In this Report, QCD results obtained from a study of hadronic event structure in high energy e^+e^- interactions with the L3 detector are presented. The operation of the LEP collider at many different collision energies from 91 GeV to 209 GeV offers a unique opportunity to test QCD by measuring the energy dependence of different observables. The main results concern the measurement of the strong coupling constant, \alpha_s, from hadronic event shapes and the study of effects of soft gluon coherence through charged particle multiplicity and momentum distributions.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 130.1 GeV.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 136.1 GeV.
Jet fractions using the JADE algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter YCUT at c.m. energy 161.3 GeV.
We report on measurements of hadronic and leptonic cross sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries performed with the L3 detector in the years 1993-95. A total luminosity of 103 pb^-1 was collected at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt{s} ~ m_Z and \sqrt{s} ~ m_Z +/- 1.8 GeV which corresponds to 2.5 million hadronic and 245 thousand leptonic events selected. These data lead to a significantly improved determination of Z parameters. From the total cross sections, combined with our measurements in 1990-92, we obtain the final results: m_Z = 91189.8 +/- 3.1 MeV, Gamma_Z = 2502.4 +/- 4.2 MeV, Gamma_had = 1741.1 +/- 3.8 MeV, Gamma_l = 84.14 +/- 0.17 MeV. An invisible width of Gamma_inv = 499.1 +/- 2.9 MeV is derived which in the Standard Model yields for the number of light neutrino species N_nu = 2.978 +/- 0.014. Adding our results on the leptonic forward-backward asymmetries and the tau polarisation, the effective vector and axial-vector coupling constants of the neutral weak current to charged leptons are determined to be \bar{g}_V^l = -0.0397 +/- 0.0017 and \bar{g}_A^l = -0.50153 +/- 0.00053.Including our measurements of the Z -> b \bar{b} forward-backward and quark charge asymmetries a value for the effective electroweak mixing angle of sin^2\bar{\theta}_W = 0.23093 +/- 0.00066 is derived. All these measurements are in good agreement with the Standard Model of electroweak interactions. Using all our measurements of electroweak observables an upper limit on the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson of m_H < 133 GeV is set at 95% confidence level.
Updated values of coupling constants and electroweak mixing angle.
Cross sections for hadron production from the 1993 data. The first DSYS error is the uncorrelated part of the systematic error. The second DSYS error is from the statistical error on the absolute luminosity. In addition there is a fully correlated multiplicative contribution to the systematic error of 0.039 PCT plus an absolute uncertainty of 3.2pb together with an additional error from the absolute luminosity of 0.105 PCT.
Cross sections for hadron production from the 1994 data. The first DSYS error is the uncorrelated part of the systematic error. The second DSYS error is from the statistical error on the absolute luminosity. In addition there is a fully correlated multiplicative contribution to the systematic error of 0.039 PCT plus an absolute uncertainty of 3.2pb together with an additional error from the absolute luminosity of 0.088 PCT.
Double-tag events in two-photon collisions are studied using the L3 detector at LEP centre-of-mass energies from root(s)=189 GeV to 209 GeV. The cross sections of the e+e- -> e+e- hadrons and gamma*gamma* -> hadrons processes are measured as a function of the photon virtualities, Q1^2 and Q2^2, of the two-photon mass, W_gammagamma, and of the variable Y=ln(W_gammagamma^2/(Q1 Q2)), for an average photon virtuality <Q2> = 16 GeV2. The results are in agreement with next-to-leading order calculations for the process gamma*gamma* -> q qbar in the interval 2 <= Y <= 5. An excess is observed in the interval 5 < Y <= 7, corresponding to W_gammagamma greater than 40 GeV . This may be interpreted as a sign of resolved photon QCD processes or the onset of BFKL phenomena.
Differential cross section as a function of the photon virtualities Qi**2. Here Q1 is the virtuality w.r.t the electron vertex, and Q2 w.r.t the positron vertex. Data are given both before and after radiative corrections.
Differential cross section as a function of W, the invariant mas of the virtual GAMMA*GAMMA* system. Data are given both before and after radiative corrections.
Differential cross section as a function of the variable LN(W**2/Q1*Q2). Data are given both before and after radiative corrections.
Results are presented from a study of the structure of high energy hadronic events recorded by the L3 detector at sqrt(s)>192 GeV. The distributions of several event shape variables are compared to resummed O(alphaS^2) QCD calculations. We determine the strong coupling constant at three average centre-of-mass energies: 194.4, 200.2 and 206.2 GeV. These measurements, combined with previous L3 measurements at lower energies, demonstrate the running of alphaS as expected in QCD and yield alphaS(mZ) = 0.1227 +- 0.0012 +- 0.0058, where the first uncertainty is experimental and the second is theoretical.
The measured ALPHA_S at three centre-of-mass energies from fits to the individual event shape distributions. The first error is statistcal, the first DSYS error is the experimental systematic uncertainty, and the second DSYS error is the theoryuncertainty.
