Heavy quark theory and b-polarisation at LEP

According to the standard model, b quarks from the Z resonance e+ e- → Z → b-barb have almost complete longitudinal polarization. A small transverse polarization of order 0.02 is predicted in the scattering plane; there is no polarization normal to the plane if we neglect γ - Z interference and loop corrections. The question we address here is whether this big polarization can be exploited. Does it lead to new measurable effects and if so what can be learned from them? We must first determine whether b-quark polarization can survive hadronization to give b-hadron polarization, and if so how to measure the latter through b-hadron decays. Finally we must estimate the size of the effects from models. (author)