The strong coupling constant α s was determined from analyses of the thrust, heavy jet mass and, differential 2-jet rate, using e + e - hadronic events at s = 58 GeV with the TOPAZ detector at TRISTAN. The NLLjet Monte Carlo simulation (NLLjet) and analytic formulae based on resummation up to the next-to-leading logarithms combined with O ( α 2 s ) calculations were used to evaluate α s . The average α s values at Q 2 = (58 GeV) 2 from the analyses are α s = 0.125 ± 0.009 for NLLjet and α s = 0.132 ± 0.008 for the resummed analytic formulae.
Using data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons, taken with the OPAL detector at LEP at the Z pole between 1991 and 1995, we performed a simultaneous measurement of the colour factors of the underlying gauge group of the strong interaction, CF and CA, and the strong coupling, alpha(s). The measurement was carried out by fitting next-to-leading order perturbative predictions to measured angular correlations of 4-jet events together with multi-jet related variables. Our results, CA = 3.02 +/- 0.25 (stat.) +/- 0.49 (syst.), CF = 1.34 +/- 0.13 (stat.) +/- 0.22 (syst.), alpha(s)(M_Z) = 0.120 +/- 0.011 (stat.) +/- 0.020 (syst.), provide a test of perturbative QCD in which the only assumptions are non-abelian gauge symmetry and standard hadronization models. The measurements are in agreement with SU(3) expectations for CF and CA and the world average of alpha(s)(M_Z).
We have studied hadronic events from e+e- annihilation data at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt{s}=172, 183 and 189 GeV. The total integrated luminosity of the three samples, measured with the OPAL detector, corresponds to 250 pb^-1. We present distributions of event shape variables, charged particle multiplicity and momentum, measured separately in the three data samples. From these we extract measurements of the strong coupling alpha_s, the mean charged particle multiplicity <nch> and the peak position xi_0 in the xi_p=ln(1/x_p) distribution. In general the data are described well by analytic QCD calculations and Monte Carlo models. Our measured values of alpha_s, <nch> and xi_0 are consistent with previous determinations at sqrt{s}=MZ.
Infrared and collinear safe event shape distributions and their mean values are determined using the data taken at five different centre of mass energies above M Z with the DELPHI detector at LEP. From the event shapes, the strong coupling α s is extracted in O ( α s 2 ), NLLA and a combined scheme using hadronisation corrections evaluated with fragmentation model generators as well as using an analytical power ansatz. Comparing these measurements to those obtained at M Z , the energy dependence (running) of α s is accessible. The logarithmic energy slope of the inverse strong coupling is measured to be d α −1 s d log (E cm ) =1.39±0.34( stat )±0.17( syst ) , in good agreement with the QCD expectation of 1.27.
A precision measurement of jet cross sections in neutral current deep-inelastic scattering for photon virtualities $5.5<Q^2<80\,{\rm GeV}^2$ and inelasticities $0.2<y<0.6$ is presented, using data taken with the H1 detector at HERA, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $290\,{\rm pb}^{-1}$. Double-differential inclusive jet, dijet and trijet cross sections are measured simultaneously and are presented as a function of jet transverse momentum observables and as a function of $Q^2$. Jet cross sections normalised to the inclusive neutral current DIS cross section in the respective $Q^2$-interval are also determined. Previous results of inclusive jet cross sections in the range $150<Q^2<15\,000\,{\rm GeV}^2$ are extended to low transverse jet momenta $5<P_{T}^{\rm jet}<7\,{\rm GeV}$. The data are compared to predictions from perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling, in approximate next-to-next-to-leading order and in full next-to-next-to-leading order. Using also the recently published H1 jet data at high values of $Q^2$, the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s(M_Z)$ is determined in next-to-leading order.
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