The couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are studied using measurements of the lepton pair cross sections and forward-backward asymmetries at centre of mass energies near to the mass of the Z 0 . The data are consistent with lepton universality. Using a parametrisation of the lepton pair differential cross section which assumes that the Z 0 has only vector and axial couplings to leptons, the charged leptonic partial decay width of the Z 0 is determined to be Г ol+ol− = 83.1±1.9 MeV and the square of the product of the effective axial vector and vector coupling constants of the Z 0 to charged leptons to be a ̌ 2 ol v ̌ 2 ol = 0.0039± 0.0083 , in agreement with the standard model. A parametrisation in the form of the improved Born approximation gives effective leptonic axial vector and vector coupling constants a ̌ 2 ol = 0.998±0.024 and v ̌ 2 ol = 0.0044±0.0083 . In the framework of the standard model, the values of the parameters ϱ z and sin 2 θ w are found to be 0.998±0.024 and 0.233 +0.045 −0.012 respectively. Using the relationship in the minimal standard model between ϱ z and sin 2 θ w , the results sin 2 θ SM w = 0.233 +0.007 −0.006 is obtained. Our previously published measurement of the ratio of the hadronic to the leptonic partial width of the Z 0 is update: R z = 21.72 +0.71 −0.65 .

Two samples of exclusive semileptonic decays, 579 B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ events and 261 B 0 → D + ℓ − ν ℓ events, are selected from approximately 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. From the reconstructed differential decay rate of each sample, the product of the hadronic form factor F (ω) at zero recoil of the D (∗)+ meson and the CKM matrix element | V cb | are measured to be F D ∗+ (1)|V cb | = (31.9 ± 1.8 stat ± 1.9 syst ) × 10 −3 , F D + (1)| V cb | = (27.8 ± 6.8 stat ± 6.5 syst ) × 10 −3 . The ratio of the form factors F D + (1) and F D ∗+ (1) is measured to be F D + (1) F D ∗+ (1) = 0.87 ± 0.22 stat ± 0.21 syst . A value of | V cb | is extracted from the two samples, using theoretical constraints on the slope and curvature of the hadronic form factors and their normalization at zero recoil, with the result | V cb | = (34.4 ± 1.6 stat ± 2.3 syst ± 1.4 th ) × 10 −3 . The branching fractions are measured from the two integrated spectra to be Br ( B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ ) = (5.53 ± 0.26 stat ±0.52 syst ) %, Br ( B 0 → D ∗+ ℓ − ν ℓ ) = (2.35 ± 0.20 stat ± 0.44 syst ) %.

We present an analysis of electroweak leptonic couplings from high statistics experiments on Bhabha scattering and μ pair production at an energy of 34.5 GeV. The forward-backward charge asymmetry of the μ pairs was measured to be −0.098±0.023±0.005. The data were found to agree well with the standard theory of electroweak interaction giving sin2θW=0.27±0.07. The leptonic weak couplings were determined to begv=0.000±0.170 andgA=−0.481±0.055. The data were also used to investigate a class of composite models for leptons.

We have measured, at an average centre-of-mass energy of 34.22 GeV a forward-backward charge asymmetry in the reaction e + e − → μ + μ − of value −0.161 ± 0.032. This demonstrates the existence of an axial vector neutral current with coupling strength of g e a g μ a =0.53 ± 0.10. We have also obtained a limit on the vector coupling strength of g e v g μ v <0.12. The Weinberg angle is found to be sin 2 θ W =0.29 +0.09 −0.11 . From the reaction e + e − → τ + τ − we have found g e a g τ a <0.34, g e v g τ v <0.55.

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.

We have measured the process e+e−→μ+μ− at √s =29 GeV using the High Resolution Spectrometer at SLAC PEP. The forward-backward charge asymmetry is Aμμ=-(4.9±1.5±0.5)% based on 5057 events. A subsample of 3488 μ+μ− events in the angular range ‖cosθ‖<0.55 gives a cross-section ratio of Rμμ=0.990±0.017±0.030. The resulting couplings of the weak neutral current are gaegaμ=0.208±0.064± 0.021 and gvegvμ=0.027 ±0.051±0.089. The QED cutoff parameters are Λ+>170 GeV and Λ−>146 GeV at 95% C.L.

The cross sections and forward-backward asymmetries of hadronic and leptonic events produced in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130-183 GeV are presented. Results for ee, mumu, tautau, qq, bb and cc production show no significant deviation from the Standard Model predictions. This enable constraints to be set upon physics beyond the Standard Model such as four-fermion contact interactions, leptoquarks, Z' bosons and R-parity violating squarks and sneutrinos. Limits on the energy scale Lambda of eeff contact interactions are typically in the range from 2-10 TeV. Limits on R-parity violating sneutrinos reach masses of a few hundred GeV for large values of their Yukawa couplings.

The gauge boson pair production processes Wg, WW, WZ, and Zg were studied using pbarp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of ~14 pb-1 at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV. Analysis of Wg prod with subsequent W boson decay to lv (l=e,mu) is reported, including a fit to the pT spectrum of the photons which leads to limits on anomalous WWg couplings. A search for WW prod with subsequent decay to l-lbar-v-vbar (l=e,mu) is presented leading to an upper limit on the WW prod cross section and limits on anomalous WWg and WWZ couplings. A search for high pT W bosons in WW and WZ prod is described, where one W boson decays to an ev and the second W boson or the Z boson decays to two jets. A maximum likelihood fit to the pT spectrum of W bosons resulted in limits on anomalous WWg and WWZ couplings. A combined fit to the three data sets which provided the tightest limits on anomalous WWg and WWZ couplings is also described. Limits on anomalous ZZg and Zgg couplings are presented from an analysis of the photon ET spectrum in Zg events in the decay channels (ee, mu-mu, and v-vbar) of the Z boson.

Production of events with hadronic and leptonic final states has been measured in e^+e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV, using the OPAL detector at LEP. Cross-sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries are presented, both including and excluding the dominant production of radiative Z \gamma events, and compared to Standard Model expectations. The ratio R_b of the cross-section for bb(bar) production to the hadronic cross-section has been measured. In a model-independent fit to the Z lineshape, the data have been used to obtain an improved precision on the measurement of \gamma-Z interference. The energy dependence of \alpha_em has been investigated. The measurements have also been used to obtain limits on extensions of the Standard Model described by effective four-fermion contact interactions, to search for t-channel contributions from new massive particles and to place limits on chargino pair production with subsequent decay of the chargino into a light gluino and a quark pair.

We have studied azimuthal correlations in singly-tagged e+e− → e+e−μ+μ− events at an average Q2 of 5.2 GeV2. The data were taken with the OPAL detector at LEP at e+e− centre-of-mass energies close to the Z0 mass, with an integrated luminosity of approximately 100 pb−1. The azimuthal correlations are used to extract the ratio $F_{B}^{αmma}/F_{2}^{αmma}$ of the QED structure functions $F_{B}^{αmma}(x,Q^{2})$ and $F_{2}^{αmma}(x,Q^{2})$ of the photon. In leading order and neglecting the muon mass $F_{B}^{αmma}$ is expected to be identical to the longitudinal structure function $F_{L}^{αmma}$. The measurement of $F_{B}^{αmma}/F_{2}^{αmma}$ is found to be significantly different from zero and to be consistent with the QED prediction.