High Q² Behavior of the Proton Structure Function through the Balitsky-Kovchegov Equation

Numerous experimental and theoretical investigations have highlighted the power law behavior of the proton structure function F₂(x, Q²), particularly the dependence of its power constant on various kinematic variables. In this study, we analyze the proton structure function F₂ employing the analytical solution of the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation, with a focus on the high Q² regime and small x domains. Our results indicate that as Q² increases, the slope parameter λ, which characterizes the growth rate of F₂, exhibits a gradual decrease, approaching a limiting value of λ ≈ 0.41 ±0.01 for large Q². We suggest that this behavior of λ may be attributed to mechanisms such as gluon overlap and the suppression of phase space growth. To substantiate these conclusions, further high-precision electron-ion collision experiments are required, encompassing a broad range of Q² and x.