QCD analysis of D-parameter in near-to-planar three-jet events

We present the QCD analysis of D-parameter distribution in near-to-planar 3-jet e+e- annihilation events. We derive the all-order resummed perturbative prediction and the leading power suppressed non-perturbative corrections both to the mean value and the distribution. Here non-perturbative corrections are larger than in 2-jet shape observables, so that higher order non-perturbative effects could be relevant. Experimental data (not yet available) are needed in order to cast light on this important point. The technique we develop aims at improving the accuracy of the theoretical description of multi-jet ensembles, in particular in hadron-hadron collisions.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, JHEP class include

QCD analysis of near-to-planar 3-jet events

Perturbative QCD analysis is presented of the cumulative out-of-plane momentum distribution in the near-to-planar e+e- annihilation events, K_out << Q. In this kinematical region multiple gluon radiation effects become essential. They are resummed with the single-logarithmic accuracy, which programme includes the 2-loop treatment of the basic radiation and matching with the exact O(alpha_s^2) result. Dedicated experimental analyses of 3-jet event characteristics are of special interest for the study of the non-perturbative confinement effects.Comment: 32 pages, 1 figure, JHEP class include

Non-perturbative QCD analysis of near-to-planar three-jet events

We present the analysis of the 1/Q-suppressed non-perturbative (NP) contribution to the cumulative out-of-event-plane momentum distribution in e+e- annihilation in the near-to-planar three-jet region. It complements our previous study of the perturbative (PT) distributions resummed to single logarithmic accuracy. Due to inter-jet soft gluon radiation, the NP contributions (as well as the PT distributions) are sensitive to the geometry (the angles between jets) and the colour structure of the underlying hard process (topology of the three-prong parton antenna). The results and techniques presented here could be extended to other multi-jet processes and, in particular, to hadron-hadron collisions.Comment: 53 pages, 4 figures, JHEP class include

Non-perturbative effects in the energy-energy correlation

The fully resummed next-to-leading-order perturbative calculation of the energy-energy correlation in $e^+e^-$ annihilation is extended to include the leading non-perturbative power-behaved contributions computed using the ``dispersive method'' applied earlier to event shape variables. The correlation between a leading (anti)quark and a gluon produces a non-perturbative 1/Q contribution, while non-perturbative effects in the quark-antiquark correlation give rise to a smaller contribution $\ln Q^2/Q^2$. In the back-to-back region, the power-suppressed contributions actually decrease much more slowly, as small non-integer powers of 1/Q, as a result of the interplay with perturbative effects. The hypothesis of a universal low-energy form for the strong coupling relates the coefficients of these contributions to those measured for other observables.Comment: 41 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures, uses JHEP.cl