Search for an Excess in the Production of Four-Jet Events from e^+e^- Collisions at \sqrt{s} = 130-184 GeV

TL;DR

This study searches for an excess in four-jet events from e^+e^- collisions at 130-184 GeV energies, finding no significant deviation from the Standard Model and setting upper limits on production cross-sections.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive search for a previously observed excess in four-jet events, offering new constraints and refuting earlier findings by ALEPH.

Findings

No significant excess observed in four-jet events.

Results are inconsistent with ALEPH's 1995 excess.

Upper limits set on production cross-section as a function of dijet mass sum.

Abstract

Events with four distinct jets from e^+e^- collisions, collected by the OPAL detector at centre-of-mass energies between 130 and 184 GeV, are analysed for a peak in the sum of dijet masses. This search is motivated by the ALEPH Collaboration's observation of a clear excess of events with dijet mass sums close to 105 GeV in data taken at centre-of-mass energies of 130 and 136 GeV in 1995. We have observed no significant excess of four-jet events compared to the Standard Model expectation for any dijet mass sum at any energy. Our observation is inconsistent with the excess observed by ALEPH in 1995. Upper limits are determined on the production cross-section as a function of the dijet mass sum.