Planck formula for the gluon parton distribution in the proton

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the gluon parton distribution function (PDF) in the proton, deduced by data from the ATLAS and HERA experiments, in the framework of the parton statistical model. The best fit parameters involved in the Planck formula that describes the gluon distribution are consistent with the results obtained from analysis of LHC deep inelastic proton–proton scattering processes. Remarkably, the agreement between the statistical model and the experimental gluon distributions is obtained with the same value of the “temperature” parameter [Formula: see text] found by fitting the valence parton distributions from deep inelastic scattering. This result corroborates the validity of the statistical approach in the gluon sector.