How to measure the charm density in the proton

Abstract

We study two experimental ways to measure the heavy-quark content of the proton: using the Callan-Gross ratio R(x, Q ²) = F _L /F _T and/or the azimuthal cos(2φ) asymmetry in DIS. Our approach is based on the following observations. First, the ratio R(x, Q ²) = F _L /F _T and azimuthal cos(2φ) asymmetry in heavy-quark leptoproduction are stable, both parametrically and perturbatively, within pQCD. Second, both these quantities are sensitive to resummation of the mass logarithms of the type α_sln(Q ²/m ²). We conclude that the heavy-quark densities in the nucleon can, in principle, be determined from high-Q ² data on the Callan-Gross ratio and/or the azimuthal asymmetry. In particular, the charm content of the proton can be measured in future studies at the proposed Large Hadron-Electron (LHeC) and Electron-Ion (EIC) Colliders.