Structure Functions

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent experimental results on structure functions from various experiments, discussing their implications for parton distributions, spin structure, and high-energy dynamics in quantum chromodynamics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest experimental data on structure functions and their impact on understanding parton distributions and QCD dynamics.

Findings

Constraints on parton densities at high x from fixed-target experiments

Insights into spin structure and sum rules from spin structure measurements

HERA results on low x, charm, and high-Q^2 cross-sections

Abstract

The latest structure function results, as presented at the ICHEP98 conference, are reviewed. A brief introduction to the formalism and the status of global analyses of parton distributions is given. The review focuses on three experimental areas: fixed-target results and their constraints on the parton densities at high $x$; spin structure and spin parton densities as well as the status of the associated sum rules; HERA results on the dynamics of $F_2$ at low $(x,Q^2)$, charm and $F_L$ as well as the measurement and interpretation of the high-$Q^2$ neutral and charged current cross-sections.