Measurement and interpretation of fermion-pair production at LEP energies from 130 to 172 GeV

The data collected with the DELPHI detector at centre-of-mass energies between 130 and 172 GeV, during LEP operation in 1995 and 1996, have been used to determine the hadronic and leptonic cross-sections and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries. In addition, the cross-section ratios and forward-backward asymmetries for flavour-tagged samples of light (uds), c and b quarks have been measured. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectations are found. The results are interpreted by performing S-matrix fits to these data and to the data collected previously at the energies near the Z(0) resonance peak (85-93 GeV). The results are also interpreted in terms of physics beyond the Standard Model: contact interactions, R-parity violating SUSY particle exchange and of possible Z' bosons. RI De Angelis, Alessandro/B-5372-2009; Ragazzi, Stefano/D-2463-2009; Gonzalez Caballero, Isidro/E-7354-2010; Krammer, Manfred/A-6508-2010; Muresan, Raluca-Anca/C-3725-2011; Katsanevas, Stavros/A-4297-2011; Ruiz, Alberto/E-4473-2011; Marti-Garcia, Salvador/F-3085-2011; Verzi, Valerio/B-1149-2012; branchini, paolo/A-4857-2011; Shellard, Ronald/G-4825-2012; Monge, Maria Roberta/G-9127-2012; Petrolini, Alessandro/H-3782-2011; Fruhwirth, Rudolf/H-2529-2012