b-tagging in DELPHI at LEP

The standard method used for tagging b-hadrons in the DELPHIexperiment at the CERN LEP Collider is discussed in detail. The main ingredient of b-tagging is the impact parametersof tracks, which relies mostly on the vertex detector. Additional information, such as the mass of particles associated to a secondary vertex, significantly improves the selection efficiency and the background suppression. The paper describes various discriminating variables used for the tagging and the procedure of their combination. In addition, applications of b-tagging to some physics analyses, which depend crucially on the performance and reliability of b-tagging, are described briefly.