Deep-inelastic ep scattering data taken with the H1 detector at HERA and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 106 pb^{-1} are used to study the differential distributions of event shape variables. These include thrust, jet broadening, jet mass and the C-parameter. The four-momentum transfer Q is taken to be the relevant energy scale and ranges between 14 GeV and 200 GeV. The event shape distributions are compared with perturbative QCD predictions, which include resummed contributions and analytical power law corrections, the latter accounting for non-perturbative hadronisation effects. The data clearly exhibit the running of the strong coupling alpha_s(Q) and are consistent with a universal power correction parameter alpha_0 for all event shape variables. A combined QCD fit using all event shape variables yields alpha_s(mZ) = 0.1198 \pm 0.0013 ^{+0.0056}_{-0.0043} and alpha_0 = 0.476 \pm 0.008 ^{+0.018} _{-0.059}.
Normalised distribution of (1-THRUST) where THRUST is w.r.t the axis which maximises the sum of the longitudinal momenta in the current hemisphere, for Q = 14.0 to 16.0 GeV and X = 0.00841 .
Normalised distribution of (1-THRUST) where THRUST is w.r.t the axis which maximises the sum of the longitudinal momenta in the current hemisphere, for Q = 16.0 to 20.0 GeV and X = 0.01180 .
Normalised distribution of (1-THRUST) where THRUST is w.r.t the axis which maximises the sum of the longitudinal momenta in the current hemisphere, for Q = 20.0 to 30.0 GeV and X = 0.02090 .
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.
Forum