Parton distributions extracted from data on deep-inelastic lepton scattering, prompt photon production, and the Drell-Yan process

Abstract

We present a next-to-leading-order QCD structure-function analysis of deep-inelastic muon and neutrino scattering data. In particular, we incorporate new $\frac{F_2^{\mu n}}{F_2^{\mu p}}$ data and take account of a recent reanalysis of SLAC data. The fit is performed simultaneously with next-to-leading-order fits to recent prompt photon and Drell-Yan data. As a result we are able to place tighter constraints on the quark and gluon distributions. Two definitive sets of parton distributions are presented according to whether the European Muon Collaboration or Bologna-CERN-Dubna-Munich-Saclay Collaboration muon data are included in the global fit. Comparisons with distributions obtained in earlier analyses are made and the consistency of data sets is investigated.