SCALING IN ENERGY-DEPENDENCE OF RELATIVE PARTICLE-PRODUCTION RATES AND PEAK POSITION OF XI-DISTRIBUTIONS IN E(-) ANNIHILATIONS()E()

With the production rates, [n(part)], of the K-o, K+, p and Lambda and average charged particle multiplicities, [n(ch)], recently measured a t LEP1.5-LEP2, scaling of the relative particle production rates [n(pa rt)]/[n(ch)] is seen in a broad center of mass energy range from root s = 29-35 to 183 GeV. The quantity xi(o)/[n(ch)](1/2), where xi(o) is the position of the maximum of the xi = -ln(2p/root s) distribution an d p is the particle momentum, also scales from 14 to 183 GeV. It is sh own that the gaussian shape of the xi distribution is a simple consequ ence of longitudinal phase space. The slope parameter in the logarithm ic increase of xi(o) with the center of mass energy must be smaller th an 1, as observed experimentally, but this does not necessary imply a manifestation of coherence. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.