Measurements of the differential cross sections for e + e − →μ + μ − and e + e − →τ + τ − at values of s from 52 to 57 GeV are reported. The forward-backward asymmetries and the total cross sections for these reactions are found to be in agreement with predictions of the standard model of the electro-weak interactions. These measurements are used to extract values of the weak coupling constant g v e g v l and g A e g A l , where l = μ or τ .

During the LEP running periods in 1990 and 1991 DELPHI has accumulated approximately 450 000 Z 0 decays into hadrons and charged leptons. The increased event statistics coupled with improved analysis techniques and improved knowledge of the LEP beam energies permit significantly better measurements of the mass and width of the Z 0 resonance. Model independent fits to the cross sections and leptonic forward- backward asymmetries yield the following Z 0 parameters: the mass and total width M Z = 91.187 ± 0.009 GeV, Γ Z = 2.486 ± 0.012 GeV, the hadronicf and leptonic partials widths Γ had = 1.725 ± 0.012 GeV, Γ ℓ = 83.01 ± 0.52 MeV, the invisible width Γ inv = 512 ± 10 MeV, the ratio of hadronic to leptonic partial widths R ℓ = 20.78 ± 0.15, and the Born level hadronic peak cross section σ 0 = 40.90 ± 0.28 nb. Using these results and the value of α s determined from DELPHI data, the number of light neutrino species is determined to be 3.08 ± 0.05. The individual leptonic widths are found to be: Γ e = 82.93 ± 0.70 MeV, Γ μ = 83.20 ± 1.11 MeV and Γ τ = 82.89 ± 1.31 MeV. Using the measured leptonic forward-backward asymmetries and assuming lepton universality, the squared vector and axial-vector couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are found to be g V ℓ 2 = (1.47 ± 0.51) × 10 −3 and g A ℓ 2 = 0.2483 ± 0.0016. A full Standard Model fit to the data yields a value of the top mass m t = 115 −82 +52 (expt.) −24 +52 (Higgs) GeV, corresponding to a value of the weak mixing angle sin 2 θ eff lept = 0.2339±0.0015 (expt.) −0.0004 +0.0001 (Higgs). Values are obtained for the variables S and T , or ϵ 1 and ϵ 3 which parameterize electroweak loop effects.

The B<sup loc="post">0</sup> - B̄<sup loc="post">0</sup> average mixing parameter <math altimg="si1.gif"><rm><ovl type="bar" style="s">χ</ovl></rm></math> and b forward-backward asymmetry AFB<sup loc="post">0</sup>(b) are measured from a sample of about 4 200 000 Z → qq̄ events recorded with the ALEPH detector at LEP in the years 1990–1995. High transverse momentum electrons and muons produced in b semileptonic decays provide the tag of the quark flavour and of its charge. The average mixing parameter and the pole b asymmetry are measured to be <math altimg="si1.gif"><rm><ovl type="bar" style="s">χ</ovl></rm></math> = 0.1246 ± 0.0051stat ± 0.0052syst, AFB<sup loc="post">0</sup>(b) = 0.1008 ± 0.0043stat ± 0.0028syst. The value of sin<sup loc="post">2</sup>θw<sup loc="post">eff</sup> = 0.23198 ± 0.00092 is extracted from the asymmetry measurement.

The angular distributions and the differential branching fraction of the decay B0 to K*0(892) mu mu are studied using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.5 inverse femtobarns collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. From 1430 signal decays, the forward-backward asymmetry of the muons, the K*0(892) longitudinal polarization fraction, and the differential branching fraction are determined as a function of the dimuon invariant mass squared. The measurements are among the most precise to date and are in good agreement with standard model predictions.

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.

We present a measurement of the left-right cross-section asymmetry (ALR) for Z boson production by e+e- collisions. The measurement includes the final data taken with the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC) during the period 1996-1998. Using a sample of 383,487 Z decays collected during the 1996-1998 runs we measure the pole-value of the asymmetry, ALR0, to be 0.15056+-0.00239 which is equivalent to an effective weak mixing angle of sin2th(eff) = 0.23107+-0.00030. Our result for the complete 1992-1998 dataset comprising 537 thousand Z decays is sin2th(eff) = 0.23097+-0.00027.

