An Intuitive Semiclassical Picture of Proton Structure at Small x

Abstract

A semiclassical description of structure functions in DIS at small $x$ is presented. It gives an intuitive picture of the transition from the Double Leading Log approximation at large $Q^2$, to the powerlike dependence on $x$ in the BFKL region at limited $Q^2$. Formal derivations from perturbative QCD, e.g. in the BFKL or the CCFM formalisms, are technically complicated, and therefore such an intuitive picture may be valuable and possibly helpful in the work towards a better understanding of DIS, and of the strong interaction in general.