MODIFIED PARTON DISTRIBUTIONS AND THE HERA HIGH-Q(2) ANOMALY

A recent proposal seeks to explain the anomaly in the HERA high-Q(2) n eutral current e(+) p data by modifying the parton distribution functi ons at moderate-to-high-x and large Q(2). We investigate the consequen ces of this proposal for the HERA high-Q(2) data itself, in the neutra l current e(-) p channel and especially in the charged current e(+/-)p channels. We find that there are striking signatures in the charged c urrent which already serve to rule out many possibilities, including t he (symmetric) intrinsic charm hypothesis. For those not ruled out, in teresting signals are predicted in e(-) p scattering. (C) 1997 Elsevie r Science B.V.