Three-jet production is studied for the first time in deep-inelastic positron-proton scattering. The measurement carried out with the H1 detector at HERA covers a large range of four-momentum transfer squared 5 < Q^2 < 5000 GeV^2 and invariant three-jet masses 25 < M_(3jet) < 140 GeV. Jets are defined by the inclusive k_T algorithm in the Breit frame. The size of the three-jet cross section and the ratio of the three-jet to the dijet cross section R_(3/2) are described over the whole phase space by the predictions of perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order. The shapes of angular jet distributions deviate significantly from a uniform population of the available phase space but are well described by the QCD calculation.
Distribution of jet energy fraction X3 = 2E(P=4)/M(P=4_5_6) in the 3 JET centre-of-mass frame for Q**2 from 5 to 100 GeV**2.
Distribution of jet energy fraction X3 = 2E(P=4)/M(P=4_5_6) in the 3 JET centre-of-mass frame for Q**2 from 150 to 5000 GeV**2.
Distribution of jet energy fraction X4 = 2E(P=5)/M(P=4_5_6) in the 3 JET centre-of-mass frame for Q**2 from 5 to 100 GeV**2.
Jet production in charged and neutral current events in the kinematic range of Q^2 from 640 to 35000 GeV^2 is studied in deep-inelastic positron-proton scattering at HERA. The measured rate of multi-jet events and distributions of jet polar angle, transverse energy, dijet mass, and other dijet variables are presented. Using parton densities derived from inclusive DIS cross sections, perturbative QCD calculations in NLO are found to give a consistent description of both the neutral and charged current dijet production. A direct, model independent comparison of the jet distributions in charged and neutral current events confirms that the QCD dynamics of the hadronic final state is independent of the underlying electroweak scattering process.
Normalised distribution in ET(C=FOWARD) for NC and CC dijet events. ET(C=FORWARD) is the transverse energy of the most (non-remnant) forward jet.
Forum