QCD analysis of experimental polarized deep-inelastic-scattering data

A detailed review of the current state of investigations into polarized deep inelastic scattering (DIS) is presented. Special attention is given to the methods of the QCD analysis of experimental data on these processes and to the methods of extrapolation of polarized structure functions and polarized quark distributions in the regions inaccessible to current experiments. In the case of pure inclusive processes, the QCD analysis of all worldwide data, including the latest COMPASS data, is presented in detail. Special attention is given to such important components of the nucleon-spin problem as the polarized strangeness and polarized gluon distribution. The features of SIDIS processes are considered; in particular, the role of fragmentation functions in the analysis of the semi-inclusive data is discussed. The methods of extracting the fragmentation functions from experimental data are considered in detail, and the corresponding results are presented. The results of analysis of the existing semi-inclusive polarized data both in the QCD leading order and in the next-to-leading order are considered. Special attention is given to non-standard, so-called difference asymmetries, which make it possible to minimize the dependence of results of analysis on the fragmentation functions. The current methods of QCD analysis of semi-inclusive polarized data are critically reviewed. An alternative method of QCD analysis of semi-inclusive data is presented for next-to-leading order QCD. Advantages of the method in practical applications are illustrated by the example of analysis of the HERMES data.