These final results on e+e- -> W+W- production cross-section measurements at LEP2 use data collected by the DELPHI detector at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. Measurements of total cross-sections, W angular differential distributions and decay branching fractions, and the value of the CKM element |V_{cs}| are compared to the expectations of the Standard Model. These results supersede all values previously published by DELPHI.
The production of c and b quarks in gamma-gamma collisions is studied with the L3 detector at LEP with 410 pb^-1 of data, collected at centre-of-mass energies from 189 GeV to 202 GeV. Hadronic final states containing c and b quarks are identified by detecting electrons or muons from their semileptonic decays. The cross sections sigma(e+e- -> e+e- c c~ X) and sigma(e+e- -> e+e- b b~ X) are measured and compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The cross section of b production is measured in gamma-gamma collisions for the first time. It is in excess of the QCD prediction by a factor of three.
Tau-pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-tau+tau- was studied using data collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP2 during the years 1997 - 2000. The corresponding integrated luminosity is 650 pb^{-1}. The values of the cross-section obtained are found to be in agreement with QED predictions. Limits on the anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments of the tau lepton are deduced.
Hadron production and lepton-pair production in e+e- collisions are studied with data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=192-208GeV. Using a total integrated luminosity of 453/pb, 36057 hadronic events and 12863 lepton-pair events are selected. The cross sections for hadron production and lepton-pair production are measured for the full sample and for events where no high-energy initial-state-radiation photon is emitted prior to the collisions. Lepton-pair events are further investigated and forward-backward asymmetries are measured. Finally, the differential cross sections for electron-positron pair-production is determined as a function of the scattering angle. An overall good agreement is found with Standard Model predictions.
A search for single and multi-photon events with missing energy is performed using data collected at centre-of-mass energies between 161 GeV and 172 GeV for a total of 20.9 pb −1 of integrated luminosity. The results obtained are used to derive the value for the ν ν γ(γ) cross section as well as upper limits on new physics processes.
The W + W- production cross section is measured from a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 683 pb-1, collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from
A study of neutral-current four-fermion processes is performed using a data sample corresponding to 55.3 pb −1 of integrated luminosity collected by the L3 detector at LEP at an average centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. The neutral-current four-fermion cross sections for final states with a pair of charged leptons plus jets and with four charged leptons are measured to be consistent with the Standard Model predictions. Events with fermion pair masses close to the Z boson mass are selected in all observable final states and the ZZ production cross section is measured to be σ ZZ =0.30 +0.22 +0.07 −0.16 −0.03 pb, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation. No evidence for the existence of anomalous triple gauge boson ZZZ and ZZ γ couplings is found and limits on these couplings are set.
The cross sections for single vector boson production in the We ν and Zee channels are measured from the data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP for centre-of-mass energies between 183 and 209 GeV. These data correspond to a total integratedluminosity of 683 pb −1 . Single-W production is studied in both hadronic and leptonic decay channels. Hadronic and dimuon decays are used for single-Z production. The measured cross sections agree with the Standard Model predictions.
The pair production of Z bosons is studied using the data collected by the L3 detector at LEP in 1998 in e+e- collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. All the visible final states are considered and the cross section of this process is measured to be 0.74 +0.15 -0.14 (stat.) +/- 0.04 (syst.) pb. Final states containing b quarks are enhanced by a dedicated selection and their production cross section is found to be 0.18 +0.09 -0.07 (stat.) +/- 0.02 (syst.) pb. Both results are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Limits on anomalous couplings between neutral gauge bosons are derived from these measurements.
The cross-sections for the production of single charged and neutral intermediate vector bosons were measured using integrated luminosities of 52 pb^{-1} and 154 pb^{-1} collected by the DELPHI experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 182.6 GeV and 188.6 GeV, respectively. The cross-sections for the reactions were determined in limited kinematic regions. The results found are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions for these channels.