The Theory of Deeply Inelastic Scattering

Understand

The nucleon structure functions probed in deep-inelastic scattering at large virtualities form an important tool to test Quantum Chromdynamics (QCD) through precision measurements of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s(M_Z^2)$ and the different parton distribution functions.

• The exact knowledge of these quantities is also of importance for all precision measurements at hadron colliders.
• During the last two decades very significant progress has been made in performing precision calculations.
• We review the theoretical status reached for both unpolarized and polarized lepton-hadron scattering based on perturbative QCD.