Perturbative QCD and Regge theory: closing the circle

We explain how Regge theory and perturbative evolution may be made compatible at small x. The result not only gives striking support to the two-pomeron description of small-x behaviour, but gives a rather clean test of perturbative QCD itself. When x is very small, or Q^2 is very large, the proton’s gluon distribution function is significantly larger than is commonly believed. Perturbative evolution is invalid below Q^2\approx 5 GeV^2.