Measurements of the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry for the reaction e + e − → μ + μ − using the DELPHI detector at LEP are presented. The data come from a scan around the Z 0 peak at seven centre of mass energies, giving a sample of 3858 events in the polar angle region 22° < θ < 158°. From a fit to the cross section for 43° < θ < 137°, a polar angle region for which the absolute efficiency has been determined, the square root of the product of the Z 0 → e + e − and Z 0 → μ + μ − partial widths is determined to be (Γ e Γ μ ) 1 2 = 85.0 ± 0.9( stat. ) ± 0.8( syst. ) MeV . From this measurement of the partial width, the value of the effective weak mixing angle is determined to be sin 2 ( θ w ) = 0.2267 ± 0.0037 . The ratio of the hadronic to muon pair partial widths is found to be Γ h / Γ μ = 19.89 ± 0.40(stat.) ± 0.19(syst.). The forward-backward asymmetry at the resonance peak energy E CMS = 91.22 GeV is found to be A FB = 0.028 ± 0.020(stat.) ± 0.005(syst.). From a combined fit to the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry data, the products of the electron and muon vector and axial-vector coupling constants are determined to be V e V μ = 0.0024 ± 0.0015(stat.) ± 0.0004(syst.) and A e A μ = 0.253 ± 0.003(stat.) ± 0.003 (syst.). The results are in good agreement with the expectations of the minimal standard model.

From measurements of the cross sections for e + e − → hadrons and the cross sections and forward-backward charge-asymmetries for e e −→ e + e − , μ + μ − and π + π − at several centre-of-mass energies around the Z 0 pole with the DELPHI apparatus, using approximately 150 000 hadronic and leptonic events from 1989 and 1990, one determines the following Z 0 parameters: the mass and total width M Z = 91.177 ± 0.022 GeV, Γ Z = 2.465 ± 0.020 GeV , the hadronic and leptonic partial widths Γ h = 1.726 ± 0.019 GeV, Γ l = 83.4 ± 0.8 MeV, the invisible width Γ inv = 488 ± 17 MeV, the ratio of hadronic over leptonic partial widths R Z = 20.70 ± 0.29 and the Born level hadronic peak cross section σ 0 = 41.84±0.45 nb. A flavour-independent measurement of the leptonic cross section gives very consistent results to those presented above ( Γ l = 83.7 ± 0.8 rmMeV ). From these results the number of light neutrino species is determined to be N v = 2.94 ±0.10. The individual leptonic widths obtained are: Γ e = 82.4±_1.2 MeV, Γ u = 86.9±2.1 MeV and Γ τ = 82.7 ± 2.4 MeV. Assuming universality, the squared vector and axial-vector couplings of the Z 0 to charged leptons are: V ̄ l 2 = 0.0003±0.0010 and A ̄ l 2 = 0.2508±0.0027 . These values correspond to the electroweak parameters: ϱ eff = 1.003 ± 0.011 and sin 2 θ W eff = 0.241 ± 0.009. Within the Minimal Standard Model (MSM), the results can be expressed in terms of a single parameter: sin 2 θ W M ̄ S = 0.2338 ± 0.0027 . All these values are in good agreement with the predictions of the MSM. Fits yield 43< m top < 215 GeV at the 95% level. Finally, the measured values of Γ Z and Γ inv are used to derived lower mass bounds for possible new particles.

We present a new measurement of the left-right cross section asymmetry (ALR) for Z boson production by e+e- collisions. The measurement was performed at a center-of-mass energy of 91.28 GeV with the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC). The luminosity-weighted average polarization of the SLC electron beam was (77.23+-0.52)%. Using a sample of 93,644 Z decays, we measure the pole-value of the asymmetry, ALR0, to be 0.1512+-0.0042(stat.)+-0.0011(syst.) which is equivalent to an effective weak mixing angle of sin**2(theta_eff)=0.23100+-0.00054(stat.)+-0.00014(syst.).

We present a precise measurement of the left-right cross section asymmetry ($A_{LR}$) for $Z$ boson production by $\ee$ collisions. The measurement was performed at a center-of-mass energy of 91.26 GeV with the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC). The luminosity-weighted average polarization of the SLC electron beam was (63.0$\pm$1.1)%. Using a sample of 49,392 $\z0$ decays, we measure $A_{LR}$ to be 0.1628$\pm$0.0071(stat.)$\pm$0.0028(syst.) which determines the effective weak mixing angle to be $\swein=0.2292\pm0.0009({\rm stat.})\pm0.0004({\rm syst.})$.}