Next-to-Leading Order Calculation of Four-Jet Shape Variables

Abstract

We present the next-to-leading order calculation of two four-jet event shape variables, the D parameter and acoplanarity differential distributions. We find large, more than 100% radiative corrections. The theoretical prediction for the D parameter is compared to L3 data obtained at the Z peak and corrected to hadron level.Comment: 11 pages, latex with aps, epsf, rotate styles 3 tables, 3 figures typo in eq. 10 corrected, note and reference added, introduction revise