No abstract

The spectral functions of the vector current and the axial-vector current have been measured in hadronic τ decays using the OPAL detector at LEP. Within the framework of the Operator Product Expansion a simultaneous determination of the strong coupling constant α s , the non-perturbative operators of dimension 6 and 8 and of the gluon condensate has been performed. Different perturbative descriptions have been compared to the data. The Contour Improved Fixed Order Perturbation Theory gives α s (m 2 τ ) = 0.348±0.009 exp ±0.019 theo at the τ -mass scale and α s (m 2 Z ) = 0.1219±0.0010 exp ±0.0017 theo at the Z 0 -mass scale. The values obtained for α s (m 2 Z ) using Fixed Order Perturbation Theory or Renormalon Chain Resummation are 2.3 % and 4.1 % smaller, respectively. The 'running' of the strong coupling between s 0 ≃ 1.3 GeV 2 and s 0 = m 2 τ has been tested from direct fits to the integrated differential hadronic decay rate R τ (s 0 ). A test of the saturation of QCD sum rules at the τ -mass scale has been performed.

No abstract

An event sample enriched in semileptonic decays of b hadrons is selected using an inclusive lepton selection from approximately 3.0 million hadronic Z 0 decays collected with the OPAL detector. This sample is used to investigate B meson oscillations by reconstructing a proper decay time for the parent of each lepton, using a jet charge method to estimate the production flavour of this parent, and using the lepton charge to tag the decay flavour. We measure the mass difference between the two B 0 d mass eigenstatesFor the B 0 s system, we find ∆m s > 3.1 ps −1 at the 95% confidence level. This limit varies only a little if alternative limit setting approaches are adopted. Regions at higher ∆m s values are also excluded with some methods for setting the limit.By studying the charge symmetry of the B 0 d mixing structure, we are able to constrain possible CP and CPT violating effects. We measure the CP violation parameter Re ǫ B = −0.006 ± 0.010 ± 0.006 and the indirect CPT violating parameter Im δ B = −0.020 ± 0.016 ± 0.006 . If we invoke CPT symmetry, then we obtainRe ǫ B = 0.002 ± 0.007 ± 0.003 .

The hydrogen-bond-directed synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, and optical properties of the first chiral peptide rotaxanes are reported. Collectively these systems provide the first examples of single molecular species where the expression of chirality in the form of a circular dichroism (CD) response can selectively be switched "on" or "off", and its magnitude altered, through controlling the interactions between mechanically interlocked submolecular components. The switching is achievable both thermally and through changes in the nature of the environment. Peptido[2]rotaxanes consisting of an intrinsically achiral benzylic amide macrocycle locked onto various chiral dipeptide (Gly-L-Ala, Gly-L-Leu, Gly-L-Met, Gly-L-Phe, and Gly-L-Pro) threads exhibit strong (10-20k deg cm(2) dmol(-1)) negative induced CD (theta;) values in nonpolar solvents (e.g. CHCl(3)), where the intramolecular hydrogen bonding between thread and macrocycle is maximized. In polar solvents (e.g., MeOH), where the intercomponent hydrogen bonding is weakened, or switched off completely, the elliptical polarization falls close to zero in some cases and can even be switched to large positive values in others. Importantly, the mechanism of generating the switchable CD response in the chiral peptide rotaxanes is also determined: a combination of semiempirical calculations and geometrical modeling using the continuous chirality measure (CCM) shows that the chirality is transmitted from the amino acid asymmetric center on the thread via the macrocycle to the C-terminal stopper of the rotaxane. This understanding could have important implications for other areas where chiral transmission from one chemical entity to another underpins a physical or chemical response, such as the seeding of supertwisted nematic liquid crystalline phases or asymmetric synthesis.