We report on total cross section and forward backward charge asymmetry measurements of the reactione+e− → τ+τ− at centre of mass energies of 35.0 GeV and 42.4 GeV using the TASSO detector. Including previous data an analysis in terms of electroweak parameters of the standard model is presented, and lower limits on mass scale parameters of residual contact interactions are given. A combined analysis of electroweak couplings using all our results on leptonic reactionse+e−→l+l− has been performed.

The scale cross section s d σ d x p for inclusive charged-particle production in e + e − annihilation has been studied for c.m. energies W between 12.0 and 36.7 GeV. Scale breaking is observed. For x p >0.2 the cross section decreases by ≈20% when W increases from 14 to 35 GeV. The production angular distribution was used to separate the longitudinal and transverse cross-section contributions and to determine the ratio of the structure functions m W 1 and v W 2 .

The full TASSO data have been used to study the inclusive production of strange mesons ine+e− annihilations. Differential and total cross sections have been measured in the centre of mass energy range 14 to 44 GeV forK0,\(\bar K^0\) and 34.5 to 44 GeV forK*± (892). We have investigated the strange meson production properties in jets by studying the rapidity andpt2 distributions as well as the evolution of the multiplicities as a function of the event sphericity. We find no evidence that the strange meson yields increase with increasing sphericity faster than the total charged multiplicity.

We have measured the cross sections for e + e − → e + e − , e + e − → μ + μ − , e + e − → γγ and e + e − → hadrons in an energy scan at center of mass energies between 39.79 and 46.72 GeV in 30 MeV steps. New spinless bosons, whose existence has been postulated as a possible means to explain the anomalously large radiative width of the Z 0 found at the CERN SPS p p collider, are ruled out in the scan region. The data are used to set limits on the couplings to lepton, photon and quark pairs of bosons with masses above 46.72 GeV.

Production of charmed mesons in γγ-interactions at PETRA energies has been observed in the TASSO detector. Cross sections for inclusiveD*± and\(D^0 \bar D^0 \) production have been measured. Neutral and charged meson pairs are estimated to be produced with comparable cross sections, and their sum seems to account for a sizeable fraction of σtot(γγ→hadrons) near the\(c\bar c\) threshold.

We have measured the processe+e−→e+e−+hadrons, where one of the scattered electrons was detected at large angles, withQ2 ranging from 7 to 70 (VeV/c)2. The photon structure functionF2γ(x, Q2) was determined at an averageQ2 of 23 (GeV/c)2. The measurements were compared to theoretical predictions of the Quark Parton Model and Quantum Chromodynamics. In both models a hadronic part was added. Within the errors the data are in agreement with the QPM using quark masses of 300 MeV/c2 for the light quarks. The data also agree with a QCD calculation including higher order corrections. A fit yielded a\(\Lambda _{\overline {MS} } \) value of 140−65+190 MeV, where the errors include statistical and systematic uncertainties.

We present data on energy-energy correlations (EEC) and their related asymmetry (AEEC) ine+e− annihilation in the centre of mass energy range 12<W≦46.8 GeV. The energy and angular dependence of the EEC in the central region is well described byOαs2 QCD plus a fragmentation term proportional to\({1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 {\sqrt s }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\sqrt s }}\). BareO(α)s2 QCD reproduces our data for the large angle region of the AEEC. Nonperturbative effects for the latter are estimated with the help of fragmentation models. From various analyses using different approximations, we find that values for\(\Lambda _{\overline {MS} } \) in the range 0.1–0.3 GeV give a good description of the data. We also compare analytical calculations in QCD for the EEC in the back-to-back region to our data. The theoretical predictions describe well both the angular and energy dependence of the data in the back-to-back region.

e + e − annihilation into hadrons was studied at CM energies between 39.8 and 45.2 GeV and a search was made for new heavy quarks. No evidence was found for the existence of a narrow state excluding the possible existence of the lowest vector toponium state in this mass range. A search for continuum production of heavy quarks led to lower mass limits for new quarks of 22.0 GeV ( e Q = 2 3 ) and 21.0 GeV ( e Q = 1 3 ). Quarks are found to be pointlike, the corresponding mass parameter being larger than 288 GeV. A fit of the QCD and the electroweak contributions to R = σ tot / σ μμ yielded sin 2 θ W = 0.30 −0.07 +0.23 .

We have studied the properties of hadron production in photon-photon scattering with tagged photons at the e + e − storage ring PETRA. A tail in the p T distribution of particles consistent with p T −4 has been observed. We show that this tail cannot be due to the hadronic part of the photon. Selected events with high p T particles are found to be consistent with a two-jet structure as expected from a point-like coupling of the photons to quarks. The lowest-order cross section predicted for γγ → q q , σ = 3 Σ e q 4 · σ γγ → μμ , is approached from above by the data at large transverse momenta.

We report on a study of inclusive production ofD*± mesons ine+e− annihilation at c.m. energies between 28 and 46.8 GeV using the TASSO detector at the PETRA storage ring. A hardD*± energy spectrum is measured with a maximum nearED*±≃0.6Ebeam. The measured cross section ratio\((\sigma _{D^{* + } }+ \sigma _{D^{* - } } )/\sigma _{\mu \mu }= 1.28 \pm 0.09 \pm 0.18\) indicates thatD* production accounts for a large fraction of the observed charm production. Two complementary methods have been used to determine the forward-backward asymmetry of charm pair production due to electroweak interference. Combining both measurements the product of the axial vector couplings of the electron and the charm quark to the weak neutral current was determined to begAegAc=−(0.276±0.073), in agreement with the standard model prediction of −0.25. Using a sample of reconstructedD*± mesons, the relative strength of the strong interaction coupling of thec quark compared to that of an average of all flavours is measured as αs(c)/αs(all)=0.91±0.38±0.15, consistent with the coupling constant being flavour independent. An update of ourD0 lifetime measurement is presented, based on a considerable increase in statistics, the final result being\(\tau _{D^0= } (4.8 \pm _{0.9 - 0.7}^{1.0 + 0.5} )10^{ - 13} s\).