The properties of high mass multijet events produced at the Fermilab proton-antiproton collider are compared with leading order QCD matrix element predictions, QCD parton shower Monte Carlo predictions, and the predictions from a model in which events are distributed uniformly over the available multibody phase-space. Multijet distributions corresponding to (4N-4) variables that span the N-body parameter space are found to be well described by the QCD calculations for inclusive three-, four-, and five-jet events. The agreement between data, QCD matrix element calculations, and QCD parton shower Monte Carlo predictions suggests that 2 --> 2 scattering plus gluon radiation provides a good first approximation to the full LO QCD matrix element for events with three, four, or even five jets.

This volume reviews the physics studied at the CERN proton-antiproton collider during its first phase of operation, from the first physics run in 1981 to the last one at the end of 1985.The volume consists of a series of review articles written by physicists who are actively involved with the collider research program. The first article describes the proton-antiproton collider facility itself, including the antiproton source and its principle of operation based on stochastic cooling.The subsequent six articles deal with the various physics subjects studied at the collider. Each article describes in detail the experimental results on a particular subject, and also provides the theoretical framework necessary for their interpretation. Finally the last two articles discuss the physics expectations from the improved collider (the so-called ACOL program, which has just started operation), and also from the next generation of ?supercolliders? which are being considered both in Europe and in the United States America.