We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron $p\bar{p}$ Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.

Single top production via flavour changing neutral currents in the reactions e + e − → t ̄ c / u is searched for in approximately 411 pb −1 of data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies in the range between 189 and 202 GeV. In total, 58 events are selected in the data to be compared with 50.3 expected from Standard Model backgrounds. No deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95% CL on single top production cross sections at s =189 –202 GeV are derived. A model-dependent limit on the sum of branching ratios BR(t→Zc)+BR(t→Zu)<17% is obtained.

We search for lepton flavour violating events (e mu, e tau and mu tau) that could be directly produced in e+e- annihilations, using the full available data sample collected with the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies between 189 GeV and 209 GeV. In general, the Standard Model expectations describe the data well for all the channels and at each sqrt(s). A single e mu event is observed where according to our Monte Carlo simulations only 0.019 events are expected from Standard Model processes. We obtain the first limits on the cross-sections sigma(e+e- -> e mu, e tau and mu tau) as a function of sqrt(s) at LEP2 energies.

The triple gauge-boson couplings involving the W are determined using data samples collected with the ALEPH detector at mean centre-of-mass energies of 183 GeV and 189 GeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 57 pb^-1 and 174 pb^-1, respectively. The couplings, g^Z_1, Kappa_gamma and lambda_gamma, are measured using W-pair events, single-W production and single-gamma production. Each coupling is measured individually with the other two coupling fixed at their Standard Model value. Including ALEPH results from lower energies, the 95% confidence level intervals for the deviation to the Standard Model are -0.087 < Dg^Z_1 < 0.141 -0.200 < DKappa_gamma < 0.258 -0.062 < Lambda_gamma < 0.147. Fits are also presented where two or all three couplings are allowed to vary. In addition, W-pair events are used to set limits on the C- or P-violating couplings g^V_4, g^V_5, Kappa_V, and Lambda_V, where V denotes either gamma or Z. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are observed.

A new precise measurement of |V_{cb}| and of the branching ratio BR(\bar{B^0} -> D^{*+} \ell^- \bar{\nu_\ell}) has been performed using a sample of about 5000 semileptonic decays \bar{B^0} -> D^{*+} \ell^- \bar{\nu_\ell}, selected by the DELPHI detector at LEP I by tagging the soft pion from D^{*+} -> D^0 \pi^+. The results are: V_{cb}=(39.0 +/- 1.5 (stat.) ^{+2.5}_{-2.6} (syst. exp.) +/- 1.3 (syst. th.)) x 10^{-3} BR(\bar{B^0} -> D^{*+} \ell^- \bar{\nu_\ell})=(4.70 +/- 0.13 (stat.) ^{+0.36}_{-0.31} (syst. exp.))% The analytic dependences of the differential cross-section and of the Isgur Wise form factor as functions of the variable w = v_{B^0}.v_{D^*} have also been obtained by unfolding the experimental resolution.

A test of the QED process e+e- -> gamma gamma (gamma) is reported. The data analysed were collected with the DELPHI detector in 1998 and 1999 at the highest energies achieved at LEP, reaching 202 GeV in the centre-of-mass. The total integrated luminosity amounts to 375.7 pb^{-1}. The differential and total cross-sections for the process e+e- -> gamma gamma were measured, and found to be in agreement with the QED prediction. 95% Confidence Level (C.L.) lower limits on the QED cut-off parameters of Lambda+ > 330 GeV and Lambda- > 320 GeV were derived. A 95% C.L. lower bound on the mass of an excited electron of 311 GeV/c^2 (for lambda_gamma = 1) was obtained. s-channel virtual graviton exchange was searched for, resulting in 95% C.L. lower limits on the string mass scale, M_S: M_S > 713 GeV/c^2 (lambda = 1) and M_S > 691 GeV/c^2 (lambda = -1).

