Factorized QED Contribution to Lepton-Hadron DIS

TL;DR

This paper introduces the first NLO QED contributions to lepton-hadron DIS within a combined QCD and QED factorization framework, enabling more precise partonic analyses.

Contribution

It develops a joint factorization approach that incorporates QED effects into the standard QCD framework for DIS calculations.

Findings

First NLO QED contributions calculated for DIS

Unified factorization of QCD and QED collinear sensitivities

Modified DGLAP evolution equations for joint QCD-QED evolution

Abstract

We present the first calculation of next-to-leading order (NLO) factorized QED contributions to the short-distance hard coefficients of inclusive lepton-hadron deep inelastic scattering (DIS) in a joint QCD and QED factorization approach. We demonstrate how the joint factorization consistently factorize all perturbative collinear sensitivities of partonic scattering in both QCD and QED into corresponding universal hadron and lepton distribution functions without the need of any parameters other than the standard factorization scale. We discuss the necessary modification to DGLAP-type evolution of the parton and lepton distribution functions in this joint factorization approach. We also discuss the potential impact of this joint factorization approach on the extraction of partonic information from lepton-hadron DIS.