https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s2005-02424-5
Theoretical Physics
Multiplicity difference between heavy- and light-quark jets revisited
1
LPTHE, University Paris-VI, 4 place Jussieu, 75252, Paris, France
2
PNPI, 188300, Gatchina, St. Petersburg, Russia
3
INFN e Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Università di Bologna, v.le Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127, Bologna, Italy
4
Department of Physics and Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, DH1 3LE, Durham, UK
5
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut), Föhringer Ring 6, 80805, München, Germany
* e-mail: Fabrizio.Fabbri@bo.infn.it
Received:
9
August
2005
Revised:
27
September
2005
Published online:
25
November
2005
The perturbative QCD approach to multiparticle production predicts a characteristic suppression of particle multiplicity in a heavy-quark jet as compared to a light-quark jet. In the modified leading logarithmic approximation (MLLA) the multiplicity difference 
between heavy- and light-quark jets is derived in terms of a few other experimentally measured quantities. The earlier prediction for b-quarks needs revision in the light of new experimental results and the improvement in the understanding of the experimental data. We now find 
. The updated MLLA results on 
and 
are compared with the present data from e
+
e
- annihilation. Their expected energy independence is confirmed within the energy range between 29 and 200 GeV; the absolute values are now in better agreement with experiment than in the previous analysis, and the remaining difference can be attributed largely to next-to-MLLA contributions, an important subset of which are identified and evaluated.
© Springer-Verlag, 2006
