We have measured the process e+e−→μ+μ− at √s =29 GeV using the High Resolution Spectrometer at SLAC PEP. The forward-backward charge asymmetry is Aμμ=-(4.9±1.5±0.5)% based on 5057 events. A subsample of 3488 μ+μ− events in the angular range ‖cosθ‖<0.55 gives a cross-section ratio of Rμμ=0.990±0.017±0.030. The resulting couplings of the weak neutral current are gaegaμ=0.208±0.064± 0.021 and gvegvμ=0.027 ±0.051±0.089. The QED cutoff parameters are Λ+>170 GeV and Λ−>146 GeV at 95% C.L.

The reaction e + e − → τ + τ − has been measured using the high resolution spectrometer at PEP. The angular distribution shows a forward-backward asymmetry of −(6.1±2.3±0.5)%, corresponding to an axial-vector coupling if g a τ g a e = 0.28 ±0.11± 0.03, in good agreement with the standard model of electroweak interactions. The measured cross section yields ifR ττ = 1.10± 0.03±0.04, consistent with QED and giving QED cutoff parameters of Λ + >92 GeV and Λ − >246 GeV at 95% C.L.

Results are reported on a high statistics study of Bhabha scattering at 29 GeV in the polar angle region, |cos θ | < 0.55. The data are consistent with the standard model, and measure vector and axial-vector coupling constants of g v 2 = 0.03 ± 0.09 and g a 2 = 0.46±0.14. Limits on the QED-cutoff parameters are Λ + > 154 GeV and Λ - > 220 GeV. Lower limits on scale parameters of composite models are in the range 0.9–2.8 TeV. The partial width of a hypothetical spin-zero boson decaying to e + e − has an upper limit which varies from 6 to 57 MeV corresponding to a boson mass in the range 45–80 GeV/ c 2 .

During the initial data run with the High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS) at SLAC PEP, an integrated luminosity of 19.6 pb−1 at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV was accumulated. The data on Bhabha scattering and muon pair production are compared with the predictions of QED and the standard model of electroweak interactions. The measured forward-backward charge asymmetry in the angular distribution of muon pairs is -8.4%±4.3%. A comparison between the data and theoretical predictions places limits on alternative descriptions of leptons and their interactions. The existence of heavy electronlike or photonlike objects that alter the structure of the QED vertices or modify the propagator are studied in terms of the QED cutoff parameters. The Bhabha-scattering results give a lower limit on a massive photon and upper limits on the effective size of the electron of Λ+>121 GeV and Λ−>118 GeV at the 95% confidence level. Muon pair production yields Λ+>172 GeV and Λ−>172 GeV. If electrons have substructure, the magnitude and character of the couplings of the leptonic constituents affects the Bhabha-scattering angular distributions to such an extent that limits on the order of a TeV can be extracted on the effective interaction length of the components. For models in which the constituents interact with vector couplings of strength g24π∼1, the energy scale ΛVV for the contact interaction is measured to be greater than 1419.0 GeV at the 95% confidence level. We set limits on the production of supersymmetric scalar electrons through s-channel single-photon annihilation and t-channel inelastic scattering. Using events with two noncollinear electrons and no other charged or observed neutral particles in the final state, we see one event which is consistent with a simple supersymmetric model but which is also consistent with QED. This allows us to exclude the scalar electron to 95% confidence level in the mass range 1.8 to 14.2 GeV/c2.

In this paper, results are presented from a study of the hadronic final states in e+e− annihilation at 29 GeV. The data were obtained with the High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS) at the SLAC PEP e+e− colliding-beam facility. The results are based on 6342 selected events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 pb−1. The distributions of the events in sphericity (S), thrust (T), and aplanarity (A) are given and compared to other e+e− data in the same energy range. We measure 〈S〉=0.130±0.003±0.010 and 〈1-T〉=0.100±0.002. The sphericity distribution is compared to sphericity measurements made for beam jets in hadronic collisions as well as jets studied in neutrino scattering. The data sample is further reduced to 4371 events with the two-jet selections, S≤0.25 and A≤0.1. The single-particle distributions in the longitudinal and transverse directions are given. For low values of the momentum fraction (z=2p/W), the invariant distribution shows a maximum at z∼0.06, consistent with a QCD expectation. The data at high Feynman x (xF) show distribution consistent with being dominated by a (1-xf)2 variation for the leading quark-meson transition. The rapidity distribution shows a shallow central minimum with a height (1/NevdNh/dY‖Y=0=2.3±0.02±0.07. The mean charged multiplicity is measured to be 〈nch〉=13.1±0.05±0.6. The mean transverse momentum relative to the thrust axis 〈pT〉 rises as a function of z to a value of 0.70±0.02 GeV/c for z≳0.3. The distributions are compared to those measured in other reactions.

We have studied the energy-energy correlation in e+e− annihilation into hadrons at √s =29 GeV using the Mark II detector at the SLAC storage ring PEP. We find to O(αs2) that αs=0.158±0.003±0.008 if hadronization is described by string fragmentation. Independent fragmentation schemes give αs=0.10–0.14, and give poor agreement with the data. A leading-log shower fragmentation model is found to describe the data well.

A precise measurement of the ratio R of the total cross section e+e−→hadrons to the pointlike cross section e+e−→μ+μ− at a center-of-mass energy of 29.0 GeV is presented. The data were taken with the upgraded Mark II detector at the SLAC storage ring PEP. The result is R=3.92±0.05±0.09. The luminosity has been determined with three independent luminosity monitors measuring Bhabha scattering at different angular intervals. Recent calculations of higher-order QED radiative corrections are used to estimate the systematic error due to missing higher-order radiative corrections in the Monte Carlo event generators.

The ratio of differential cross sections for the reactions e + e − → γγ and e + e − → e + e − is measured at s = 29 GeV in the central polar angle region, |cos θ | < 0.55, and compared to the same ratio calculated by QED to order α 3 . The ratio of these ratios, integrated over this angular region, is 1.007±0.009±0.008, demonstrating excellent agreement between theory and experiment. The 95% confidence limits on the QED cut-off parameters for the γγ final state are Λ + > 59 GeV and Λ - > 59 GeV.

Production rates of multijet hadronic final states are studied ine+e− annihilation at 29 GeV center of mass energy. QCD shower model calculations with exact first order matrix element weighting at the first gluon vertex are capable of reproducing the observed multijet event rates over a large range of jet pair masses. The method used to reconstruct jets is well suited for directly comparing experimental jet rates with parton rates calculated in perturbative QCD. Evidence for the energy dependene of αs is obtained by comparing the observed production rates of 3-jet events with results of similar studies performed at higher center of mass energies.

The charged particle multiplicity distributions for two-jet events ine+e− annihilation at 29 GeV have been measured using the High Resolution Spectrometer at PEP. A Poisson distribution describes the data for both the complete event and for the single jets. In addition, no correlation is observed between the multiplicities in the two jets of an event. For fixed values of the prong number of the complete event, the multiplicity sharing between the two jets is in good agreement with a binomial distribution. The rapidity gap distribution is exponential with a slope equal to the mean rapidity density. These observations, which are consistent with a picture of independent emission of single particles, are contrasted to the results from soft hadronic collisions and conclusions are drawn about the nature of clusters.