The rates are measured per hadronic Z decay for gluon splitting to bb(bar) quark pairs, g_bb, and of events containing two bb(bar) quark pairs, g_4b, using a sample of four-jet events selected from data collected with the OPAL detector. Events with an enhanced signal of gluon splitting to bb(bar) quarks are selected if two of the jets are close in phase-space and contain detached secondary vertices. For the event sample containing two bb(bar) quark pairs, three of the four jets are required to have a significantly detached secondary vertex. Information from the event topology is combined in a likelihood fit to extract the values of g_bb and g_4b, namely g_bb = (3.07 +- 0.53(stat) +- 0.97(syst))x10^-3 g_4b = (0.36 +- 0.17(stat) +- 0.27(syst))x10^-3

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.

The charged particle multiplicities of two- and three-jet events from the reaction e+e- -> Z0 -> hadrons are measured for Z0 decays to light quark (uds) flavors. Using recent theoretical expressions to account for biases from event selection, results corresponding to unbiased gluon jets are extracted over a range of jet energies from about 11 to 30 GeV. We find consistency between these results and direct measurements of unbiased gluon jet multiplicity from upsilon and Z0 decays. The unbiased gluon jet data including the direct measurements are compared to corresponding results for quark jets. We perform fits based on analytic expressions for particle multiplicity in jets to determine the ratio r = Ng/Nq of multiplicities between gluon and quark jets as a function of energy. We also determine the ratio of slopes, r(1) = (dNg/dy)/(dNq/dy), and of curvatures, r(2) = (d2Ng/dy2)/(d2Nq/dy2), where y specifies the energy scale. At 30 GeV, we find r = 1.422 +/- 0.051, r(1) = 1.761 +/- 0.071 and r(2) = 1.98 +/- 0.13, where the uncertainties are the statistical and systematic terms added in quadrature. These results are in general agreement with theoretical predictions. In addition, we use the measurements of the energy dependence of Ng and Nq to determine an effective value of the ratio of QCD color factors, CA/CF. Our result, CA/CF = 2.23 +/- 0.14 (total), is consistent with the QCD value of 2.25.

The photon structure function F2-gamma(x,Q**2) has been measured using data taken by the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies of 91Gev, 183Gev and 189Gev, in Q**2 ranges of 1.5 to 30.0 GeV**2 (LEP1), and 7.0 to 30.0 GeV**2 (LEP2), probing lower values of x than ever before. Since previous OPAL analyses, new Monte Carlo models and new methods, such as multi-variable unfolding, have been introduced, reducing significantly the model dependent systematic errors in the measurement.

Muon pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-mu+mu- is studied using the data taken at LEP1 (sqrt(s) \simeq m_Z) with the DELPHI detector during the years 1992-1995. The corresponding integrated luminosity is 138.5 pb^{-1}. The QED predictions have been tested over the whole Q^2 range accessible at LEP1 (from several GeV^2/c^4 to several hundred GeV^2/c^4) by comparing experimental distributions with distributions resulting from Monte Carlo simulations using various generators. Selected events are used to extract the leptonic photon structure function F_2^\gamma. Azimuthal correlations are used to obtain information on additional structure functions, F_A^\gamma and F_B^\gamma, which originate from interference terms of the scattering amplitudes. The measured ratios F_A^\gamma/F_2^\gamma and F_B^\gamma/F_2^\gamma are significantly different from zero and consistent with QED predictions.

Measurements of the trilinear gauge boson couplings WWgamma and WWZ are presented using the data taken by DELPHI in 1998 at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV and combined with DELPHI data at 183 GeV. Values are determined for Delta(g_1^Z) and Delta(kappa_gamma), the differences of the WWZ charge coupling and of the WWgamma dipole coupling from their Standard Model values, and for lambda_gamma, the WWgamma quadrupole coupling. A measurement of the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moment of the W is extracted from the results for Delta(kappa_gamma) and lambda_gamma. The study uses data from the final states jjlv, jjjj, lX, jjX and gammaX, where j represents a quark jet, l an identified lepton and X missing four-momentum. The observations are consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model.

