Combination of Differential D^{*\pm} Cross-Section Measurements in Deep-Inelastic ep Scattering at HERA

H1 and ZEUS have published single-differential cross sections for inclusive D^{\pm}-meson production in deep-inelastic ep scattering at HERA from their respective final data sets. These cross sections are combined in the common visible phase-space region of photon virtuality Q2 > 5 GeV2, electron inelasticity 0.02 < y < 0.7 and the D^{\pm} meson’s transverse momentum pT (D^) > 1.5 GeV and pseudorapidity |eta(D^)| < 1.5. The combination procedure takes into account all correlations, yielding significantly reduced experimental uncertainties. Double-differential cross sections d2s /dQ2dy are combined with earlier D^{*\pm} data, extending the kinematic range down to Q2 > 1.5 GeV2. Perturbative next-to-leadingorder QCD predictions are compared to the results.