HERA results on the structure of the proton

A selection of results from the H1 and ZEUS experiments at HERA are reviewed, particularly in the area of deep inelastic scattering and diffraction. Quantum chromodynamics gives a good explanation of these data down to surprisingly low values of the four-momentum transfer, $Q^2$. Data at smaller $Q^2$ can be described by Regge models as well as by dipole models including parton-saturation effects. The latter can also give a unified description of many features of diffractive data

Structure functions at large x

Structure function data together with other measurements from fixed-target deep inelastic scattering and hadron-hadron collider experiments which contribute to our knowledge of the parton density functions are reviewed. The inclusive cross-section measurements of neutral and charged current interactions at HERA are presented and their impact on the parton density functions is discussed. Future prospects for an improved knowledge of the parton density functions at large x are briefly mentioned.Comment: Invited talk given at the workshop on ``New Trends in HERA Physics 2001'', Ringberg castle, Germany, June 17-22, 200

Regge behaviour of distribution functions and t and x-evolutions of gluon distribution function at low-x

In this paper t and x-evolutions of gluon distribution function from Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi(DGLAP) evolution equation in leading order(LO) at low-x, assuming the Regge behaviour of quark and gluon at this limit, are presented. We compare our results of gluon distribution function with MRST 2001, MRST 2004 and GRV '98 parameterizations and show the compatibility of Regge behaviour of quark and gluon distribution functions with perturbative quantum chromodynamics(PQCD) at low-x. We also discuss the limitations of Taylor series expansion method used earlier to solve DGLAP evolution equations, in the Regge behaviour of distribution functions.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

Collider Physics at HERA

From 1992 to 2007, HERA, the first electron-proton collider, operated at cms energies of about 320 GeV and allowed the investigation of deep-inelastic and photoproduction processes at the highest energy scales accessed thus far. This review is an introduction to, and a summary of, the main results obtained at HERA during its operation.Comment: A review article: 75 pages, 43 figure

The impact of intrinsic charm on the parton distribution functions

In this work, we present a new investigation about the impact of intrinsic charm (IC) on the physical observables, in particular, on the heavy structure function $F_2^c$. Since IC distribution is dominant at large Bjorken variable $x$, normally, it is expected that it can be explored only at large $x$. But, by studying the correlation of the charm density in the proton with $F_2^c$, we are going to show that the IC component can also be effective at low $x$. To investigate further, we perform three QCD global analyses of parton distribution functions (PDFs), by including the EMC $F_2^c$ data that are recognized as clear evidence for existence of the intrinsic charm in the proton, and also by considering the IC component. Although the fit of the EMC data is extremely poor due to the data points with lower $x$ values, i.e. $x<$0.05, but these analyses can give us new information about the impact of EMC data and IC contribution on the behaviour of PDFs.Comment: I withdraw this paper since my supervisor require me to withdraw this pape