cross section for K0 production are compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo generators. This comparison indicates that the fragmentation is too soft in bothJetset andHerwig. Bose-Einstein correlations in Ks0Ks0 pairs are measured through the quantityQ, the four momentum difference of the pair. A threshold enhancement is observed in Ks0Ks0 pairs originating from a mixed sample of\(K^0 \bar K^0\) and K0K0 (\(\bar K^0 \bar K^0\)) pairs. For the strength of the effect and for the radius of the emitting source we find values of λ=1.14±0.23±0.32 andR0=(0.76±0.10±0.11) fm respectively. The first error is statistical and the second systematic.

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QCD studies with e+ e- annihilation data at 161-GeV.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 75 (1997) 193-207, 1997.
Inspire Record 440721 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.47487

We have studied hadronic events produced at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 161 GeV. We present distributions of event shape variables, jet rates, charged particle momentum spectra and multiplicities. We determine the strong coupling strength to be αs(161 GeV) = 0.101±0.005(stat.)±0.007(syst.), the mean charged particle multiplicity to be 〈nch〉(161 GeV) = 24.46 ± 0.45(stat.) ± 0.44(syst.) and the position of the peak in the ξp = ln(1/xp) distribution to be ξ0(161 GeV) = 4.00 ±0.03(stat.)±0.04(syst.). These results are compared to data taken at lower centre-of-mass energies and to analytic QCD or Monte Carlo predictions. Our measured value of αs(161 GeV) is consistent with other measurements of αs. Within the current statistical and systematic uncertainties, the PYTHIA, HERWIG and ARIADNE QCD Monte Carlo models and analytic calculations are in overall agreement with our measurements. The COJETS QCD Monte Carlo is in general agreement with the data for momentum weighted distributions like Thrust, but predicts a significantly larger charged particle multiplicity than is observed experimentally.

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A study of parton fragmentation in hadronic Z0 decays using Lambda Antilambda correlations.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 13 (2000) 185-195, 2000.
Inspire Record 474010 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49312

The correlated production of Lambda and Lambdabar baryons has been studied using 4.3 million multihadronic Zo decays recorded with the OPAL detector at LEP. Di-lambda pairs were investigated in the full data sample and for the first time also in 2-jet and 3-jet events selected with the k_t algorithm. The distributions of rapidity differences from correlated Lambda-Lambdabar pairs exhibit short-range, local correlations and prove to be a sensitive tool to test models, particularly for 2-jet events. The JETSET model describes the data best but some extra parameter tuning is needed to improve agreement with the experimental results in the rates and the rapidity spectra simultaneously. The recently developed modification of JETSET, the MOdified Popcorn Scenarium (MOPS), and also HERWIG do not give satisfactory results. This study of di-lambda production in 2- and 3-jet events supports the short-range compensation of quantum numbers.

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Measurement of the average polarization of b baryons in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 444 (1998) 539-554, 1998.
Inspire Record 474012 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49296

In the Standard Model, b quarks produced in e^+e^- annihilation at the Z^0 peak have a large average longitudinal polarization of -0.94. Some fraction of this polarization is expected to be transferred to b-flavored baryons during hadronization. The average longitudinal polarization of weakly decaying b baryons, <P_L^{\Lambda_b}>, is measured in approximately 4.3 million hadronic Z^0 decays collected with the OPAL detector between 1990 and 1995 at LEP. Those b baryons that decay semileptonically and produce a \Lambda baryon are identified through the correlation of the baryon number of the \Lambda and the electric charge of the lepton. In this semileptonic decay, the ratio of the neutrino energy to the lepton energy is a sensitive polarization observable. The neutrino energy is estimated using missing energy measurements. From a fit to the distribution of this ratio, the value <P_L^{\Lambda_b}> = -0.56^{+0.20}_{-0.13} +/- 0.09 is obtained, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.

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A study of spin alignment of rho(770)+- and omega(782) mesons in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 16 (2000) 61-70, 2000.
Inspire Record 502750 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49099

The helicity density matrix elements rho[00] of rho(770)+- and omega(782) mesons produced in Z decays have been measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. Over the measured meson energy range, the values are compatible with 1/3, corresponding to a statistical mix of helicity -1, 0 and +1 states. For the highest accessible scaled energy range 0.3 < x_E < 0.6, the measured rho[00] values of the rho(770)+- and the omega are 0.373 +- 0.052 and 0.142 +- 0.114, respectively. These results are compared to measurements of other vector mesons.

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Measurement of event shape distributions and moments in e+ e- --> hadrons at 91-GeV - 209-GeV and a determination of alpha(s).

