Z 0 decay and electron positron annihilation into three gluons

Abstract

After pointing out that the two-gluon decay mode of theZ0 vanishes, we calculate, in detail, the differential and the total decay rates forZ0→ggg. Using the standard Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model and Quantum Chromodynamics, we find a branching ratio of 1.8×10−5. We also discussZ→ggγ andZ0→γγγ. As a natural extension of this work, we present the details of a calculation of the differential and the total cross sections for the processe+e−→ggg mediated by a virtual photon in the continuum. A detailed comparison with\(e^ + e^ - \to q\bar qg\) and a brief discussion ofe+e−→ggγ ande+e−→γγγ are also given.