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., [N-had(2W)) not equal 2(N-had(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. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.