Final Results on Heavy Quarks at LEP and SLD

Abstract

In the last decade, the LEP and SLD experiments played a central role in the study of B hadrons (hadrons containing a b quark). New B hadrons have been observed ($B^0_s$, Λ_b$, $Ξ_b$ and $B^{**}$) and their production and decay properties have been measured. In this paper we will focus on measurements of the CKM matrix elements: $|V_{cb}|$, $|V_{ub}|$, $|V_{td}|$ and $|V_{ts}|$. We will show how all these measurements, together with theoretical developments, have significantly improved our knowledge on the flavour sector of the Standard Model.

Talk given at the XXX SLAC Summer Institute, ssi2002, August 5-16,2002