Measurement of jet production cross sections in deep-inelastic ep scattering at HERA

A precision measurement of jet cross sections in neutral current deep-inelastic scattering for photon virtualities (5.5u003cQ^2 u003c80,mathrm {GeV}^2 ) and inelasticities (0.2u003cyu003c0.6) is presented, using data taken with the H1 detector at HERA, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of (290,mathrm {pb}^{-1}). Double-differential inclusive jet, dijet and trijet cross sections are measured simultaneously and are presented as a function of jet transverse momentum observables and as a function of (Q^2). Jet cross sections normalised to the inclusive neutral current DIS cross section in the respective (Q^2)-interval are also determined. Previous results of inclusive jet cross sections in the range (150u003cQ^2 u003c15{,}000,mathrm {GeV}^2 ) are extended to low transverse jet momenta (5u003cP_mathrm{T}^mathrm{jet} u003c7,mathrm {GeV} ). The data are compared to predictions from perturbative QCD in next-to-leading order in the strong coupling, in approximate next-to-next-to-leading order and in full next-to-next-to-leading order. Using also the recently published H1 jet data at high values of (Q^2), the strong coupling constant (alpha _s(M_Z)) is determined in next-to-leading order.