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 40 (2005) 287-316, 2005.
Inspire Record 669402 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48652

We have studied hadronic events from e+e- annihilation data at centre-of-mass energies from 91 to 209 GeV. We present distributions of event shape observables and their moments at each energy and compare with QCD Monte Carlo models. From the event shape distributions we extract the strong coupling alpha_s and test its evolution with energy scale. The results are consistent with the running of alpha_s expected from QCD. Combining all data, the value of alpha_s(M_Z) is determined to be alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1191 +- 0.0005 (stat.) +- 0.0010 (expt.) +- 0.0011 (hadr.) +- 0.0044 (theo.). The energy evolution of the moments is also used to determine a value of alpha_s with slightly larger errors: alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1223 +- 0.0005 (stat.) +- 0.0014 (expt.) +- 0.0016 (hadr.) +0.0054 -0.0036 (theo.).

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Delta++ production in hadronic Z0 decays

The OPAL collaboration Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; Altekamp, N. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 358 (1995) 162-172, 1995.
Inspire Record 398320 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48153

The production of Δ ++ baryons has been measured using 3.5 million hadronic Z 0 decays collected with the OPAL detector at LEP. The production rate and fragmentation function are presented. A total of 0.22 ± 0.04 ± 0.04 Δ ++ + ( Δ ) −− per hadronic Z 0 decay is observed. The fragmentation function is found to be softer than that predicted by the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo event generators. With this measurement of Δ ++ production, at least one baryon of each strangeness level in the lightest baryon decuplet has now been measured at LEP.

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QCD analyses and determinations of alpha(s) in e+ e- annihilation at energies between 35-GeV and 189-GeV.

The JADE & OPAL collaborations Pfeifenschneider, P. ; Biebel, O. ; Movilla Fernandez, P.A. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 17 (2000) 19-51, 2000.
Inspire Record 513337 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.12882

We employ data taken by the JADE and OPAL experiments for an integrated QCD study in hadronic e+e- annihilations at c.m.s. energies ranging from 35 GeV through 189 GeV. The study is based on jet-multiplicity related observables. The observables are obtained to high jet resolution scales with the JADE, Durham, Cambridge and cone jet finders, and compared with the predictions of various QCD and Monte Carlo models. The strong coupling strength, alpha_s, is determined at each energy by fits of O(alpha_s^2) calculations, as well as matched O(alpha_s^2) and NLLA predictions, to the data. Matching schemes are compared, and the dependence of the results on the choice of the renormalization scale is investigated. The combination of the results using matched predictions gives alpha_s(MZ)=0.1187+{0.0034}-{0.0019}. The strong coupling is also obtained, at lower precision, from O(alpha_s^2) fits of the c.m.s. energy evolution of some of the observables. A qualitative comparison is made between the data and a recent MLLA prediction for mean jet multiplicities.

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Charged particle multiplicities in heavy and light quark initiated events above the Z0 peak.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 550 (2002) 33-46, 2002.
Inspire Record 601225 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49792

We have measured the mean charged particle multiplicities separately for bbbar, ccbar and light quark (uubar, ddbar, ssbar) initiated events produced in e+e- annihilations at LEP. The data were recorded with the OPAL detector at eleven different energies above Z0 peak, corresponding to the full statistics collected at LPE1.5 and LEP2. The difference in mean charged and particle multiplicities for bbbar and light quark events, delta_bl, measured over this energy range is consistent with an energy independent behaviour, as predicted by QCD, but is inconsistent with the prediction of a more phenomenological approach which assumes that the multiplicity accompanying the decay of a heavy quark is independent of the quark mass itself. Our results, which can be combined into the single measurement delta_bl = 3.44+-0.40(stat)+-0.89(syst) at a luminosity weighted average centre-of mass energy of 195 GeV, are also consistent with an energy independent behaviour as extrapolated from lower energy data.

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Measurement of the production rates of charged hadrons in e+ e- annihilation at the Z0

The OPAL collaboration Akers, R. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 63 (1994) 181-196, 1994.
Inspire Record 372772 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.48259

The inclusive production rates of π±,K± andp\(\bar p\) inZ0 decays have been measured with the OPAL detector at LEP. Using the energy loss measurement in the jet chamber, the momentum range up to the beam energy (45.6 GeV/c) has been covered. Differential cross sections and total particle yields are given. Comparisons of the inclusive momentum spectra and the total rates with predictions of the JETSET and the HERWIG Monte Carlo model are presented. The total single rates are found to be 17.05±0.43 π±, 2.42±0.13K± and 0.92±0.11p\(\bar p\) per hadronic event. Predictions of JETSET for cross sections and total rates agree very well for π±; however, for momenta greater than 4 GeV/c,K± rates are underestimated and\(\bar p\) rates are overestimated. Combined with data of other particle species there is evidence that the peak positions in the ξ=ln(1/xp) distributions show a different mass dependence for mesons and baryons. However, both JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo predictions agree with the observed data.

