731 research outputs found
On the Testing of Seismicity Models
Recently a likelihood-based methodology has been developed by the
Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP) with a view to
testing and ranking seismicity models. We analyze this approach from the
standpoint of possible applications to hazard analysis. We arrive at the
conclusion that model testing can be made more efficient by focusing on some
integral characteristics of the seismicity distribution. This is achieved
either in the likelihood framework but with economical and physically
reasonable coarsening of the phase space or by choosing a suitable measure of
closeness between empirical and model seismicity rate in this space.Comment: To appear at Acta Geophysic
On the running coupling constant in QCD
We try to review the main current ideas and points of view on the running
coupling constant in QCD. We begin by recalling briefly the classic analysis
based on the Renormalization Group with some emphasis on the exact solutions of
the RG equation for a given number of loops, in comparison with the usual
approximate expressions. We give particular attention to the problem of
eliminating the unphysical Landau singularities, and of defining a coupling
that remains significant at the infrared scales. We consider various proposals
of couplings directly related to the quark-antiquark potential or to other
physical quantities (effective charges) and discuss optimization in the choice
of the scale parameter and of the RS. Our main focus is, however, on dispersive
methods, their application, their relation with non-perturbative effects. We
try also to summarize the main results obtained by Lattice simulations in
various MOM schemes. We conclude briefly recalling the traditional comparison
with the experimental data.Comment: 75 pages, 8 figures. Corrected typos, added references, replaced 1
figure. Accepted for publication in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physic
Neutral-Current Four-Fermion Production in e+e- Interactions at LEP
Neutral-current four-fermion production, e+e- -> ffff is studied in 0.7/fb of
data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies
root(s)=183-209GeV. Four final states are considered: qqvv, qqll, llll and
llvv, where l denotes either an electron or a muon. Their cross sections are
measured and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition,
the e+e- -> Zgamma* -> ffff process is studied and its total cross section at
the average centre-of-mass energy 196.6GeV is found to be 0.29 +/- 0.05 +/-
0.03 pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic,
in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of 0.22 pb. Finally, the mass
spectra of the qqll final states are analysed to search for the possible
production of a new neutral heavy particle, for which no evidence is found
Measurement of the Cross Section of W-boson pair production at LEP
The cross section of W-boson pair-production is measured with the L3 detector
at LEP. In a data sample corresponding to a total luminosity of 629.4/pb,
collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 189 to 209 GeV, 9834
four-fermion events with W bosons decaying into hadrons or leptons are
selected. The total cross section is measured with a precision of 1.4 % and
agrees with the Standard Model expectation. Assuming charged-lepton
universality, the branching fraction for hadronic W-boson decays is measured to
be: Br(W-->hadrons) = 67.50 +- 0.42 (stat.) +- 0.30(syst.) %, in agreement with
the Standard Model. Differential cross sections as a function of the W-
production angle are also measured for the semi-leptonic channels qqev and
qqmv
Determination of alphaS from Hadronic Event Shapes in e+e- Annihilation at 192 < sqrt(s) < 208 GeV
Results are presented from a study of the structure of high energy hadronic
events recorded by the L3 detector at sqrt(s)>192 GeV. The distributions of
several event shape variables are compared to resummed O(alphaS^2) QCD
calculations. We determine the strong coupling constant at three average
centre-of-mass energies: 194.4, 200.2 and 206.2 GeV. These measurements,
combined with previous L3 measurements at lower energies, demonstrate the
running of alphaS as expected in QCD and yield alphaS(mZ) = 0.1227 +- 0.0012 +-
0.0058, where the first uncertainty is experimental and the second is
theoretical
Measurement of the Tau Branching Fractions into Leptons
Using data collected with the L3 detector near the Z resonance, corresponding
to an integrated luminosity of 150pb-1, the branching fractions of the tau
lepton into electron and muon are measured to be
B(tau->e nu nu) = (17.806 +- 0.104 (stat.) +- 0.076 (syst.)) %,
B(tau->mu nu nu) = (17.342 +- 0.110 (stat.) +- 0.067 (syst.)) %.
From these results the ratio of the charged current coupling constants of the
muon and the electron is determined to be g_mu/g_e = 1.0007 +- 0.0051. Assuming
electron-muon universality, the Fermi constant is measured in tau lepton decays
as G_F = (1.1616 +- 0.0058) 10^{-5} GeV^{-2}. Furthermore, the coupling
constant of the strong interaction at the tau mass scale is obtained as
alpha_s(m_tau^2) = 0.322 +- 0.009 (exp.) +- 0.015 (theory)
Measurement of the Topological Branching Fractions of the tau lepton at LEP
Using data collected with the L3 detector at LEP from 1992 to 1995 on the Z
peak, we determine the branching fractions of the tau lepton into one, three
and five charged particles to be:
B(tau->(1-prong)) = 85.274 +- 0.105 +- 0.073 %,
B(tau->(3-prong)) = 14.556 +- 0.105 +- 0.076 %,
B(tau->(5-prong)) = 0.170 +- 0.022 +- 0.026 %.
The first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The
accuracy of these measurements alone is similar to that of the current world
average
Study of Inclusive Strange-Baryon Production and Search for Pentaquarks in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP
Measurements of inclusive production of the Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons
in two-photon collisions with the L3 detector at LEP are presented. The
inclusive differential cross sections for Lambda and Xi- are measured as a
function of the baryon transverse momentum, pt, and pseudo-rapidity, eta. The
mean number of Lambda, Xi- and Xi*(1530) baryons per hadronic two-photon event
is determined in the kinematic range 0.4 GeV < pt< 2.5 GeV, |eta| < 1.2.
Overall agreement with the theoretical models and Monte Carlo predictions is
observed. A search for inclusive production of the pentaquark theta+(1540) in
two-photon collisions through the decay theta+ -> proton K0s is also presented.
No evidence for production of this state is found
Measurement of the Lifetime of the Tau Lepton
The tau lepton lifetime is measured with the L3 detector at LEP using the
complete data taken at centre-of-mass energies around the Z pole resulting in
tau_tau = 293.2 +/- 2.0 (stat) +/- 1.5 (syst) fs. The comparison of this result
with the muon lifetime supports lepton universality of the weak charged current
at the level of six per mille. Assuming lepton universality, the value of the
strong coupling constant, alpha_s is found to be alpha_s(m_tau^2) = 0.319 +/-
0.015(exp.) +/- 0.014 (theory)
Flavor Decomposition of the Polarized Quark Distributions in the Nucleon from Inclusive and Semi-inclusive Deep-inelastic Scattering
Spin asymmetries of semi-inclusive cross sections for the production of
positively and negatively charged hadrons have been measured in deep-inelastic
scattering of polarized positrons on polarized hydrogen and 3He targets, in the
kinematic range 0.023<x<0.6 and 1 GeV^2<Q^2<10 GeV^2. Polarized quark
distributions are extracted as a function of x for up $(u+u_bar) and down
(d+d_bar) flavors. The up quark polarization is positive and the down quark
polarization is negative in the measured range. The polarization of the sea is
compatible with zero. The first moments of the polarized quark distributions
are presented. The isospin non-singlet combination Delta_q_3 is consistent with
the prediction based on the Bjorken sum rule. The moments of the polarized
quark distributions are compared to predictions based on SU(3)_f flavor
symmetry and to a prediction from lattice QCD.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures (eps format), 10 tables in Latex New version
contains tables of asymmetries and correlation matri
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