Search for an excess in the production of four-jet events from e+e− collisions at s=130–184 GeV

Abstract Events with four distinct jets from e + e − collisions, collected by the OPAL detector at centre-of- massenergies between 130 and 184 GeV, are analysed for a peak in the sum of dijet masses. This search is motivated by the ALEPHCollaboration's observation of a clear excess of events with dijet masssums close to 105 GeV in data taken at centre-of- massenergies of 130 and 136 GeV in 1995. We have observed no significant excess of four-jet events compared to the Standard Model expectation for any dijet masssum at any energy. Our observation is inconsistent with the excess observed by ALEPHin 1995. Upper limits are determined on the production cross-section as a function of the dijet masssum.