Infrared and collinear safe event shape distributions and their mean values are determined in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies between 45 and 202 GeV. A phenomenological analysis based on power correction models including hadron mass effects for both differential distributions and mean values is presented. Using power corrections, alpha_s is extracted from the mean values and shapes. In an alternative approach, renormalisation group invariance (RGI) is used as an explicit constraint, leading to a consistent description of mean values without the need for sizeable power corrections. The QCD beta-function is precisely measured using this approach. From the DELPHI data on Thrust, including data from low energy experiments, one finds beta_0 = 7.86 +/- 0.32 for the one loop coefficient of the beta-function or, assuming QCD, n_f = 4.75 +/- 0.44 for the number of active flavours. These values agree well with the QCD expectation of beta_0=7.67 and n_f=5. A direct measurement of the full logarithmic energy slope excludes light gluinos with a mass below 5 GeV.
1-THRUST distribution.
THRUST-MAJOR distribution.
THRUST-MINOR distribution.
The error includes the experimental uncertainties (±0.003), uncertainties of hadronisation corrections and of the degree of parton virtualities to which the data are corrected, as well as the uncertainty of choosing the renormalisation scale.
Jet production rates using the E0 recombination scheme.
Jet production rates using the E recombination scheme.
Jet production rates using the p0 recombination scheme.
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