Search for supersymmetric particles in scenarios with a gravitino LSP and stau NLSP

Sleptons, neutralinos and charginos were searched for in the context of scenarios where the lightest supersymmetric particle is the gravitino. It was assumed that the stau is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle. Data collected with the DELPHI detector at a centre-of-mass energy near 189 GeV were analysed combining the methods developed in previous searches at lower energies. No evidence for the production of these supersymmetric particles was found. Hence, limits were derived at 95% confidence level.Comment: 31 pages, 14 figure

Study of B0_s anti-B0_s oscillations and B0_s lifetimes using hadronic decays of B0_s mesons

Oscillations of B0s mesons have been studied in samples selected from about 3.5 million hadronic Z decays detected by DELPHI between 1992 and 1995. One analysis uses events in the exclusive decay channels: B0s -> Ds- pi+ or Ds- a1+ and B0s -> anti-D0 K- pi+ or anti-D0 K- a1+, where the D decays are completely reconstructed. In addition, B0s anti-B0s oscillations have been studied in events with an exclusively reconstructed Ds accompanied in the same hemisphere by a high momentum hadron of opposite charge. Combining the two analyses, a limit on the mass difference between the physical B0s states has been obtained: Delta(m_B0s) > 4.0 ps^{-1} at the 95% C.L. with a sensitivity of Delta(m_B0s) = 3.2 ps^{-1}. Using the latter sample of events, the B0s lifetime has been measured and an upper limit on the decay width difference between the two physical B0s states has been obtained: tau(B0s) = 1.53^{+0.16}_{-0.15}(stat.) +/- {0.07}(syst.) ps \Delta\Gamma(B0s)/\Gamma(B0s) < 0.69 at the 95% C.L. The combination of these results with those obtained using Ds+- lepton-+ sample gives: Delta(m_B0s) > 4.9 ps^{-1} at the 95% C.L. with a sensitivity of Delta(m_B0s) = 8.7 ps^{-1}. tau(B0s) = 1.46 +/- 0.11 ps and \Delta\Gamma(B0s)/\Gamma(B0s) < 0.45 at the 95% C.L.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figure

NESTOR Deep Sea Neutrino Telescope - Deployment and results

One module of NESTOR, the Mediterranean deep-sea neutrino telescope, was deployed at a depth of 4000m, 14km off the Sapienza Island, off the South West coast of Greece. The deployment site provides excellent environmental characteristics. The deployed NESTOR module is constructed as a hexagonal star like latticed titanium star with 12 Optical Modules and an one-meter diameter titanium sphere which houses the electronics. Power and data were transferred through a 330km electro-optical cable to the shore laboratory. In this report we describe briefly the detector and the detector electronics and discuss the first physics data acquired and give the zenith angular distribution of the reconstructed muons

LIGHT TRANSMISSIVITY IN THE NESTOR SITE

The water transmissivity is a parameter of paramount importance in the design and construction of water Cherenkov detectors which are used as neutrino telescopes. The 1/e transmission distance of 460 nm blue-green uncollimated light in deep sea-water (down to 4000 m) has been measured at three locations, in the NESTOR deployment site, off the coast of Pylos in South West Greece. The light path lengths were 7.44 m, 20.69 m and 40.37 m. The 1/e transmission distance, for depths greater than 3500 m, is found to be 55 +/- 10 m

Status of NESTOR, a deep sea neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean

In the last few years a great interest has been expressed for the construction of a Neutrino Astroparticle Physics Laboratory in the Mediterranean. The NESTOR collaboration made important progresses and plans soon to deploy in deep sea a detector with similar to 10(4) m(2) effective surface. This detector will be able not only to demonstrate the validity of the experimental approach but also to start data collection and then real Neutrino Astrophysics. The status of the preparation of the experiment and the future programs are described

Measurement of A(FB)(b(b)over-bar) in hadronic Z decays using a jet charge technique

The bb̄ forward-backward asymmetry has been determined from the average charge flow measured in a sample of 3,500,000 hadronic Z decays collected with the DELPHI detector in 1992 - 1995. The measurement is performed in an enriched bb̄ sample selected using an impact parameter tag and results in the following values for the bb̄ forward-backward asymmetry: Abb̄FB (89.55 GeV) = 0.068 ± 0.018 (stat.) ± 0.0013(syst.) Abb̄FB (91.26 GeV) = 0.0982 ± 0.0047(stat.) ± 0.0016(syst.) Abb̄FB (92.94 GeV) = 0.123 ± 0.016 (stat.) ± 0.0027(syst.) The bb̄ charge separation required for this analysis is directly measured in the b tagged sample, while the other charge separations are obtained from a fragmentation model precisely calibrated to data. The effective weak mixing angle is deduced from the measurement to be: sin2θ1eff = 0.23186 ± 0.00083

Measurement of the semileptonic b branching fractions and average b mixing parameter in Z decays

The semileptonic branching fractions for primary and cascade b decays BR(b → l-), BR(b → c → l+) and BR(b → c̄ → l- were measured in hadronic Z decays collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP. The sample was enriched in b decays using the lifetime information and various techniques were used to separate leptons from direct or cascade b decays. By fitting the momentum spectra of di-leptons in opposite jets, the average b mixing parameter x̄ was also extracted. The following results have been obtained: (equation presented)

Search for composite and exotic fermions at LEP 2

A search for unstable heavy fermions with the DELPHI detector at LEP is reported. Sequential and non-canonical leptons, as well as excited leptons and quarks, are considered. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 48 pb-1 at an e+e- centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV and about 20 pb-1 equally shared between the centre-of-mass energies of 172 GeV and 161 GeV. The search for pair-produced new leptons establishes 95% confidence level mass limits in the region between 70 GeV/c2 and 90 GeV/c2, depending on the channel. The search for singly produced excited leptons and quarks establishes upper limits on the ratio of the coupling of the excited fermion to its mass (λ/mf*) as a function of the mass