This analysis, based on a sample of 170000 hadronic Z0 decays, provides a measurement of the K ± and p/ p differential cross sections which is compared to string- and cluster fragmentation models. The total multiplicities for K ± and p/ p per hadronic event were found to be: NK = 2.26 ± 0.18 and N p = 1.07 ± 0.14. The positions ξ * of the maxima of the differential cross sections as a function of ξ = ln(1/ x p ) for K ± and p/ p were determined to be 2.63 ± 0.07 and 2.96 ± 0.16 respectively. A comparison of the ξ * values for various identified particles measured at LEP with the prediction of the Modified Leading Logarithm Approximation with Local Parton Hadron Duality model has been performed. The measured ξ * position as a function of the hadron mass, after corrections due to particle decays, is in agreement with the model calculation.

In four-jet events from e + e − →Z 0 →multihadrons one can separate the three principal contributions from the triple-gluon vertex, double gluon-bremsstrahlung and the secondary quark-antiquark production, using the shape of the two-dimensional angular distributions in the generalized Nachtmann-Reiter angle θ NR ∗ and the opening angle of the secondary jets. Thus one can identify directly the contribution from the triple-gluon vertex without comparison with a specific non-QCD model. Applying this new method to events taken with the DELPHI-detector we get for the ratio of the colour factor N c to the fermionic Casimir operator C F : N c C F = 2.55 ± 0.55 ( stat. ) ± 0.4 ( fragm. + models ) ± 0.2 ( error in bias ) in agreement with the value 2.25 expected in QCD from N c =3 and C F = 4 3 .

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.

We have studied the energy-energy angular correlations in hadronic final states from Z 0 decay using the DELPHI detector at LEP. From a comparison with Monte Carlo calculations based on the exact second order QCD matrix element and string fragmentation we find that Λ (5) MS =104 +25 -20 ( stat. ) +25 -20( syst. ) +30 00 ) theor. ) . MeV, which corresponds to α s (91 GeV)=0.106±0.003(stat.)±0.003(syst.) +0.003 -0.000 (theor). The theoretical error stems from different choices for the renormalization scale of α s . In the Monte Carlo simulation the scale of α s as well as the fragmentation parameters have been optimized to described reasonably well all aspects of multihadron production.

A determination of the partial width Γ c c ̄ of the Z 0 boson into charm quark pairs is presented, based on a total sample of 36 900 Z 0 hadronic decays measured with the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider. The production rate of cc̄ events is derived from the inclusive analysis of charged pions coming from the decay of charmed meson D ∗+ → D 0 π + and D ∗− → D ̄ 0 π − where the π ± is constrained by kinematics to have a low p T with respect to the axis. The probability to produce these π ± from D ∗± decay in cc̄ events is taken to be 0.31 ±_0.05 as measured at √ s =10.55 GeV. The measured relative partial width Γ c c ̄ Γ h = 0.162± 0.030 ( stat. ) ±0.050 ( syst. ) is in good agreement with the standard moel value of 0.171. Together with our previous measurement of the total hadronic width Γ h this implies Γ c c ̄ = 282±53 ( stat. )±88( syst. ) MeV .

A sample of 25000 Z 0 → τ + τ − events collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP in 1991 and 1992 is used to measure the leptonic branching fractions of the τ lepton. The results are B(τ → eν ν ) = (17.51 ± 0.39) % and B(τ → μν ν ) = (17.02 ± 0.31) %. The ratio of the muon and electron couplings to the weak charged current is measured to be g μ g e = 1.000 ± 0.013 , satisfying e-μ universality. The leptonic branching fraction corrected to the value for a massless lepton, assuming e-μ universality, is found to be B(τ → lν ν ) = (17.50 ± 0.25) %.

A sample of Z0→τ+τ− events observed in the DELPHI detector at LEP in 1991 and 1992 is analysed to measure the τ polarisation in the exclusive decay channels\(ev\bar v\),\(\mu v\bar v\), πν, ρν and a1ν. The τ polarisation is also measured with an inclusive hadronic analysis which benefits from a higher efficiency and a better systematic precision than the use of the exclusive decay modes. The results have been combined with those published on the 1990 data. A measurement of the τ polarisation as a function of production angle yields the values for the mean τ polarisation 〈P〉τ=−0.148±0.022 and for the Z0 polarisationPZ=−0.136±0.027. These results are used to determine the ratio of vector to axial-vector effective couplings for taus\(\bar v_\tau/\bar a_\tau= 0.074 \pm 0.011\), and for electrons\(\bar v_e /\bar a_e= 0.068 \pm 0.014\), compatible with e-τ universality. With the assumption of lepton universality, the ratio of vector to axial-vector effective couplings for leptons\(\bar v_l /\bar a_l= 0.072 \pm 0.008\) is obtained, implying a value of the effective weak mixing angle sin2θefflept=0.2320±0.0021.

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Experimental evidence for the existence of orbitally excited B meson states is presented in an analysis of the Bπ and B ∗ π distribution of Q = m(B ∗∗ ) − m(B (∗) ) − m(π) using Z 0 decay data taken with the DELPHI detector at LEP. The mean Q-value of the decays B ∗∗ → B (∗) π is measured to be 284 ± 5 (stat.) ± 15 (syst.) MeV/c 2 , and the Gaussian width of the signal is 79 ± 5 (stat.) ± 8 (syst.) MeV/c 2 . This signal can be described as a single resonance of mass m = 5732 ± 5 (stat.) ± 20 (syst.) MeV/c 2 and full width Γ = 145 ± 28 MeV/c 2 . The observed shape is also consistent with the production of several broad and narrow states as predicted by the quark model and partly observed in the D-meson sector. The production rate of B ∗∗ per b-jet is found to be 0.27 ± 0.02 (stat.) ± 0.06 (syst.).

The forward-backward asymmetry of the processe+e−→Z→b