Multiplicity difference between quark and gluon jets

We examine the experimental results which have been obtained so far on the ratio of the mean multiplicity between quark and gluon jets, $\frac{{〈n〉}_{\mathrm{gluon}}}{{〈n〉}_{\mathrm{quark}}}$. We point out that none of the results yet obtained provide a quantitative test of the QCD prediction for this ratio, because of differences between the experimental and theoretical definitions of the jets or event samples. We propose a technique accessible to the CERN LEP experiments in which the experimental jet definitions correspond to the theoretical ones, allowing a direct test of the QCD result. Using the HERWIG Monte Carlo program, we demonstrate the viability of our proposed technique.