Proton and deuteron structure functions in muon scattering at 470 GeV

The effect of LHC jet data on MSTW PDFs

We consider the effect on LHC jet cross sections on partons distribution functions (PDFs), in particular the MSTW2008 set of PDFs. We first compare the published inclusive jet data to the predictions using MSTW2008, finding a very good description. We also use the parton distribution reweighting procedure to estimate the impact of these new data on the PDFs, finding that the combined ATLAS 2.76 and 7 TeV data, and CMS 7 TeV data have some significant impact. We then also investigate the impact of ATLAS, CMS and DØ dijet data using the same techniques. In this case we investigate the effect of using different scale choices for the NLO cross section calculation. We find that the dijet data is generally not completely compatible with the corresponding inclusive jet data, often tending to pull PDFs, particularly the gluon distribution, away from the default values. However, the effect depends on the dijet dataset used as well as the scale choice. We also note that conclusions may be affected by limiting the pull on the data luminosity chosen by the best fit, which is sometimes a number of standard deviations. Finally we include the inclusive jet data in a new PDF fit explicitly. This enables us to check the consistency of the exact result with that obtained from the reweighting procedure. There is generally good, but not full quantitative agreement. Hence, the conclusion remains that MSTW2008 PDFs already fit the published jet data well, but the central values and uncertainties are altered and improved, respectively, to a significant, but not dramatic extent by inclusion of these data.

The quark and gluon structure of the proton

In this paper we present a review of the structure of the proton and the current status of our knowledge of the parton distribution functions (PDFs). The lepton-nucleon scattering experiments which provide the main constraints in PDF extractions are introduced and their measurements are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to the HERA data which cover a wide kinematic region. Hadron-hadron scattering measurements which provide supplementary information are also discussed. The methods used by various groups to extract the PDFs in QCD analyses of hard scattering data are presented and their results are compared. The use of existing measurements allows predictions for cross sections at the LHC to be made. A comparison of these predictions for selected processes is given. First measurements from the LHC experiments are compared to predictions and some initial studies of the impact of this new data on the PDFs are presented.

Three and two hadron correlations in sq.rt.(S(NN))=200 GeV proton-proton and nucleus-nucleus collisions

We compare the azimuthal correlations arising from three and two hadron production in p+p and Au+Au collisions at sq.rt.(S(NN))=200 GeV. We show that in Au+Au, the two away side partons in two-to-three processes have in average a smaller and a greater path length than the average path length of the away-side parton in two-to-two processes. Since in average the particle with the shortest path length in two-to-three processes loses less energy, with respect to the away-side particle in two-to-two processes, this effect leads to a relative enhancement of the ratio of two-to-three to two-to-two processes in Au+Au compared to p+p collisions. We argue that this phenomenon may be responsible for the shape of the away side in azimuthal correlations at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider.

Relating high-energy Lepton-Hadron, proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions through geometric scaling

A characteristic feature of small-x lepton-proton data from HERA is geometric scaling: the fact that in the region of small Bjorken variable x, x less, similar 0.01, all data can be described by a single variable Q(2)/Q(2)(s,p)(x), with all x dependence encoded in the so-called saturation momentum Q(s,p)(x). Here, we observe that the same scaling ansatz accounts for nuclear photoabsorption cross sections and favors the nuclear dependence Q(2)(s,A) proportional, variant A(alpha)Q(2)(s,p), alpha approximately 4/9. We then make the empirical finding that the same A dependence accounts for the centrality evolution of the multiplicities measured in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. It also allows one to parametrize the high-p(t) particle suppression in d+Au collisions at forward rapidities. If these geometric scaling properties have a common dynamical origin, then this A dependence of Q(2)(s,A) should emerge as a consequence of the underlying dynamical model.

First measurement of the low- x, low- Q(2) structure function F(2) in neutrino scattering

A new structure function analysis of CCFR deep inelastic nu-N and nu-N scattering data is presented for previously unexplored kinematic regions down to Bjorken x = 0.0045 and Q(2) = 0.3 GeV(2). Comparisons to charged lepton scattering data from NMC and E665 experiments are made and the behavior of the structure function F(2)(nu)2 is studied in the limit Q(2)-->0.

Geometric scaling for the total gamma(*)p cross section in the low x region

We observe that the saturation model of deep inelastic scattering predicts a geometric scaling of the total gamma(*)p cross section in the region of small Bjorken variable x. The geometric scaling in this case means that the cross section is a function of only one dimensionless variable tau = Q(2)R(2)(0)(x), where the function R(0)(x) decreases with decreasing x. We show that the experimental data from HERA in the region x<0.01 confirm the expectations of this scaling over a very broad region of Q(2). We suggest that the geometric scaling is more general than the saturation model.