Benchmark of deep-inelastic-scattering structure functions at  $$\mathcal {O}\left( \alpha _s ^3\right) $$ O α s 3

Abstract

Abstract We present a benchmark comparison of the massless inclusive deep-inelastic-scattering (DIS) structure functions up to $$\mathcal {O}(\alpha _s ^3)$$ O ( α s 3 ) in perturbative QCD. The comparison is performed using the codes apfel++ and hoppet within the framework of the variable-flavour-number scheme and over a broad kinematic range relevant to the extraction of parton distribution functions. We provide results for both the single structure functions and the reduced cross sections in both neutral- and charged-current DIS. Look-up tables for future reference are included, and we also release the code used for the benchmark.