The 3-, 4-, and 5-flavor NNLO parton distributions functions from deep-inelastic-scattering data and at hadron colliders

We determine the parton distribution functions (PDFs) in a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD-analysis of the inclusive neutral-current deep-inelastic-scattering (DIS) world data combined with the neutrino-nucleon DIS di-muon data and the fixed-target Drell-Yan data. The PDF-evolution is performed in the Nf = 3 fixed-flavor scheme and supplementary sets of PDFs in the 4- and 5-flavor schemes are derived from the results in the 3-flavor scheme using matching conditions. The charm-quark DIS contribution is calculated in a general-mass variable-flavor-number (GMVFN) scheme interpolating between the zero mass 4-flavor scheme at asymptotically large values of momentum transfer Q2 and the 3-flavor scheme prescription of Buza-Matiounine-Smith-van Neerven (BMSN) at the value of Q2 = mc2. The results in the GMVFN scheme are compared with those of the fixed-flavor scheme and other prescriptions used in global fits of PDFs. The strong coupling constant is measured at an accuracy of ∼ 1.5%. We obtain at NNLO αs(MZ2)=0.1135±0.0014 in the fixed-flavor scheme and αs(MZ2)=0.1129±0.0014 applying the BMSN-prescription. The implications for important standard candle and hard scattering processes at hadron colliders are illustrated. Predictions for cross sections of W±- and Z-boson, the top-quark pair- and Higgs-boson production at the Tevatron and the LHC based on the 5-flavor PDFs of the present analysis are provided. (orig.)