The strong coupling alpha_s(M_Z^2) has been measured using hadronic decays of Z^0 bosons collected by the SLD experiment at SLAC. The data were compared with QCD predictions both at fixed order, O(alpha_s^2), and including resummed analytic formulae based on the next-to-leading logarithm approximation. In this comprehensive analysis we studied event shapes, jet rates, particle correlations, and angular energy flow, and checked the consistency between alpha_s(M_Z^2) values extracted from these different measures. Combining all results we obtain alpha_s(M_Z^2) = 0.1200 \pm 0.0025(exp.) \pm 0.0078(theor.), where the dominant uncertainty is from uncalculated higher order contributions.
Final average value of alpha_s. The second (DSYS) error is from the uncertainty on the theoretical part of the calculation.
TAU is 1-THRUST.
RHO is the normalized heavy jet mass MH**2/EVIS**2.
We have determined the strong coupling $\as$ from a comprehensive study of energy-energy correlations ($EEC$) and their asymmetry ($AEEC$) in hadronic decays of $Z~0$ bosons collected by the SLD experiment at SLAC. The data were compared with all four available predictions of QCD calculated up to $\Oa2$ in perturbation theory, and also with a resummed calculation matched to all four of these calculations. We find large discrepancies between $\as$ values extracted from the different $\Oa2$ calculations. We also find a large renormalization scale ambiguity in $\as$ determined from the $EEC$ using the $\Oa2$ calculations; this ambiguity is reduced in the case of the $AEEC$, and is very small when the matched calculations are used. Averaging over all calculations, and over the $EEC$ and $AEEC$ results, we obtain $\asz=0.124~{+0.003}_{-0.004} (exp.) \pm 0.009 (theory).$
Statistical errors only.
Statistical errors only.
ALPHAS from the EEC O(ALPHAS**2) measurement.
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