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Studies of strong and electroweak interactions using final state photon emission in hadronic Z0 decays

The OPAL collaboration Acton, P.D. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 58 (1993) 405-418, 1993.
Inspire Record 343181 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.52379

The cross section and jet rates ofZ0 decays into photons and quarks are compared with matrix element Monte Carlos ofO(ααs). Good agreement is found between data and theoretical predic

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Strange baryon production in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; Altekamp, N. ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 73 (1997) 569-586, 1997.
Inspire Record 421978 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.47777

The production of the $J^{P}={1⩈er 2}^{+}$ octet baryons Λ and Ξ−, the $J^{P}={3⩈er 2}^{+}$ decuplet baryons Σ(1385)±Ξ(1530)0, and Ω−, and the $J^{P}={3⩈er 2}^{-}$ orbitally excited state Λ(1520) has been measured in a sample of approximately 3.65 million hadronic Z0 decays. The integrated rates and the differential cross-sections as a function of xE, the scaled energy, are determined. The differential cross-sections of the Λ and Ξ− baryons are found to be softer than those predicted by both the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo generators. The measured baryon yields are found to disagree with the simple diquark picture where only one tuning parameter for spin 1 diquarks is allowed. The yields are further compared with a thermodynamic model of hadron production which includes the production of orbitally excited mesons and baryons. The momentum spectra of Λ, Ξ−, Σ(1385)±Ξ(1530)0, and Λ(1520) are also compared to the predictions of an analytical QCD formula.

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A simultaneous measurement of the QCD colour factors and the strong coupling.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ainsley, C. ; Akesson, P.F. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 20 (2001) 601-615, 2001.
Inspire Record 552446 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49851

Using data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons, taken with the OPAL detector at LEP at the Z pole between 1991 and 1995, we performed a simultaneous measurement of the colour factors of the underlying gauge group of the strong interaction, CF and CA, and the strong coupling, alpha(s). The measurement was carried out by fitting next-to-leading order perturbative predictions to measured angular correlations of 4-jet events together with multi-jet related variables. Our results, CA = 3.02 +/- 0.25 (stat.) +/- 0.49 (syst.), CF = 1.34 +/- 0.13 (stat.) +/- 0.22 (syst.), alpha(s)(M_Z) = 0.120 +/- 0.011 (stat.) +/- 0.020 (syst.), provide a test of perturbative QCD in which the only assumptions are non-abelian gauge symmetry and standard hadronization models. The measurements are in agreement with SU(3) expectations for CF and CA and the world average of alpha(s)(M_Z).

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Multiplicities of pi0, eta, K0 and of charged particles in quark and gluon jets.

The OPAL collaboration Abbiendi, G. ; Ackerstaff, K. ; Ainsley, C. ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 17 (2000) 373-387, 2000.
Inspire Record 529898 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49911

We compared the multiplicities of pizero, eta, Kzero and of charged particles in quark and gluon jets in 3-jet events, as measured by the OPAL experiment at LEP. The comparisons were performed for distributions unfolded to 100% pure quark and gluon jets, at an effective scale Qjet which took into account topological dependences of the 3-jet environment. The ratio of particle multiplicity in gluon jets to that in quark jets as a function of Qjet for pizero, eta and Kzero was found to be independent of the particle species. This is consistent with the QCD prediction that the observed enhancement in the mean particle rate in gluon jets with respect to quark jets should be independent of particle species. In contrast to some theoretical predictions and previous observations, we observed no evidence for an enhancement of eta meson production in gluon jets with respect to quark jets, beyond that observed for charged particles. We measured the ratio of the slope of the average charged particle multiplicity in gluon jets to that in quark jets, C, and we compared it to a next-to-next-to-next-to leading order calculation. Our result, C=2.27+-0.20(stat+syst),is about one standard deviation higher than the perturbative prediction.

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Measurements of flavour dependent fragmentation functions in Z0 --> q anti-q events.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 7 (1999) 369-381, 1999.
Inspire Record 472637 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49410

Fragmentation functions for charged particles in Z -> qq(bar) events have been measured for bottom (b), charm (c) and light (uds) quarks as well as for all flavours together. The results are based on data recorded between 1990 and 1995 using the OPAL detector at LEP. Event samples with different flavour compositions were formed using reconstructed D* mesons and secondary vertices. The \xi_p = ln(1/x_E) distributions and the position of their maxima \xi_max are also presented separately for uds, c and b quark events. The fragmentation function for b quarks is significantly softer than for uds quarks.

