Search for New Physics in Electron-Positron Interactions with Photons in the Final State

This thesis describes a measurement of single and multi-photon events with missing energy in electron-positron interactions. The results have been used to measure the neutrino pair-production cross section and to determine the number of light neutrino species. A search for various kinds of new physics processes involving photons and missing energy in the final state like the production of supersymmetric particles, a fermiophobic Higgs boson and massive gravitons has been carried out. The analysis has been performed using data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 130 GeV and 190 GeV corresponding to a total luminosity of 265 1/pb. The cross section of the process electron positron to neutrino anti-neutrino photon (photon) for a photon energy larger than 5 GeV and a photon scattering angle with respect to the beam axis larger than 14 degrees at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV has been measured to be (5.25 +- 0.22 +- 0.07) pb and has been extrapolated to a total cross section for neutrino pair-production yielding (58.3 +- 2.7) pb. The measured photon energy spectra have been used to derive the number of light neutrino species. The combined value determined from all data analysed in this thesis is 3.05 +- 0.11 +- 0.04, which is in good agreement with the hypothesis of three light neutrino types and supports the Standard Model with its three generations of particles. Since no indication for the appearance of new physics processes has been found, upper limits on cross sections of new particle production have been set and lower limits on particle masses have been derived assuming three neutrino generations. If the gravitino is the lightest supersymmetric particle and all other SUSY particles are too heavy to be created at LEP energies, gravitino pair-production could be the only process involving SUSY particles accessible at LEP. From an analysis of the process electron positron to gravitino gravitino photon, a lower limit of 8.9 times 10 to the power -6 eV has been determined at the 95% confidence level. Cross section limits have been set depending on the masses of the particles involved in neutralino gravitino production and neutralino pair-production and neutralino decay to gravitino and photon, and for the production of the lightest and second lightest neutralino and pair-production of the second lightest neutralino and its decay to lightest neutralino and photon. Within the framework of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking a lower limit on the neutralino mass of 88.2 GeV at the 95% confidence level has been derived under the assumption that the lightest neutralino is the second lightest supersymmetric particle. Fermiophobic Higgs bosons have been searched for investigating the process electron positron to Higgs Z to photon photon neutrino anti-neutrino. Cross section bounds on this process have been determined depending on the Higgs mass and limits on the branching ratio of the Higgs decaying into photons have been derived. A lower mass limit for such a fermiophobic Higgs boson is set to 89.9 GeV at the 95% confidence level. A search for the production of massive gravitons in quantum gravity models with extra spatial dimensions has been performed investigating the process electron positron to graviton photon. Lower limits on the energy scale ranging from 1018 GeV to 349 GeV have been derived at the 95% confidence level for two to ten extra dimensions. Their size has been limited to at most 0.46 mm and to at most 8.3 times 10 to the power -13 mm for two and ten extra dimensions, respectively

Measurement of Hadron and Lepton-Pair Production at 130GeV < \sqrt{s} < 189 GeV at LEP

We report on measurements of e+e- annihilation into hadrons and lepton pairs. The data have been collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 130 and 189 GeV. Using a total integrated luminosity of 243.7 pb^-1, 25864 hadronic and 8573 lepton-pair events are selected for the measurement of cross sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries. The results are in good agreement with Standard Model predictions

Search for Manifestations of New Physics in Fermion-Pair Production at LEP

The measurements of hadron and lepton-pair production cross sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries performed with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies between 130 GeV and 189 GeV are used to search for new physics phenomena such as: contact interactions, exchange of virtual leptoquarks, scalar quarks and scalar neutrinos, effects of TeV strings in models of quantum gravity with large extra dimensions and non-zero sizes of the fermions. No evidence for these phenomena is found and new limits on their parameters are set

Search for an invisibly decaying Higgs boson in e^+e^- collisions at \sqrt{s} = 183 - 189 GeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into invisible particles is performed using the data collected at LEP by the L3 experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 183 GeV and 189 GeV. The integrated luminosities are respectively 55.3 pb^-1 and 176.4 pb^-1. The observed candidates are consistent with the expectations from Standard Model processes. In the hypothesis that the production cross section of this Higgs boson equals the Standard Model one and the branching ratio into invisible particles is 100%, a lower mass limit of 89.2 GeV is set at 95% confidence level

