Testing QCD with tau decays

The invariant-mass distribution of the hadronic final state in τ decay can be used for testing fundamental aspects of the strong interactions. Using standard QCD techniques, it is possible to compute certain weighted integrals of the hadronic spectrum. Some QCD predictions are elaborated which will be useful for analysing the data. They provide a direct way to simultaneously measure αs(mτ2) and the parameters characterizing the non-perturbative dynamics, allowing for a better control of the theoretical errors in the determination of αs(mτ2). (author) 17 refs., 2 tabs