A Z' with enhanced couplings to quarks: A bridge from CERN LEP 1, SLC, and CDF to LEP 2 anomalies

In order to explain possible departures from the standard model (SM) predictions for b (b) over bar and c (c) over bar production at the Z peak, we propose the existence of a Z' vector boson with enhanced couplings to quarks. We first show that this proposal is perfectly consistent with the full set of LEP 1 and SLC results. In particular, Z-Z' mixing effects naturally explain the fact that Gamma(b) and Gamma(c) deviate from the SM in opposite directions. We then show that there is a predicted range for enhanced Z'q (q) over bar couplings which explains, for a precise and interesting range of Z' masses, the excess of dijet events seen at CDF. A Z' with such couplings and mass would produce clean observable effects in bb and in total hadronic production at LEP 2.