Polarization and forward-backward asymmetry of \Lambda baryons in hadronic Z^0 decays

The longitudinal polarization, the transverse polarization, and the forward-backward asymmetry of baryons, have been measured using a sample of 4.34 million hadronic decays collected with the OPAL detector at LEP between 1990 and 1995. These results are important as an aid to the understanding of hadronization mechanisms. Significant longitudinal polarization has been observed at intermediate and high momentum. For ( 0.3, the longitudinal polarization has been measured to be (stat) 5.2 (syst)%. We have observed no transverse polarization. A significant forward-backward asymmetry has been measured and can be described by a JETSET model. Received: 30 July 1997     

Rare decay B\rightarrow X_sl^+l^- in a CP spontaneously broken two-Higgs doublet model

The Higgs boson mass spectrum and couplings of the neutral Higgs bosons to the fermions are worked out in a CP spontaneously broken two-Higgs doublet model in the large case. The differential branching ratio, forward-backward asymmetry, CP asymmetry and lepton polarization for are computed. It is shown that the effects of neutral Higgs bosons are quite significant when is large. Especially, the CP violating normal polarization can be as large as several percents. Received: 15 October 2001 / Revised version: 5 March 2002 / Published online: 26 July 2002     

Phenomenology of a second neutral gauge boson in the Drell-Yan process

We discuss the influence of a second neutral gauge boson to the Drell-Yan process. We find that for energies available in the near future and even at present energies, there are sizeable differences in the predictions of different models for the forward-backward asymmetry and the longitudinal polarization of the lepton.     

Tau decays with neutral kaons

The branching ratio of the lepton to a neutral kaon meson is measured from a sample of approximately 200,000 decays recorded by the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies near the resonance. The measurement is based on two samples which identify one-prong decays with and mesons. The combined branching rat ios are measured to be where the first error is statistica l and the second systematic. Received: 29 October 1999 / Published online: 24 February 2000     

Precise determination of the Z resonance parameters at LEP: “Zedometry”

This final analysis of hadronic and leptonic cross-sections and of leptonic forward-backward asymmetries in collisions with the OPAL detector makes use of the full LEP 1 data sample comprising of integrated luminosity and selected Z decays. An interpretation of the data in terms of contributions from pure Z exchange and from Z interference allows the parameters of the Z resonance to be determined in a model-independent way. Our results are in good agreement with lepton universality and consistent with the vector and axial-vector couplings predicted in the Standard Model. A fit to the complete dataset yields the fundamental Z resonance parameters: GeV, GeV, nb, , and . Transforming these parameters gives a measurement of the ratio between the decay width into invisible particles and the width to a single species of charged lepton, . Attributing the entire invisible width to neutrino decays and assuming the Standard Model couplings for neutrinos, this translates into a measurement of the effective number of light neutrino species, . Interpreting the data within the context of the Standard Model allows the mass of the top quark, GeV, to be determined through its influence on radiative corrections. Alternatively, utilising the direct external measurement of as an additional constraint leads to a measurement of the strong coupling constant and the mass of the Higgs boson: and GeV. Received: 1 December 2000 / Published online: 6 April 2001     

Measurements of the angular distributions in the decays B→K(*)μ(+)μ(-) at CDF

We report an indirect search for nonstandard model physics using the flavor-changing neutral current decays B→K(*)μ(+)μ(-). We reconstruct the decays and measure their angular distributions, as a function of q(2)=M(μμ)(2)c(2), where M(μμ) is the dimuon mass, in ppˉ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.8 fb(-1). The transverse polarization asymmetry A(T)(2) and the time-reversal-odd charge-and-parity asymmetry A(im) are measured for the first time, together with the K* longitudinal polarization fraction F(L) and the muon forward-backward asymmetry A(FB) for the decays B(0)→K(*0)μ(+)μ(-) and B(+)→K(*+)μ(+)μ(-). The B→K*μ(+)μ(-) forward-backward asymmetry in the most sensitive kinematic regime, 1≤q(2)<6 GeV(2)/c(2), is measured to be A(FB)=0.29(-0.23)(+0.20)(stat)±0.07(syst), the most precise result to date. No deviations from the standard model predictions are observed.     

