Multiplicity Difference between Heavy and Light Quark Jets Revisited

Abstract

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 δ_{Q\ell} 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 δ_{b\ell}=4.4\pm0.4. The updated MLLA results on δ_{b\ell} and δ_{c\ell} 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.