A PARTON MODEL FOR DIFFRACTIVE PROCESSES IN DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING

We demonstrate that the global properties of the ``rapidity gap'' events, observed at HERA, can be understood based on electron-gluon scattering as the underlying partonic process. Using the measured inclusive structure function $F_2$ to determine the parameters of the parton model, the diffractive structure function $F_2^D$ is predicted. The ratio of diffractive and inclusive cross sections, $R_D = \sigma_D/\sigma_{incl}\simeq 1/9$, is determined by the probability of the produced quark-antiquark pair to evolve into a colour singlet state. This colour singlet cluster may fragment into hadrons independently of the proton remnant, yielding the observed gap in rapidity.