The next-to-leading order (NLO) gluon distribution from DGLAP equation and the logarithmic derivatives of the proton structure functionF 2(x, Q 2) at lowx

At lowx, an analytic solution of the DGLAP equation for gluon in the next-to-leading order (NLO) is obtained by applying the method of characteristics. Its compatibility with double leading logarithmic approximation (DLLA) asymptotics is discussed and comparison with the exact ones like GRV98NLO is made. The solution is then utilized to calculate the derivatives∂F ₂ (x,Q ²)/∂ lnQ ² and ∂ lnF ₂(x,Q ²)/∂ ln (1/x) and compared with the recent HERA data. Our solution is found to reproduce most of the essential features of the data on the derivatives.