Measurement of theZ0 line shape parameters and the electroweak couplings of charged leptons

We report on an improved measurement of the mass of theZ ⁰ boson, its total width and its partial decay widths into hadrons and leptons, as well as the effective axial vector and vector couplings to charged leptons. These measurements are based on a data set of approximately 160 000 hadronicZ ⁰ decays and 18 000 decays into electrons, muons and taus, recorded by the OPAL experiment at centre of mass energies near the mass of theZ ⁰. The total width and the partial widths to visible final states, derived from the measured cross sections, are used to extract the invisible width. The effective couplings of theZ ⁰ to charged leptons are studied using measurements of the lepton pair cross sections and forward-backward asymmetries at the different centre of mass energy points of theZ ⁰ scan. The implications of our results in the context of the Standard Model are discussed.On leave from Research Institute for Computer Peripherals, Hangzhou, China     

Measurement of the Michel parameters in leptonic tau decays

The Michel parameters of the leptonic decays are measured using the OPAL detector at LEP. The parameters , , (with ) and are extracted from the energy spectra of the charged decay leptons and from their energy–energy correlations. A new method involving a global likelihood fit of Monte Carlo generated events with complete detector simulation and background treatment has been applied to the data recorded at center-of-mass energies close to corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 155 pb. If e- universality is assumed and inferring the polarization from neutral current data, the measured Michel parameters are: where the value of has been constrained using the published OPAL measurements of the leptonic branching ratios and the lifetime. Limits on non-standard coupling constants and on the masses of new gauge bosons are obtained. The results are in agreement with the V–A prediction of the Standard Model. Received: 25 June 1998 / Published online: 1 March 1999     

Measurement of the Z resonance parameters at LEP

Abstract. The properties of the Z resonance are measured from the analysis of 4.5 million Z decays into fermion pairs collected with the Aleph detector at LEP. The data are consistent with lepton universality. The resonance parameters are measured to be , GeV, nb and, combining the three lepton flavours, . The corresponding number of light neutrino species is and the strong coupling constant is . The lepton pair forward-backward asymmetry is measured to be from which the effective weak mixing angle is derived: . The measurement of the leptonic width MeV leads to a determination of the effective parameter . The data support the Standard Model and favour a light Higgs. Received: 16 July 1999 / Published online: 17 March 2000     

Exclusive Semileptonic Rare Decays B→K(*)ℓ+ℓ- in a Top Quark Two-Higgs-Doublet Model

Employing improved calculations of the decay form factors from light-cone sum rules, we evaluate the invariant mass spectrum, forward-backward asymmetry, and lepton polarizations of the exclusive processes B→K^(*)ℓ⁺ℓ^- in the SM and T2HDM. From the recent measurements of their branching ratios, we find that these processes do provide additional bounds on the new parameters in the model considered here. After the inclusion of the new physics contributions, the large enhancement of FBA, which is unobservably small within the SM and of the lepton polarization at large tanβ, may precisely test the SM or reveal new physics in forthcoming accurate experiments.     

Spin correlations in production and decay of charginos

We study the production of charginos with polarized beams and the subsequent decays and , including the complete spin correlations between production and decay. Analytical formulae are presented for the joint spin-density matrix of the charginos, for the chargino decay matrix and for the differential cross section of the combined processes of production and decays. We present numerical results for pair production of the lighter chargino with unpolarized beams and the leptonic decay of into the lightest neutralino . The lepton angular distribution and the forward-backward asymmetry are studied in four representative scenarios for GeV and GeV. Received: 28 April 1998 / Revised version: 18 June 1998 / Published online: 8 September 1998     

Rare B → Kℓℓ decay, two Higgs doublet model, and light cone QCD sum rules

The decay width, forward-backward asymmetry and lepton longitudinal and transversal polarization for the exclusive B → K^*ℓ⁺ℓ⁻ decay in a two Higgs doublet model are computed. It is shown that all these quantities are very effective tools for establishing new physics.     

Anomalous moments of heavy charged leptons

If leptons and quarks are composite particles we expect them to have anomalous moments: an anomalous magnetic moment and an analogue of this with respect to the weak neutral current. If these moments are suppressed by chiral symmetry they will have sizeable values only for heavy fermions, e.g. for fermions of the fourth generation. The forward-backward asymmetry of e⁺e⁻ → f̄f on the Z⁰ resonance is particularly suited for detecting the anomalous “weak magnetic” moment of f if f is the charged lepton of the fourth generation. Under favourable circumstances this moment may lead to a 10% effect.     