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Spin alignment of leading K*(892)0 mesons in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 412 (1997) 210-224, 1997.
Inspire Record 447146 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.47440

Helicity density matrix elements for inclusive K*(892)^0 mesons from hadronic Z^0 decays have been measured over the full range of K^*0 momentum using data taken with the OPAL experiment at LEP. A preference for occupation of the helicity zero state is observed at all scaled momentum x_p values above 0.3, with the matrix element rho_00 rising to 0.66 +/- 0.11 for x_p > 0.7. The values of the real part of the off-diagonal element rho_1-1 are negative at large x_p, with a weighted average value of -0.09 +/- 0.03 for x_p > 0.3, in agreement with new theoretical predictions based on Standard Model parameters and coherent fragmentation of the qq(bar) system from the Z^0 decay. All other helicity density matrix elements measured are consistent with zero over the entire x_p range. The K^*0 fragmentation function has also been measured and the total rate determined to be 0.74 +/- 0.02 +/- 0.02 K*(892)^0 mesons per hadronic Z^0 decay.

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Photon and light meson production in hadronic Z0 decays.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 5 (1998) 411-437, 1998.
Inspire Record 470419 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49498

The inclusive production rates and differential cross-sections of photons and mesons with a final state containing photons have been measured with the OPAL detector at LEP. The light mesons covered by the measurements are the \pi^0, \eta, \rho(770)+-, \omega(782), \eta'(958) and a_0(980)+-. The particle multiplicities per hadronic Z^0 decay, extrapolated to the full energy range, are: <n_\gamma> = 20.97 +/- 0.02 +/- 1.15, <n_\pi^0> = 9.55 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.75, <n_\eta> = 0.97 +/- 0.03 +/- 0.11, <n_\rho^+-> = 2.40 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.43, <n_\omega> = 1.04 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.14, <n_\eta> = 0.14 +/- 0.01 +/- 0.02, <n_a_0+-> = 0.27 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.10. where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. In general, the results are in agreement with the predictions of the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo models.

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J / psi and psi-prime production in hadronic Z0 decays

The OPAL collaboration Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; Altekamp, N. ; et al.
Z.Phys.C 70 (1996) 197-210, 1996.
Inspire Record 402487 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.30060

The production of Jψ mesons in Z0 decays is studied using 3.6 million hadronic events recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP. The inclusive Z0 to Jψ and b-quark to Jψ branching ratios are measured from the total yield of Jψ mesons, identified from their decays into lepton pairs. The Jψ momentum distribution is used to study the fragmentation of b-quarks. The production rate of ψ′ mesons, identified from their decays into a Jψ and a π+π− pair, is measured as well. The following results are obtained: ${Br(Z^{0}⌝ghtarrow {⤪ J}/ i X)=(3.9pm 0.2pm 0.3)cdot 10^{-3} {⤪ and} ↦op Br(Z^0⌝ghtarrow  i ^⌕ime X)=(1.6pm 0.3pm 0.2)cdot 10^{-3}, }$ where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Finally the Jψ sample is used to reconstruct exclusive b-hadron decays and calculate the corresponding b-hadron branching ratios and masses.

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Production of f0(980), f2(1270) and Phi(1020) in hadronic Z0 decay.

The OPAL collaboration Ackerstaff, K. ; Alexander, G. ; Allison, John ; et al.
Eur.Phys.J.C 4 (1998) 19-28, 1998.
Inspire Record 467092 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.49558

Inclusive production of the f_0(980), f_2(1270) and \phi(1020) resonances has been studied in a sample of 4.3 million hadronic Z^0 decays from the OPAL experiment at LEP. A coupled channel analysis has been used for the f_0 in simultaneous fits to the resonances in inclusive \pi+\pi- and K+K- mass spectra. Fragmentation functions are reported for the three states. Total inclusive rates are measured to be 0.141 +/- 0.007 +/- 0.011 f_0, 0.155 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.018 f_2, and 0.091 +/- 0.002 +/- 0.003 \phi mesons per hadronic Z^0 decay. The production properties of the f_0, including those in three-jet events, are compared with those of the f_2 and \phi, and with the Lund string model of hadron production. All measurements are consistent with the hypothesis that the f_0 is a conventional qq(bar) scalar meson.

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