Measurement of the inclusive ep scattering cross section at low Q 2 and x at HERA

A measurement of the inclusive ep scattering cross section is presented in the region of low momentum transfers, 0.2 GeV2 a parts per thousand currency signQ (2)a parts per thousand currency sign12 GeV2, and low Bjorken x, 5a <...10(-6)a parts per thousand currency signxa parts per thousand currency sign0.02. The result is based on two data sets collected in dedicated runs by the H1 Collaboration at HERA at beam energies of 27.6 GeV and 920 GeV for positrons and protons, respectively. A combination with data previously published by H1 leads to a cross section measurement of a few percent accuracy. A kinematic reconstruction method exploiting radiative ep events extends the measurement to lower Q (2) and larger x. The data are compared with theoretical models which apply to the transition region from photoproduction to deep inelastic scattering.