Updated ALPHA_S measurements from the BT, BW and C-Parameter distributions,from earlier L3 data at lower centre-of-mass energies.. The first error is the total experimental error (stat+sys in quadrature) and the DSYS error is the theory uncertainty.
Combined ALPHA_S values from the five event shape variables. The first error is statistical, the first DSYS error is the experimental systematic uncertainity, the second DSYS error is the uncertainty from the hadronisdation models, andthethird DSYS errpr is the uncertainty due to uncalculated higher orders in the QCDpredictions.
The charged-particle multiplicity distribution is measured for all hadronic events as well as for light-quark and b-quark events produced in e+e- collisions at the Z pole. Moments of the charged-particle multiplicity distributions are calculated. The H moments of the multiplicity distributions are studied, and their quasi-oscillations as a function of the rank of the moment are investigated.
Moments of the charged particle multiplicity distribution with KOS and LAMBDA decay for all events.
Moments of the charged particle multiplicity distribution without KOS and LAMBDA decay for all events.
Moments of the charged particle multiplicity distribution with KOS and LAMBDA decay for light quark events.
The reaction e+e- -> e+e- gamma* gamma* -> e+e- hadrons for quasi-real photons is studied using data from root(s) = 183 GeV up to 202 GeV. Results on the total cross sections sigma(e+e- -> e+e- hadrons) and sigma(+e- gamma* gamma* -> e+e- hadrons) are given for the two-photon centre-of-mass energies 5 GeV < Wgammagamma < 185 GeV. The total cross section of two real photons is described by a Regge parametrisation. We observe a steeper rise with the two-photon centre-of-mass energy as compared to the hadron-hadron and the photon-proton cross sections. The data are also compared to the expectations of different theoretical models.
The measured total cross section for E+ E- --> E+ E- HADRONS. The first DSYS error is the total experimental systematic uncertainty and the second DSYS error is the uncertainty introduced by unfolding the data with PYTHIA and PHOJET corrections seperately.
The total cross section for two photon production of hadrons. The final column gives the data averaged over all energies together with the experimental systematic error (first DSYS) and the difference between the average and the data unfolded with PHOJET (lower sign) and PYTHIA (upper sign) seperately (second DSYS).
The production of c and b quarks in gamma-gamma collisions is studied with the L3 detector at LEP with 410 pb^-1 of data, collected at centre-of-mass energies from 189 GeV to 202 GeV. Hadronic final states containing c and b quarks are identified by detecting electrons or muons from their semileptonic decays. The cross sections sigma(e+e- -> e+e- c c~ X) and sigma(e+e- -> e+e- b b~ X) are measured and compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The cross section of b production is measured in gamma-gamma collisions for the first time. It is in excess of the QCD prediction by a factor of three.
Total cross section for charm production.
Total cross section for beauty production.
Deep inelastic electron-photon scattering is studied in the Q**2 range from 1.2 to 30 GeV**2 using the LEP1 data taken with the ALEPH, L3 and OPAL detectors at centre-of-mass energies close to the mass of the Z boson. Distributions of the measured hadronic final state are corrected to the hadron level and compared to the predictions of the HERWIG and PHOJET Monte Carlo models. For large regions in most of the distributions studied the results of the different experiments agree with one another. However, significant differences are found between the data and the models. Therefore the combined LEP data serve as an important input to improve on the Monte Carlo models.
The individual differential cross sections (DSIG/DW) in the low Q**2 regions for the three experiments.. The data are corrected using the HERWIG-kt model.
The combined differential cross sections (DSIG/DW) separately for the low and high Q**2 regions. The data are corrected using the HERWIG-kt model.
The combined differential cross sections (DSIG/DW) separately for the low and high Q**2 regions. The data are corrected using the PHOJET model.
We search for a Higgs particle with anomalous couplings in the e+e- -> H gamma, e+e- -> HZ and e+e- -> He+e- processes with the L3 detector at LEP. We explore the mass range 70GeV < m_H < 170GeV using 176pb^-1 of integrated luminosity at a center-of-mass energy of \sqrt{s} = 189GeV. The Higgs decays H -> bb, H -> gamma gamma and H -> Z gamma are considered in the analysis. No evidence for anomalous Higgs production is found. This is interpreted in terms of limits on the anomalous couplings d, d_B, Delta g_1^Z and Delta kappa_gamma. Limits on the Gamma(H -> gamma gamma) and Gamma(H -> Z gamma) partial widths in the explored Higgs mass range are also obtained.
The cross section times BR(HIGGS --> 2GAMMA).
The cross section times BR(HIGGS --> BQ BQBAR).
The cross section times BR(HIGGS --> Z GAMMA).
The cross section for the production of Z boson pairs is measured using the data collected by the L3 detector at LEP in 1999 in e^+e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 192 GeV up to 202 GeV. Events in all the visible final states are selected, measuring the cross section of this process. The special case of final states containing b quarks is also investigated. All results are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.
Two methodics are used for evaluation of the cross section's values.
The result is combination for different energies.
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