RESULTS FROM THE L3 EXPERIMENT AT LEP

In this report we summarize the major results from the first three years of running of the L3 detector at the Large Electron Positron collider (LEP). The L3 detector was designed to measure electrons, photons and muons with high precision; it has achieved (DELTAE/E) almost-equal-to 1.4% for electrons and photons at E = 45 GeV and (DELTAp/p) almost-equal-to 2.5% for muons at p = 45 GeV. Most of the experimental results presented are based on approximately 500 000 Z events. The data provide four independent checks of the Standard Model weak neutral currents to an accuracy of almost-equal-to 1%. These are: the measurement of Z parameters; the measurement of the forward-backward charge asymmetry of lepton pairs; the measurement of asymmetry parameters from Z --> bbBAR decays; and the measurement of the tau lepton polarization asymmetry. The data also provide information on weak charged currents from measurements of b hadrons such as decay width, lifetime, and B0-B0BAR mixing, and from measurements Of tau leptons such as their lifetime and branching ratios. The large number of Z events and the resolution of the L3 detector allow precision tests of QED and QCD, including the production of pi0, eta and hard photons. Leptonic final states with hard isolated photons are analyzed and high mass photon pairs are observed. Higgs boson production has not been observed and limits are given in the context of the Standard Model and its supersymmetric extensions. We also present upper limits on rare Z decays such as Z --> gammagammagamma and on flavor violating decays such as Z --> etau, mutau. Finally, upper limits obtained in the search for various new particles and new interactions are reported.