Tests of the standard model and constraints on new physics from measurements of fermion-pair production at 189-209 GeV at LEP

Cross-sections and angular distributions for hadronic and lepton-pair final states in e ⁺ e^- collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 189 GeV and 209 GeV, measured with the OPAL detector at LEP, are presented and compared with the predictions of the Standard Model. The measurements are used to determine the electromagnetic coupling constant at LEP 2 energies. In addition, the results are used together with OPAL measurements at 91-183 GeV within the S-matrix formalism to determine the -Z interference term and to make an almost model-independent measurement of the Z mass. Limits on extensions to the Standard Model described by effective four-fermion contact interactions or the addition of a heavy Z boson are also presented.Received: 28 August 2003, Published online: 18 February 2004