QCD analysis of the diffractive structure function F_2^{D(3)}

24 pagesThe proton diffractive structure function $F_2^{D(3)}$ measured in the H1 and ZEUS experiments at HERA is analyzed in terms of both Regge phenomenology and perturbative QCD evolution. A new method determines the values of the Regge intercepts in ``hard'' diffraction, confirming a higher value of the Pomeron intercept than for soft physics. The data are well described by a QCD analysis in which point-like parton distributions, evolving according to the DGLAP equations, are assigned to the leading and sub-leading Regge exchanges. The gluon distributions are found to be quite different for H1 and ZEUS. A {\it global fit} analysis, where a higher twist component is taken from models, allows us to use data in the whole available range in diffractive mass and gives a stable answer for the leading twist contribution. We give sets of quark and gluon parton distributions for the Pomeron, and predictions for the charm and the longitudinal proton diffractive structure function from the QCD fit. An extrapolation to the Tevatron range is compared with CDF data on single diffraction. Conclusions on factorization breaking depend critically whether H1 (strong violation) or ZEUS (compatibility at low $\beta$) fits are taken into account