Parity violation in decays of Z bosons into heavy quarks at SLD

This work presents measurements of the parity-violation parameters Ac and Ab made at the Z pole. These measurements include the data taken with the SLD detector at the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC) during the period 1996--98. Heavy flavor events are selected with high efficiency and purity by searching for displaced vertices, identified with the SLD precision CCD vertex detector. Two methods are used for quark/antiquark discrimination: the net charge of the displaced vertex, and tracks in the displaced vertex identified as kaons by the SLD Cherenkov Ring Imaging Detector (CRID). The signal purities and analyzing powers are calibrated from the data to reduce the systematic errors and avoid experimental bias. The results are Ac = 0.673 +/- 0.029 +/- 0.023 and Ab = 0.919 +/- 0.018 +/- 0.017, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Fits to the electroweak data performed by the LEP Electroweak Working Group are used to study the consistency of the Standard Model, and to constrain the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson.