PDF fit in the fixed-flavor-number scheme

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the heavy-quark contributions to deep inelastic scattering within the fixed-flavor-number scheme, demonstrating its adequacy across all kinematic ranges and discussing implications for the strong coupling constant.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis using the recent ABM11 PDFs, showing fixed-flavor schemes are sufficient for describing deep-inelastic scattering data.

Findings

Fixed-flavor-number scheme adequately describes all DIS data

Comparison shows consistency with other PDF sets

Implications for precise measurement of α_s(M_Z)

Abstract

We discuss the heavy-quark contribution to deep inelastic scattering in the scheme with $n_f=3,4,5$ fixed flavors. Based on the recent ABM11 PDF analysis of world data for deep-inelastic scattering and fixed-target data for the Drell-Yan process with the running-mass definition for heavy quarks we show that fixed flavor number scheme is sufficient for describing the deep-inelastic-scattering data in the entire kinematic range. We compare with other PDF sets and comment on the implications for measuring the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s(M_Z)$.