Signatures of parton exogamy in e+e− → W+W− → hadrons

We propose possible signatures of ‘exogamous’ combinations between partons in the different W+ and W− hadron showers in e+e− → W+W− events with purely hadronic final states. Within the space-time model for hadronic shower development that we have proposed previously, we find a possible difference of about 10% between the mean hadronic multiplicity in such purely hadronic final states and twice the hadronic multiplicity in events in which one W± decays hadronically and the other leptonically, i.e., «Nhad(2W ≠ 2«Nhad(W), associated with the formation of hadronic clusters by ‘exogamous’ pairs of partons. We discuss the dependence of this possible difference in multiplicity on the center-of-mass energy, on the hadron momenta, and on the angular separation between the W± dijets. If it were observed, any such multiplicity difference would indicate that the W± do not hadronize independently, and hence raise questions about the accuracy with which the W± mass could be determined from purely hadronic final states.