The set of mapsF_{a,b} :x \mapsto x + a + \tfrac{b}{{2\pi }} sin(2πx) with any given rotation interval is contractiblewith any given rotation interval is contractible

Consider the two-parameter family of real analytic maps $F_{a,b} :x \mapsto x + a + \tfrac{b}{{2\pi }}$ sin(2πx) which are lifts of degree one endomorphisms of the circle. The purpose of this paper is to provide a proof that for any closed intervalI, the set of mapsF _a,b whose rotation interval isI, form a contractible set.     

Instantons and vacuum expectation values in the Schwinger model

Vacuum expectation values for the Schwinger model are computed within the path integral formalism for an instanton vacuum. The calculations are done in flat Euclidean space and use the wellknown anomaly result. It can be demonstrated that the instanton vacuum is absolutely necessary to obtain a consistent quantization. At last the results are compared to a similar treatment on the sphere and to the operator solution of the Schwinger model.Supported by Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in Österreich, Projekt Nr. P8444-TEC     

A precision measurement of the average lifetime ofB hadrons

The average lifetime ofB hadrons was measured using data collected with the DELPHI detector at the LEP collider during 1991 and 1992. The measurement was performed using two different anayses. The first method was an improvement on a previous technique, which used charged particle impact parameter distributions. This analysis measured an average lifetime forB hadrons of

Production rate and decay lifetime measurements ofBs0 mesons at LEP usingDs and? mesons

The study of the properties of inclusive production ofD _s mesons and of events in which a and a muon are present in the same jet provides two independent measurements of the probability,f _s ^w , for a heavy quark to hadronize into a strangeB orD meson. The data sample analysed corresponds to 243,000 hadronicZ ⁰ decays. The combined value of these measurements isf _s ^w =0.19±0.06±0.08. From the flight distance distributions ofD _s and of (-lepton) secondary vertices, with the lepton emitted at high transverse momentum relative to the jet axis, two values are obtained for theB _s ⁰ meson lifetime. Combining these measurements with a previous result based on the study ofD _s- events, theB _s ⁰ meson lifetime is measured to be: 0.96±0.37 ps.