Skip to main content
Log in

A study of muon pair production and evidence for tau pair production in photon-photon collisions at LEP

  • Published:
Zeitschrift für Physik C Particles and Fields

Abstract

We have studied the reactionsγγμ + μ andγγτ + τ by measuring the properties of events of the typese + e e + e μ + μ ande + e e + e τ + τ ate + e centre-of-mass energies between 88 and 94 GeV. The data sample corresponds to an integratede + e luminosity of 40.4 pb−1 collected by the OPAL detector at LEP. The QED structure functionF 2 is extracted from a sample of 1462γγμ + μ events in which one photon is off the mass shell (single-tagged). TheQ 2 range for these massive photons is 4–400 GeV2, with an averageQ 2 of 8 GeV2. We have observed 48e + e e + e μ + μ events in which both final state electrons are detected. In the sample of single-tag events we have identified 34.9±6.7 events as due to the reactionγ;τ + τ , on an estimated background of 5.1±2.7 events. In all cases the measured event distributions agree with QED calculations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. See for example: H. Kolanoski: Proc. of the IXth Int. Workshop on Photon-Photon Collisions, D.O. Caldwell, H.P. Paar (eds.), p. 3–34. UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  2. C. Berger, W. Wagner: Phys. Rep. 146 (1987) 1

    Google Scholar 

  3. CELLO Coll., H.-J. Behrend et al.: Phys. Lett. B126 (1983) 384

    Google Scholar 

  4. PEP-9 Coll., M.P. Cain et al.: Phys. Lett. B147 (1984) 232

    Google Scholar 

  5. PLUTO Coll., Ch. Berger et al.: Z. Phys. C27 (1985) 249

    Google Scholar 

  6. JADE Coll., W. Bartel et al.: Z. Phys. C30 (1986) 545

    Google Scholar 

  7. MARK-J Coll., B. Adeva et al.: Phys. Rev. D38 (1988) 2665

    Google Scholar 

  8. CELLO Coll., H.-J. Behrend et al.: Z. Phys. C43 (1989) 1

    Google Scholar 

  9. TOPAZ Coll., H. Hayashii et al.: Phys. Lett. B279 (1992) 422

    Google Scholar 

  10. AMY Coll., Y.H. Ho et al.: Phys. Lett. B244 (1990) 573

    Google Scholar 

  11. F.A. Berends, P.H. Daverveldt, R. Kleiss: Nucl. Phys. B253 (1985) 421

    Google Scholar 

  12. F. Le Diberder, J. Hilgart, R. Kleiss: CERN-PPE/92-115 (1992)

  13. J.A.M. Vermaseren: Nucl. Phys. B229 (1983) 347

    Google Scholar 

  14. T. Sjöstrand: Comput. Phys. Commun. 39 (1986) 347

    Google Scholar 

  15. T. Sjöstrand, M. Bengtsson: Comput. Phys. Commun. 43 (1987) 367

    Google Scholar 

  16. J. Allison et al.: Nucl. Instrum. Methods A317 (1992) 47

    Google Scholar 

  17. A. Buijs et al.: TWOGEN, a Monte Carlo Generator for Two-Photon Reactions (to be published)

  18. W.G.J. Langeveld: Ph.D. Thesis (unpublished), Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1985

  19. V.M. Budnev, I.F. Ginzburg, G.V. Meledin, V.G. Serbo: Phys. Rep. 15 (1975) 181

    Google Scholar 

  20. OPAL Coll., K. Ahmet et al.: Nucl. Instrum. Methods A305 (1991) 275

    Google Scholar 

  21. M. Hauschild et al.: Nucl. Instrum. Methods A314 (1992) 74

    Google Scholar 

  22. OPAL Coll., G. Alexander et al.: Z. Phys. C52 (1991) 175

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Consortia

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

OPAL Collaboration., Akers, R., Alexander, G. et al. A study of muon pair production and evidence for tau pair production in photon-photon collisions at LEP. Z. Phys. C - Particles and Fields 60, 593–600 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01558388

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01558388

Keywords

Navigation