Cumulant to Factorial Moment Ratio and Multiplicity Distributions

Abstract

The ratio of cumulant to factorial moments of multiplicity distribu- tions has been calculated for e+e- and hh data in a wide range of energies. As a function of the rank it exhibits a regular behaviour with a steep descent and two negative minima. This behaviour is not accounted for by NBD, that leads to a monotonically decreasing positive-defined ratio. A rough comparison with QCD predictions is done: data cannot be accounted for by LLA nor by DLA; only some next-to-next to leading predictions are in qualitative agreement with them. Such features being appropriate for hard processes and high energies, it is a surpri- se to find them not only in e+e- annihilation, but also in soft hh collisions.