PDF at small $x$ in the non-perturbative region

Parton distribution function (PDF) at small $x$ in a fast-moving proton is investigated within an upgraded parton model that includes parton splitting with branching cascades and parton fusion. In the region of moderately small $x$, we obtain a power-law behavior of the parton density $x f(x)$ with an exponent proportional to the logarithm of the probability of parton splitting. Taking into account parton fusion leads to a nonlinear equation for the PDF. In the region of very small $x$, the phenomenon of saturation of the parton density is detected and a model estimate of its value in this regime is obtained. The results are compared with those obtained previously based on the analysis of equations in logarithmic approximations of perturbative QCD.