Measurement of F_2^ccbar and F_2^bbbar at High Q^2 using the H1 Vertex Detector at HERA

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of charm and beauty structure functions F_2^{car{c}} and F_2^{bar{b}} in high-Q^2 electron-proton collisions at HERA, using impact parameter techniques to identify heavy quark contributions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel impact parameter method with the H1 vertex detector to measure heavy quark structure functions at high Q^2, extending previous analyses.

Findings

Results agree with perturbative QCD predictions.

Provides new data on heavy quark contributions at high Q^2.

Enhances understanding of proton structure in the heavy flavor sector.

Abstract

Measurements are presented of inclusive charm and beauty cross sections in e^+p collisions at HERA for values of photon virtuality Q^2 > 150 GeV^2 and of inelasticity 0.1 < y < 0.7. The charm and beauty fractions are determined using a method based on the impact parameter, in the transverse plane, of tracks to the primary vertex, as measured by the H1 vertex detector. The data are divided into four regions in Q^2 and Bjorken x, and values for the structure functions F_2^{c\bar{c}} and F_2^{b\bar{b}} are obtained. The results are found to be compatible with the predictions of perturbative quantum chromodynamics.