Search for Extra Dimensions in Boson and Fermion Pair Production in e+e- Interactions at LEP

Extra spatial dimensions are proposed by recent theories that postulate the scale of gravity to be of the same order as the electroweak scale. A sizeable interaction between gravitons and Standard Model particles is then predicted. Effects of these new interactions in boson and fermion pair production are searched for in the data sample collected at centre-of-mass energies above the Z pole by the L3 detector at LEP. In addition, the direct production of a graviton associated with a Z boson is investigated. No statistically significant hints for the existence of these effects are found and lower limits in excess of 1 TeV are derived on the scale of this new theory of gravity

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)

Measurement of Mass and Width of the W Boson at LEP

We report on measurements of the mass and total decay width of the W boson with the L3 detector at LEP. W-pair events produced in $\mathrm{e^+e^-}$ interactions between 161 GeV and 183 GeV centre-of-mass energy are selected in a data sample corresponding to a total luminosity of 76.7 pb$^{-1}$. Combining all final states in W-pair production, the mass and total decay width of the W boson are determined to be $\mathrm{M_W}=80.61\pm0.15$ GeV and $\Gamma_{\mathrm{W}}=1.97\pm0.38$ GeV, respectively

Formation of the ηc\eta_c in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP

The two-photon width $\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma}$ of the $\eta_c$ meson has been measured with the L3 detector at LEP. The $\eta_c$ is studied in the decay modes $\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$, $\pi^+\pi^-$K$^+$K$^-$, K$_s^0$K$^\pm\pi^\mp$, K$^+$K$^-\pi^{0}$, $\pi^+\pi^-\eta$, $\pi^+\pi^-\eta'$, and $\rho^+\rho^-$ using an integrated luminosity of 140 pb$^{-1}$ at $\sqrt{s} \simeq 91$ GeV and of 52 pb$^{-1}$ at $\sqrt{s} \simeq 183$ GeV. The result is $\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma}(\eta_c) = 6.9 \pm 1.7 (stat.) \pm 0.8 (sys.) \pm 2.0$(BR) keV. The $Q^2$ dependence of the $\eta_c$ cross section is studied for $Q^2 < 9$ GeV$^{2}$. It is found to be better described by a Vector Meson Dominance model form factor with a J-pole than with a $\rho$-pole. In addition, a signal of $29 \pm 11$ events is observed at the $\chi_c0$ mass. Upper limits for the two-photon widths of the $\chi_c0$, $\chi_c2$, and $\eta_c'$ are also given

Measurement of the Spectroscopy of Orbitally Excited B Mesons at LEP

We measure the masses, decay widths and relative production rate of orbitally excited B mesons using 1.25 million hadronic Z decays recorded by the L3 detector. B-meson candidates are inclusively reconstructed and combined with charged pions produced at the primary event vertex. An excess of events above the expected background in the B\pi mass spectrum in the region 5.6-5.8 GeV is interpreted as resulting from the decay B_u,d^** -> B^(*)\pi, where B_u,d^** denotes a mixture of l=1 B-meson states containing a u or a d quark. A fit to the mass spectrum yields the masses and decay widths of the B_1^* and B_2^* spin states, as well as the branching fraction for the combination of l=1 states. In addition, evidence is presented for the existence of an excited B-meson state or mixture of states in the region 5.9-6.0 GeV

Search for Charged Higgs Bosons in e+e- Collisions at \sqrt{s} = 189 GeV

A search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons is performed with the L3 detector at LEP using data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 176.4 pb^-1. Higgs decays into a charm and a strange quark or into a tau lepton and its associated neutrino are considered. The observed events are consistent with the expectations from Standard Model background processes. A lower limit of 65.5 GeV on the charged Higgs mass is derived at 95 % confidence level, independent of the decay branching ratio Br(H^{+/-} -> tau nu)