The Impact of $\sigma(e^+e^-\to {hadrons})$ Measurements at Intermediate Energies on the Parameters of the Standard Model

Abstract

We discuss the impact of precision measurements of $\sigma(e^+e^-\to {hadrons})$ in the center-of-mass range between 3 and 12 GeV, including improvements in the electronic widths of the narrow charmonium and bottonium resonances, on the determination of parameters of the Standard Model. In particular we discuss the impact of potential improvements on the extraction of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$, on the evaluation of the hadronic contributions to the electromagnetic coupling $\alpha(M_Z)$, and the determination of the charm and bottom quark masses.