Search for QCD instanton-induced processes in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA

C Adloff, Yves Coppens, John Dowell, Peter Faulkner, Yves Fleming, John Garvey, Carrie Johnson, Ian Kenyon, David Lamb, Paul Newman, Syed Rizvi, Paul Thompson, Ethan-Etienne Woehrling

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Signals of QCD instanton-induced processes are searched for in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) at the electron-proton collider HERA in a kinematic region defined by the Bjorken-scaling variables x > 10(-3), 0.1 <y <0.6 and photon virtualities 10 less than or similar to Q(2) <100 GeV2. Several observables characterising hadronic final state properties of QCD instanton-induced events are exploited to identify a potentially instanton-enriched domain. While an excess of events with instanton-like topology is observed it cannot be claimed significant given the uncertainty of the standard DIS background simulation. Upper limits on the cross-section for instanton-induced processes of between 60 pb and 1000 pb are set dependent on the kinematic domain considered. The data do not exclude the cross-section predicted by instanton perturbation theory for small instanton sizes. At large instanton sizes a naive extrapolation of instanton perturbation theory yields a cross-section in the range of sensitivity of this study. Such a cross-section is not observed, in agreement with non-perturbative lattice simulations of the QCD vacuum.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)495
Number of pages1
JournalEuropean Physical Journal C
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2002

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