The cross-sections for the production of single charged and neutral intermediate vector bosons were measured using integrated luminosities of 52 pb^{-1} and 154 pb^{-1} collected by the DELPHI experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 182.6 GeV and 188.6 GeV, respectively. The cross-sections for the reactions were determined in limited kinematic regions. The results found are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions for these channels.

This final analysis of hadronic and leptonic cross-sections and of leptonic forward-backward asymmetries in e+e- collisions with the OPAL detector makes use of the full LEP1 data sample comprising 161 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity and 4.5 x 10^6 selected Z decays. An interpretation of the data in terms of contributions from pure Z exchange and from Z-gamma interference allows the parameters of the Z resonance to be determined in a model-independent way. Our results are in good agreement with lepton universality and consistent with the vector and axial-vector couplings predicted in the Standard Model. A fit to the complete dataset yields the fundamental Z resonance parameters: mZ = 91.1852 +- 0.0030 GeV, GZ = 2.4948 +- 0.0041 GeV, s0h = 41.501 +- 0.055 nb, Rl = 20.823 +- 0.044, and Afb0l = 0.0145 +- 0.0017. Transforming these parameters gives a measurement of the ratio between the decay width into invisible particles and the width to a single species of charged lepton, Ginv/Gl = 5.942 +- 0.027. Attributing the entire invisible width to neutrino decays and assuming the Standard Model couplings for neutrinos, this translates into a measurement of the effective number of light neutrino species, N_nu = 2.984 +- 0.013. Interpreting the data within the context of the Standard Model allows the mass of the top quark, mt = 162 +29-16 GeV, to be determined through its influence on radiative corrections. Alternatively, utilising the direct external measurement of mt as an additional constraint leads to a measurement of the strong coupling constant and the mass of the Higgs boson: alfa_s(mZ) = 0.127 +- 0.005 and mH = 390 +750-280 GeV.

A measurement of triple gauge boson couplings is presented, based on W-pair data recorded by the OPAL detector at LEP during 1998 at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV with an integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1. After combining with our previous measurements at centre-of-mass energies of 161-183 GeV we obtain k_g=0.97 +0.20 -0.16, g_1^z=0.991 +0.060 -0.057 and lambda_g=-0.110 +0.058 -0.055, where the errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties and each coupling is determined by setting the other two couplings to their SM values. These results are consistent with the Standard Model expectations.

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.

The interaction of virtual photons is investigated using double tagged gammagamma events with hadronic final states recorded by the ALEPH experiment at e^+e^- centre-of-mass energies between 188 and 209 GeV. The measured cross section is compared to Monte Carlo models, and to next-to-leading-order QCD and BFKL calculations.

Hadronic Z decay data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 are used to measure the three-jet rate as well as moments of various event-shape variables. The ratios of the observables obtained from b-tagged events and from an inclusive sample are determined. The mass of the b quark is extracted from a fit to the measured ratios using a next-to-leading order prediction including mass effects. Taking the first moment of the y3 distribution, which is the observable with the smallest hadronization corrections and systematic uncertainties, the result is: mb(MZ) = [3.27+-0.22(stat) +-0.22(exp)+-0.38(had)+-0.16(theo)] GeV/c2. The measured ratio is alternatively employed to test the flavour independence of the strong coupling constant for b and light quarks.

