A precise measurement of the inclusive deep-inelastic e^+p scattering cross section is reported in the kinematic range 1.5<= Q^2 <=150 GeV^2 and 3*10^(-5)<= x <=0.2. The data were recorded with the H1 detector at HERA in 1996 and 1997, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20 pb^(-1). The double differential cross section, from which the proton structure function F_2(x,Q^2) and the longitudinal structure function F_L(x,Q^2) are extracted, is measured with typically 1% statistical and 3% systematic uncertainties. The measured partial derivative (dF_2(x,Q^2)/dln Q^2)_x is observed to rise continuously towards small x for fixed Q^2. The cross section data are combined with published H1 measurements at high Q^2 for a next-to-leading order DGLAP QCD analysis.The H1 data determine the gluon momentum distribution in the range 3*10^(-4)<= x <=0.1 to within an experimental accuracy of about 3% for Q^2 =20 GeV^2. A fit of the H1 measurements and the mu p data of the BCDMS collaboration allows the strong coupling constant alpha_s and the gluon distribution to be simultaneously determined. A value of alpha _s(M_Z^2)=0.1150+-0.0017 (exp) +0.0009-0.0005 (model) is obtained in NLO, with an additional theoretical uncertainty of about +-0.005, mainly due to the uncertainty of the renormalisation scale.
The reduced deep inelastic cross section , and F2, with data taken in the dedicated low Q**2 trigger run of 1997. For y < 0.6, F2 is extracted using the quoted values of R, defined from a QCD fit to the H1 cross section data. The firstDSYS error is the uncorrelated systematic error, and the second is the correlat ed systematic error.
The reduced deep inelastic cross section , and F2, with data taken in 1996/97. For y < 0.6, F2 is extracted using the quoted values of R, defined from a QCD fit to the H1 cross section data. The first DSYS error is the uncorrelated systematic error, and the second is the correlated systematic error.
The measured value of the reduced cross section derivative D(SIG(C=REDUCED))/DLN(Y) calculated at fixed Q**2 bins. The data below 13.5 GeV come from the special low Q**2 run in 1997. The larger Q**2 come from the 1996/97 data.
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