This report reviews the experimental investigation of high energy e + e − interactions by the MARK J collaboration at PETRA, the electron-positron colliding beam accelerator at DESY in Hamburg, Germany. The physics objectives include studies of several purely electromagnetic processes and hadronic final states, which further our knowledge of the nature of the fundamental constituents and of their strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions. Before discussing the physics results, the main features and the principal components of the MARK J detector are discussed in terms of design, function, and performance. Several aspects of the on-line data collection and the off-line analysis are also outlined. Results are presented on tests of quantum electrodynamics using e + e − → e + e − , μ + μ − and τ + τ − , on the measurement of R , the ratio of the hadronic to the point-like muon pair cross section, on the search for new quark flavors, on the discovery of three jet events arising from the radiation of hard noncollinear gluons as predicted by quantum chromodynamics, and on the determination of the strong coupling constant α s .
The polarisation of $\tau$'s produced in Z decay is measured using 160 pb$^{-1}$ of data accumulated at LEP by the ALEPH detector between 1990 and 1995. The variation of the polarisation with polar angle yields the two parameters ${\cal A}_e = 0.1504 \pm 0.0068 $ and ${\cal A}_{\tau} = 0.1451 \pm 0.0059$ which are consistent with the hypothesis of $e$-$\tau$ universality. Assuming universality, the value ${\cal A}_{e{-}\tau} = 0.1474 \pm 0.0045$ is obtained from which the effective weak mixing angle $\sin^2 {\theta_{\mathrm{W}}^{\mathrm{eff}}} =0.23147 \pm 0.00057 $ is derived.
Exclusive production of π and K meson pairs in two photon collisions is measured with ALEPH data collected between 1992 and 2000. Cross-sections are presented as a function of cos θ ∗ and invariant mass, for | cos θ ∗ |<0.6 and invariant masses between 2.0 and 6.0 GeV/ c 2 (2.25 and 4.0 GeV/ c 2 ) for pions (kaons). The shape of the distributions are found to be well described by QCD predictions but the data have a significantly higher normalization.
The 132 pbt - 1 of data collected by ALEPH from 1991 to 1994 have been used to analyze η and ω production in τ decays. The following branching fractions have been measured: \(B\left( {{\tau ^ - } \to {\nu _\tau }\omega {h^ - }} \right) = \left( {1.91 \pm 0.07 \pm 0.06} \right) \times {10^{ - 2}},\)\(B\left( {{\tau ^ - } \to {\nu _\tau }\omega {h^ - }{\pi ^0}} \right) = \left( {4.3 \pm 0.6 \pm 0.5} \right) \times {10^{ - 3}},\)\(B\left( {{\tau ^ - } \to {\nu _\tau }\eta {K^ - }} \right) = \left( {2.9_{ - 1.2}^{ + 1.3} \pm 0.7} \right) \times {10^{ - 4}},\)\(B\left( {{\tau ^ - } \to {\nu _\tau }\eta {h^ - }{\pi ^0}} \right) = \left( {1.8 \pm 0.4 \pm 0.2} \right) \times {10^{ - 3}}\) and the 95% C.L. limit B(τ− → ντηπt -) < 6.2 × 10t - 4 has been obtained. The ωπt- and ηπt -π0 rates and dynamics are found in agreement with the predictions made from e+e∼ - annihilation data with the help of isospin invariance (CVC).
Inclusive π±, K± and\((p,\bar p)\) differential cross-sections in hadronic decays of the Z have been measured as a function ofz=Phadron/Pbeam, the scaled momentum. The results are based on approximately 520 000 events measured by the ALEPH detector at LEP during 1992. Charged particles are identified by their rate of ionization energy loss in the ALEPH Time Projection Chamber. The position, ξ*, of the peak in the ln(1/z) distribution is determined, and the evolution of the peak position with centre-of-mass energy is compared with the prediction of QCD.
The polarization of Λ baryons from Z decays is studied with the Aleph apparatus. Evidence of longitudinal polarization of s quarks from Z decay is observed for the first time. The measured longitudinal Λ polarization is P L Λ = −0.32 ± 0.07 for z = p p beam > 0.3 . This agrees with the prediction of −0.39 ± 0.08 from the standard model and the constituent quark model, where the error is due to uncertainties in the mechanism for Λ production. The observed Λ polarization is diluted with respect to the primary s quark polarization by Λ baryons without a primary s quark. Measurements of the Λ forward-backward asymmetry and of the correlation between back-to-back Λ Λ pairs are used to check this dilution. In addition the transverse Λ polarization is measured. An indication of transverse polarization, more than two standard deviations away from zero, is found along the normal to the plane defined by the thrust axis and the Λ direction.
A measurement of the inclusive production of π0 mesons in hadronic Z decays is presented and compared to Monte Carlo model predictions. The analysis is based on approximately 2 million hadronic events recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of ⊡s = 91.2 GeV. Neutral pions are reconstructed using photons measured in the electromagnetic calorimeter and photons from conversion pairs. The inclusive π0 momentum spectrum is measured in the range 0.025 < xp = p/pbeam < 1. In this range the number of π0 per hadronic Z is found to be 4.80 ± 0.07(stat) ± 0.31(sys). The differential inclusive π0 cross section is also measured as a function of transverse momentum with respect to the event plane (pTin and pTout).
The Λ b polarization in hadronic Z decays is measured in semileptonic decays from the average energies of the charged lepton and the neutrino. In a data sample of approximately 3 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP between 1991 and 1994, 462 ± 31 Λ b candidates are selected using ( Λπ + )-lepton correlations. From this event sample, the Λ b polarization is measured to be P Λ b = −0.23 −0.20 +0.24 (stat.) −0.07 +0.08 (syst.).
The production rates and the inclusive cross sections of the isovector meson${\rm \pi^0}$, the isoscalar mesons$\eta$and
The production rates of D*+-, Ds*+-, D+-, D0 / D0bar, Ds+, and Lambda_c in Z to ccbar decays are measured using the LEP I data sample recorded by the ALEPH detector. The fractional energy spectrum of the D*+- is well described as the sum of three contributions: charm hadronisation, b hadron decays and gluon splitting into a pair of heavy quarks. The probability for a c quark to hadronise into a D*+ is found to be f(c to D*+) = 0.233 +- 0.010 (stat.) +- 0.011 (syst.). The average fraction of the beam energy carried by D*+- mesons in Z to cc events is measured to be < X_E (D*+-) >_cc = 0.4878 +- 0.0046 (stat.) +- 0.0061 (syst.). The D*+- energy and the hemisphere mass imbalance distributions are simultaneously used to measure the fraction of hadronic Z decays in which a gluon splits to a cc pair: n_{gluon to cc} = (3.23 +- 0.48 (stat.) +- 0.53 (syst.) %. The ratio of the Vector/(Vector+Pseudoscalar) production rates in charmed mesons is found to be P_V = 0.595 +- 0.045. The fractional decay width of the Z into cc pairs is determined from the sum of the production rates for various weakly decaying charmed states to be Rc = 0.1738 +- 0.0047 (stat.) +- 0.0116 (syst.).