A DETAILED STUDY OF THE PROTON STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS IN DEEP INELASTIC MUON-PROTON SCATTERING

Journal article

The x and Q2 dependence of the single photon exchange cross section d2σ/dQ2dx and the proton structure functions F2(x,Q2) and R(x,Q2) have been measured in deep inelastic muon proton scattering in the region 0.02 < x < 0.8 and 3 < Q2 < 190 GeV2. By comparing data at different incident muon energies R was found to have little kinematic dependence and an average value of -0.010 ± 0.037 (stat.) ± 0.102 (stat.). The observed deviations from scaling gave the value of ΛMS, the QCD mass scale parameter, to be 105-45+55 (stat.)-45+85 (syst.) MeV. The fraction of the momentum of the nucleon carried by gluons was found to be ∼56% at Q2∼22.5 GeV2. It is shown that to obtain a description of the data for F2(x, Q2) together with that measured in deep inelastic electron-proton scattering at lower Q2 it is necessary to include additional higher twist contributions. The value of ΛMS remains unchanged with the inclusion of these contributions which were found to have an x-dependence of the form x3/(1 - x). © 1985.

Authors: Aubert, J; Bassompierre, G; Becks, K; Best, C; Bohm, E

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: NUCLEAR PHYSICS B
• Volume: 259
• Issue: 2-3
• Pages: 189-265
• Publication date: 1985-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/0550-3213(85)90635-2
• ISSN: 0550-3213
• Language: English