Measurements are presented of the polarisation of W+W- boson pairs produced in e+e- collisions, and of CP-violating WWZ and WWGamma trilinear gauge couplings. The data were recorded by the OPAL experiment at LEP during 1998, where a total integrated luminosity of 183 pb^-1 was obtained at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. The measurements are performed through a spin density matrix analysis of the W boson decay products. The fraction of W bosons produced with longitudinal polarisation was found to be sigma_L/sigma_total = (21.0 +- 3.3 +- 1.6)% where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The joint W boson pair production fractions were found to be sigma_TT/sigma_total = (78.1 +- 9.0 +- 3.2) %, sigma_LL/sigma_total = (20.1 +- 7.2 +- 1.8) % and sigma_TL/sigma_total = (1.8 +- 14.7 +- 3.8) %. In the CP-violating trilinear gauge coupling sector we find kappa_z = -0.20 +0.10 -0.07, g^z_4 = -0.02 +0.32 -0.33 and lambda_z = -0.18 +0.24 -0.16, where errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties. In each case the coupling is determined with all other couplings set to their Standard Model values except those related to the measured coupling via SU(2)_LxU(1)_Y symmetry. These results are consistent with Standard Model expectations.

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 process e+ e- -> e+ e- Z/gamma* is studied with the OPAL detector at LEP at a centre of mass energy of sqrt(s) = 189 GeV. The cross-section times the branching ratio of the Z/gamma* decaying into hadrons is measured within Lorentz invariant kinematic limits to be (1.2 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.1) pb for invariant masses of the hadronic system between 5 GeV and 60 GeV and (0.7 +/- 0.2 +/- 0.1) pb for hadronic masses above 60 GeV. The differential cross-sections of the Mandelstam variables s-hat, t-hat, and u-hat are measured and compared with the predictions from the Monte Carlo generators grc4f and PYTHIA. From this, based on a factorisation ansatz, the total and differential cross-sections for the subprocess e gamma -> e Z/gamma* are derived.

The data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 189GeV by the OPAL detector at LEP are used to search for trilinear couplings of the neutral gauge bosons in the process e+e- --> Z-gamma. The cross-sections are measured for multihadronic events with an energetic isolated photon and for events with a high energy photon accompanied by missing energy. These cross-sections and the photon energy, polar angle and isolation angle distributions are compared to the Standard Model predictions and to the theoretical expectations of a model allowing for Z-gamma-Z and Z-gamma-gamma vertices. Since no significant deviations with respect to the Standard Model expectations are found, constraints are derived on the strength of neutral trilinear gauge couplings.

From a data sample of 183 pb^-1 recorded at a center-of-mass energy of roots = 189 GeV with the OPAL detector at LEP, 3068 W-pair candidate events are selected. Assuming Standard Model W boson decay branching fractions, the W-pair production cross section is measured to be sigmaWW = 16.30 +- 0.34(stat.) +- 0.18(syst.) pb. When combined with previous OPAL measurements, the W boson branching fraction to hadrons is determined to be 68.32 +- 0.61(stat.) +- 0.28(syst.) % assuming lepton universality. These results are consistent with Standard Model expectations.

Measurements of on-shell ZZ production are described, using data collected by DELPHI in 1997 and 1998, at centre-of-mass energies sqrt(s) = 182.6 GeV and 188.6 GeV respectively. Results obtained in each of the final states q qbar q qbar, mu+mu- q qbar, e+e- q qbar, nu nubar q qbar, l+l-l+l-, and nu nubar l+l- are presented. The measured cross-sections for on-shell ZZ production via the tree-level doubly-resonant graphs (NC02) are: sigma_{NC02}(182.6 GeV) = 0.38 +- 0.18 (stat) +- 0.04 (syst) pb, sigma_{NC02}(188.6 GeV) = 0.60 +- 0.13 (stat) +- 0.07 (syst) pb. They are consistent with the Standard Model expectations of 0.25 pb and 0.65 pb at each energy.

We present the first measurement of the production cross section of a W boson with a single charm quark (c) in p-pbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV, using soft muon tagging of c jets. In a data sample of ~1.8 fb-1, recorded with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we select events with W+1 or 2 jets. We use the charge correlation between the W and the muon from the semileptonic decay of a charm hadron to extract the Wc signal. We measure sigma_{Wc}(p_{Tc}>20 GeV/c, |\eta_c|<1.5)\times BR(W->\ell\nu) = 9.8+/-3.2 pb, in agreement with theoretical expectations.