Perturbative stability of the QCD predictions for the ratio $R=F_L/F_T$ and azimuthal asymmetry in heavy-quark leptoproduction

Abstract: We analyze the perturbative and parametric stability of the QCD predictions for the Callan-Gross ratio $R(x,Q^2)=F_L/F_T$ and azimuthal $\cos(2\varphi)$ asymmetry in heavy-quark leptoproduction. Our analysis shows that large radiative corrections to the structure functions cancel each other in their ratio $R(x,Q^2)$ and azimuthal asymmetry with good accuracy. As a result, the NLO contributions to the Callan-Gross ratio and $\cos(2\varphi)$ asymmetry are less than 10% in a wide region of the variables $x$ and $Q^2$. We provide compact analytic predictions for $R(x,Q^2)$ and asymmetry in the case of low $x\ll 1$. Simple formulae connecting the high-energy behavior of the Callan-Gross ratio and azimuthal asymmetry with the low-$x$ asymptotics of the gluon density in the target are derived. It is shown that the obtained hadron-level predictions for $R(x,Q^2)$ and azimuthal asymmetry are stable at $x\ll 1$ under the DGLAP evolution of the gluon distribution function. Concerning the experimental aspects, we propose to exploit the observed perturbative stability of the Callan-Gross ratio and $\cos(2\varphi)$ asymmetry in the extraction of the structure functions from the corresponding reduced cross sections. In particular, our obtained analytic expressions simplify essentially the determination of $F_2^c(x,Q^2)$ and $F_2^b(x,Q^2)$ from available data of the H1 Collaboration. Our results will also be useful in extraction of the azimuthal asymmetries from the incoming and future data on heavy-quark leptoproduction.