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The deep inelastic scattering process contains a virtual photon exchanged between the Electron and the hadron:

Use an electromagnetic vector current $J^{\mu }$ containing the dimensionless quark charges, with the coupling $e$ factored out. The scattering amplitude, up to an irrelevant phase, isTo match the printed prefactor, define the leptonic tensor with a spin sum over both Electron spins and keep the initial spin average $1/2$ outside it. The gamma-matrix trace givesFor a stationary target and massless Electron, the invariant flux factor is $4ME$. The inclusive final-state Lorentz-invariant phase-space measure and target spin average are contained in $4\pi W_H^{\mu \nu }$. Thus the differential scattering cross-section isHere $q^4$ means $(q^2{)}^2$. If the initial spin average is instead built into the leptonic tensor, its normalization is $2(\cdots )$ and the displayed cross-section prefactor must be doubled. The two conventions give the same observable.

On the physical positive-energy branch, put $\omega =q^0+\xi E_P$. The massless outgoing parton obeysSince $E_{k^{\prime }}=\omega >0$ on the support and $\nu >0$, the positive-energy on-shell delta function identity givesInsert this into the parton model sum, and writeThe parton distribution functions $q_f,{\bar{q}}_f$ are number densities in momentum fraction. The contributing tensor becomesComparing with part (b), under the same leptonic tensor contraction, givesThis is the Callan-Gross relation for massless partons of spin angular momentum $1/2$ at leading order. The longitudinal deep-inelastic structure function is $F_L=F_2-2x{F}_1=0$ in this approximation. Target-mass effects and radiative Quantum chromodynamics corrections can change the relation. The leading parton model also gives Bjorken scaling: at this level the deep-inelastic structure functions depend on $x$ alone.

Use the massless collinear parton approximation in a high-energy frame: $P^2=0$, $k=\xi P$, and $k^{\prime }=\xi P+q$ with $k^{\prime 2}=0$. This neglects target-mass corrections to the parton model; it does not literally set a stationary massive target to a massless particle in the earlier flux formula.

For a quark of dimensionless charge $Q_f$, the electromagnetic vector current matrix element is $Q_f\bar{u}(k^{\prime }){\gamma }^{\mu }u(k)$. The spin average and gamma-matrix trace giveIntegrating the three-momentum Dirac delta function in the parton hadronic tensor leavesSince $k\cdot k^{\prime }=\xi \nu$, this isFor the massless Electron momenta, $p^2=p^{\prime 2}=0$ and $q=p-p^{\prime }$. Substitution into the leptonic tensor givesand likewise $q^{\nu }{L}_{\mu \nu }=0$. These Ward identities eliminate every term with an exposed $q$ index in the contraction. ThereforeHere $\doteq$ means equality after contraction with the leptonic tensor. The shortened tensor is not itself conserved; the omitted terms restore current conservation in the full hadronic tensor.