TOWARDS A UNIFIED DESCRIPTION OF TOTAL AND DIFFRACTIVE STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS AT DESY HERA IN THE QCD DIPOLE PICTURE

It is argued that the QCD dipole picture allows us to build a unified theoretical description, based on Balitskii-Fadin-Kuraev-lipatov dynam ics, of the total and diffractive nucleon structure functions. This de scription is in qualitative agreement with the present collection of d ata obtained by the H1 Collaboration. More precise theoretical estimat es, in particular the determination of the normalizations and proton t ransverse momentum behavior of the diffractive components, are shown t o be required in order to reach definite conclusions.