Production of

Inclusive production of the f_0(980), f_2(1270) and \phi(1020) resonances hasbeen studied in a sample of 4.3 million hadronic Z^0 decays from the OPALexperiment at LEP. A coupled channel analysis has been used for the f_0 insimultaneous fits to the resonances in inclusive \pi+\pi- and K+K- massspectra. Fragmentation functions are reported for the three states. Totalinclusive rates are measured to be 0.141 +/- 0.007 +/- 0.011 f_0, 0.155 +/-0.011 +/- 0.018 f_2, and 0.091 +/- 0.002 +/- 0.003 \phi mesons per hadronic Z^0decay. The production properties of the f_0, including those in three-jetevents, are compared with those of the f_2 and \phi, and with the Lund stringmodel of hadron production. All measurements are consistent with the hypothesisthat the f_0 is a conventional qq(bar) scalar meson.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, uses a4p.sty and pennames.sty, 8 eps figures (and colour copies) included, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.