Angular and momentum distributions have been measured for positrons from electron-positron pairs created in peripheral collisions of 6.4-TeV sulfur ions with fixed targets of Al, Pd, and Au. The data are compared with results of several theoretical treatments. Measured differential cross sections peak at low momentum (≤1 MeV/c), extend significantly to much higher momenta (>17 MeV/c), and concentrate sharply in the forward direction, along the ion-beam axis. Positron yields scale as the square of the target nuclear charge as predicted by theory.
A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb−1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly.