We report the first observation of charmed mesons with the ZEUS detector at HERA using the decay channel ${\rm D}~{*+}\rightarrow (\Do \rightarrow {\rm K}~-\pi~+)\pi~+$ (+ c.c.). Clear signals in the mass difference $\Delta M$=$M$(D$~*$)--$M$(D$~0)$ as well as in the $M(K\pi)$ distribution at the D$~0$ mass are found. The $ep$ cross section for inclusive \DSpm\ production with $Q~2<4\GeV~2$ in the $\gamma p$ centre-of-mass energy range $115 < W < 275$ \GeV\ has been determined to be $(32 \pm 7~{+4}_{-7} )$ nb in the kinematic region \mbox{\{$p_T(\DS)\geq $ 1.7 \,\GeV, $|\eta(\DS)| < 1.5 $\}}. Ex\-tra\-po\-la\-ting outside this region, assuming a mass of the charm quark of 1.5 \GeV, we estimate the $ep$ charm cross section to be $\sigma(e p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X ) = (0.45 \pm 0.11~{+0.37}_{-0.22}) \, \mu {\rm b} $ at \mbox{$\sqrt{s} = 296$}\GeV\ and $\langle W \rangle = 198$ \GeV. The average $\gamma p$ charm cross section \mbox{$\sigma(\gamma p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X )$} is found to be \mbox{$(6.3 \pm 2.2~{+6.3}_{-3.0}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 163$ \GeV\ and \mbox{$(16.9 \pm 5.2~{+13.9}_{-8.5}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 243$ \GeV. The increase of the total charm photoproduction cross section by one order of magnitude with respect to low energy data experiments is well described by QCD NLO calculations using singular gluon distributions in the proton.

Diffractive scattering of $\gamma~* p \to X + N$, where $N$ is either a proton or a nucleonic system with $M_N<4$GeV has been measured in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) at HERA. The cross section was determined by a novel method as a function of the $\gamma~* p$ c.m. energy $W$ between 60 and 245GeV and of the mass $M_X$ of the system $X$ up to 15GeV at average $Q~2$ values of 14 and 31GeV$~2$. The diffractive cross section $d\sigma~{diff} /dM_X$ is, within errors, found to rise linearly with $W$. Parameterizing the $W$ dependence by the form $d\sigma~{diff}/dM_X \propto (W~2)~{(2\overline{\mbox{$\alpha_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$}} -2)}$ the DIS data yield for the pomeron trajectory $\overline{\mbox{$\alpha_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$}} = 1.23 \pm 0.02(stat) \pm 0.04 (syst)$ averaged over $t$ in the measured kinematic range assuming the longitudinal photon contribution to be zero. This value for the pomeron trajectory is substantially larger than $\overline{\mbox{$\alpha_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$}}$ extracted from soft interactions. The value of $\overline{\mbox{$\alpha_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$}}$ measured in this analysis suggests that a substantial part of the diffractive DIS cross section originates from processes which can be described by perturbative QCD. From the measured diffractive cross sections the diffractive structure function of the proton $F~{D(3)}_2(\beta,Q~2, \mbox{$x_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$})$ has been determined, where $\beta$ is the momentum fraction of the struck quark in the pomeron. The form $F~{D(3)}_2 = constant \cdot (1/ \mbox{$x_{_{I\hspace{-0.2em}P}}$})~a$ gives a good fit to the data in all $\beta$ and $Q~2$ intervals with $a = 1.46 \pm 0.04 (stat) \pm

Hadronic and leptonic cross-sections and forward-backward asymmetries are measured using 5.7 pb −1 of data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies of 130 and 136 GeV. The results agree with Standard Model expectations. The measurement of hadronic cross-sections far away from the Z resonance improves the determination of the interference between photon and Z exchange. Constraints on models with extra Z bosons are presented.

We present a measurement of the forward-backward charge asymmetry of the process pp¯→Z0/γ+X,Z0/γ→e+e− at Mee>MZ, using 110pb−1 of data at s=1.8TeV collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The measured charge asymmetries are 0.43±0.10 in the invariant mass region Mee>105GeV/c2, and 0.070±0.016 in the region 75<Mee<105GeV/c2. These results are consistent with the standard model values of 0.528±0.009 and 0.052±0.002, respectively.

During the last 1995 data acquisition period at LEP, the DELPHI experiment collected an integrated luminosity of 5.9 pb −1 at centre-of-mass energies of 130 GeV and 136 GeV. Radiative leptonic events ( e , μ, τ) with high energy photons were studied and compared to Standard Model predictions. The data were used to search for charged excited leptons decaying through an electromagnetic transition. No significant signal was found. From the search for pair produced excited leptons, the limits m e ∗ > 62.5 GeV /c 2 , m μ ∗ > 62.6 GeV /c 2 and m τ ∗ > 62.2 GeV /c 2 at 95% confidence level were established. For single excited lepton production, upper limits on the ratio λ m l ∗ of the coupling of the excited charged lepton to its mass were derived.

The reaction e + e − → e + e − γ ∗ γ ∗ → e + e − hadrons is analysed using data collected by the L3 detector during the LEP runs at s = 130−140 GeV and s = 161 GeV . The cross sections σ(e + e − → e + e − hadrons) and σ(γγ → hadrons) are measured in the interval 5 ≤ W γγ ≤ 75 GeV. The energy dependence of the σ(γγ → hadrons) cross section is consistent with the universal Regge behaviour of total hadronic cross sections.

We present a measurement of the inelastic, non diffractive J/$\psi$ photoproduction cross section in the reaction $e^{+} p \to e^{+} {J}/\psi X$ with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The J/$\psi$ was identified using both the $\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ and $e^{+}e^{-}$ decay channels and events were selected within the range $0.4<z<0.9$ ($0.5<z<0.9$) for the muon (electron) decay mode, where $z$ is the fraction of the photon energy carried by the J/$\psi$ in the proton rest frame. The cross section, the $p^2_T$ and the $z$ distributions, after having subtracted the contributions from resolved photon and diffractive proton dissociative processes, are given for the photon-proton centre of mass energy range $50<W<180$ GeV; $p^2_T$ is the square of the J/$\psi$ transverse momentum with respect to the incoming proton beam direction. In the kinematic range $0.4 < z < 0.9$ and $p^2_T > 1$ GeV$^2$, NLO calculations of the photon-gluon fusion process based on the colour-singlet model are in good agreement with the data. The predictions of a specific leading order colour-octet model, as formulated to describe the CDF data on J/$\psi$ hadroproduction, are not consistent with the data.

This paper presents the first analysis of diffractive photon dissociation events in deep inelastic positron-proton scattering at HERA in which the proton in the final state is detected and its momentum measured. The events are selected by requiring a scattered proton in the ZEUS leading proton spectrometer (LPS) with $\xl>0.97$, where $\xl$ is the fraction of the incoming proton beam momentum carried by the scattered proton. The use of the LPS significantly reduces the contamination from events with diffractive dissociation of the proton into low mass states and allows a direct measurement of $t$, the square of the four-momentum exchanged at the proton vertex. The dependence of the cross section on $t$ is measured in the interval $0.073<|t|<0.4$~$\gevtwo$ and is found to be described by an exponential shape with the slope parameter $b=\tslopeerr$. The diffractive structure function $\ftwodfour$ is presented as a function of $\xpom \simeq 1-\xl$ and $\beta$, the momentum fraction of the struck quark with respect to $\xpom$, and averaged over the $t$ interval $0.073<|t|<\ftwodfourtmax$~$\gevtwo$ and the photon virtuality range $5<Q^2<20~\gevtwo$. In the kinematic range $4 \times 10^{-4} < \xpom < 0.03$ and $0.015<\beta<0.5$, the $\xpom$ dependence of $\ftwodfour$ is fitted with a form $\xpoma$, yielding $a= \ftwodfouraerr$. Upon integration over $t$, the structure function $\ftwod$ is determined in a kinematic range extending to higher $\xpom$ and lower $\beta$ compared to our previous analysis; the results are discussed within the framework of Regge theory.

Quasi-elastic (z >0.95) photo-production of psi' mesons has been observed at HERA for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies in the range 40 to 160 GeV. The psi' mesons were identified through their decays to l+l- and to J/psi pi+ pi-, where the J/psi subsequently decays to l+l-, the lepton l being either a muon or an electron. The cross-section for quasi-elastic photoproduction was measured to be [18.0 +- 2.8 (stat) +- 3.0(syst)] nb at a photon-proton centre-of-mass energy of 80 GeV. The ratio of the psi' to J/psi quasi-elastic cross-sections is 0.150 +- 0.027 (stat) +- 0.022 (syst).

Events with a (2+1) jet topology in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA are studied in the kinematic range 200 < Q^2< 10,000 GeV^2. The rate of (2+1) jet events has been determined with the modified JADE jet algorithm as a function of the jet resolution parameter and is compared with the predictions of Monte Carlo models. In addition, the event rate is corrected for both hadronization and detector effects and is compared with next-to-leading order QCD calculations. A value of the strong coupling constant of alpha_s(M_Z^2)= 0.118+- 0.002 (stat.)^(+0.007)_(-0.008) (syst.)^(+0.007)_(-0.006) (theory) is extracted. The systematic error includes uncertainties in the calorimeter energy calibration, in the description of the data by current Monte Carlo models, and in the knowledge of the parton densities. The theoretical error is dominated by the renormalization scale ambiguity.