Gluon and quark jets in a recursive model motivated by quantum chromodynamics

Abstract

We compute observable quantities like the multiplicity and momentum distributions of hadrons in gluon and quark jets in the framework of a recursive cascade model, which is strongly motivated by the fundamental interactions of QCD. Fragmentation occurs via 3 types of breakups: quark → meson+ quark, gluon→meson+gluon, gluon→quark+ antiquark. In our model gluon jets are softer than quark jets. The ratio of gluon jet to quark jet multiplicity is found to be 2 asymptotically, but much less at lower energies. Some phenomenological consequences for λ decay are discussed.