Cross sections for e^-p neutral current deep inelastic scattering have been measured at a centre-of-mass energy of 318 GeV using an integrated luminosity of 15.9 pb^-1 collected with the ZEUS detector at HERA. Results on the double-differential cross-section d^2s/dxdQ^2 in the range 185 < Q^2 < 50000 GeV^2 and 0.0037 < x < 0.75, as well as the single-differential cross-sections ds/dQ^2, ds/dx and ds/dy for Q^2 > 200 GeV^2, are presented. To study the effect of Z-boson exchange, ds/dx has also been measured for Q^2 > 10000 GeV^2. The structure function xF_3 has been extracted by combining the e^-p results presented here with the recent ZEUS measurements of e^+p neutral current deep inelastic scattering. All results agree well with the predictions of the Standard Model.
Details of the systematic uncertainties in the reduced cross section measurement.
Measurements of neutral current cross sections for deep inelastic scattering in e+p collisions at HERA with a longitudinally polarised positron beam are presented. The single-differential cross-sections d(sigma)/dQ2, d(sigma)/dx and d(sigma)/dy and the reduced cross-section were measured in the kinematic region Q2 > 185 GeV2 and y < 0.9, where Q2 is the four-momentum transfer squared, x the Bjorken scaling variable, and y the inelasticity of the interaction. The measurements were performed separately for positively and negatively polarised positron beams. The measurements are based on an integrated luminosity of 135.5 pb-1 collected with the ZEUS detector in 2006 and 2007 at a centre-of-mass energy of 318 GeV. The structure functions F3 and F3(gamma)Z were determined by combining the e+p results presented in this paper with previously published e-p neutral current results. The asymmetry parameter A+ is used to demonstrate the parity violation predicted in electroweak interactions. The measurements are well described by the predictions of the Standard Model.
The structure function xF3 at Q^2=1500, 2000 and 3000 GeV^2 extracted using this data at Pe=0 and previously published NC E-P DIS data.