Differential three-jet cross sections have been measured in e + e − -annihilation at an average CM energy of 33.8 GeV and were compared to first- and second-order predictions of QCD and of a QED-like abelian vector theory. QCD provides a good description of the observed distributions. The inclusion of second-order effects reduced the observed quark-gluon coupling strength by about 20% to α S = 0.16 ± 0.015 (stat.) ± 0.03 (syst.). The abelian vector theory is found to be incompatible with the data.
FIRST ORDER QCD.
SECOND ORDER QCD.
Topological distributions of charged and neutral hadrons from the reaction e + e − → multihadrons are studied at √ s of about 30 GeV. An excess of planar events is observed at a rate which cannot be explained by statistical fluctuations in the standard two-jet process. The planar events, mostly consisting of a slim jet on one side and a broader jet on the other, are shown actually to possess three-jet structure by demonstrating that the broader jet itself consists of two collinear jets in its own rest system. Detailed agreement between data and predictions is obtained if the process e + e − →q q ̄ g is taken into account. This strongly suggests gluon bremsstrahlung as the origin of the planar three-jet events. By comparison of the data with the qq̄g-model we obtain a value for the strong coupling constant of α S ( q 2 = 0.17 ± 0.04.
THRUST AND PLANARITY DISTRIBUTIONS. FINAL (BETTER) THRUST DISTRIBUTIONS WITH DETECTOR CORRECTIONS TO BE PUBLISHED LATER.
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