Top quark production asymmetries A(FB)t and A(FB)ℓ

A large forward-backward asymmetry is seen in both the top quark rapidity distribution A(FB)(t) and in the rapidity distribution of charged leptons A(FB)(?) from top quarks produced at the Tevatron. We study the kinematic and dynamic aspects of the relationship of the two observables arising from the spin correlation between the charged lepton and the top quark with different polarization states. We emphasize the value of both measurements, and we conclude that a new physics model which produces more right-handed than left-handed top quarks is favored by the present data.     

A study of B meson oscillations using hadronic Z0 decays containing leptons

An event sample enriched in semileptonic decays of b hadrons is selected using an inclusive lepton selection from approximately 3.0 million hadronic Z⁰ decays collected with the OPAL detector. This sample is used to investigate B meson oscillations by reconstructing a proper decay time for the parent of each lepton, using a jet charge method to estimate the production flavour of this parent, and using the lepton charge to tag the decay flavour. We measure the mass difference between the two B⁰ _d mass eigenstates     

Effects of R-Parity Violating Supersymmetry in Top Pair Production at Linear Colliders with Polarized Beams

In the minimal supersymmetric standard model with R-parity violation, the lepton number violating top quark interactions can contribute to the top pair production at a linear collider via tree-level u-channel squark exchange diagrams. We calculate such contributions and find that in the allowed range of these R-violating couplings, the top pair production rate as well as the top quark polarization and the forward-backward asymmetry can be significantly altered. By comparing the unpolarized beams with the polarized beams, we find that the polarized beams are more powerful in probing such new physics.     

Measurement of A_{\rm FB}^b using inclusive b-hadron decays

Based on a sample of four million events collected by ALEPH from 1991 to 1995, a measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry in decays using inclusive final states is presented. High-performance tagging of events in a wide angular range is achieved using neural network techniques. An optimal hemisphere charge estimator is built by merging primary and secondary vertex information, leading kaon identification and jet charge in a neural network. The average charge asymmetry, the flavour tagging efficiencies and mean b-hemisphere charges are measured from data and used to extract the pole b asymmetry in the Standard Model corresponding to a value of the effective weak mixing angle of Received: 4 July 2001 / Published online: 12 November 2001     

Investigation of inclusive CP asymmetries in \rm B^0 decays

A search for CP violating effects in the mixing of neutral B mesons is performed using a sample of 4.1 million hadronic Z decays collected with the ALEPH detector from 1991 to 1995. By studying time-dependent asymmetries in flavour-tagged samples of semileptonic and fully inclusive b-hadron decays, two measurements of the semileptonic asymmetry are extracted. No evidence for CP violation is observed, and the combined value is obtained. Received: 26 July 2000 / Published online: 8 June 2001     

Measurements of inclusive semileptonic branching fractions of b hadrons in \boldmath Z^0z decays

A measurement of inclusive semileptonic branching fractions of b hadrons produced in Z decays is presented. An enriched Z sample is obtained with a lifetime flavour-tagging technique. The leptonic events are then selected from this sample, and classified according to their origin, which is determined by comparing the distribution of several kinematic variables using artificial neural network techniques. Using 3.6 million multihadronic events collected with the OPAL detector at energies near the Z resonance, the values are measured, where b denotes all weakly decaying b hadrons and represents either e or . The second error includes all experimental systematic uncertainties whereas the last error is due to uncertainties in modelling of the lepton momentum spectrum in semileptonic decays and b quark fragmentation. The average fraction of the beam energy carried by the weakly decaying b hadron, , is measured to be where the modelling error is dominated by the choice of b fragmentation model. The agreement between data and various semileptonic decay models and fragmentation functions is also investigated. Received: 11 June 1999 / Published online: 3 February 2000     

Visions: The coming revolutions in particle physics

We study the branching ratio, CP-violating asymmetry, forward-backward asymmetry and the CP-violating asymmetry in the forward-backward asymmetry for the exclusive decay B → Kτ⁺τ⁻ in the two Higgs doublet model with tree level flavor changing neutral currents (model III). We analyse the dependencies of these quantities on the neutral Higgs boson contributions and the CP parameter sinθ in the model III. We observe that to determine the neutral Higgs boson effects, the measurements of the forward-backward asymmetry and the CP-violating asymmetry in the forward-backward asymmetry for the decay B → Kτ⁺τ⁻ are promising.