Eikonal description of nucleon-nucleon polarizations

Nucleon-nucleon elastic polarization data are analyzed within an eikonal framework in the range 6?plab?45 GeV/c and |t| 2.5 GeV/V². The isovector component is found to be dominated by a nearly exchange degenerate ρ-A₂ contribution while the isoscalar part requires both a lower lying Regge-pole exchange and an asymptotic pomeron contribution.     

Vacuum structure and diffraction scattering

A simple model of the vacuum is developed in order to explain the properties of the pomeron observed in experiments. In the model, pomeron exchange corresponds to two-gluon exchange. We explain how it can be that when the pomeron couples to a hadron, the two gluons couple predominantly to the same quark in the hadron, and how together their coupling is similar to that of aC=1 isoscalar photon.     

The problem of the relation between double pomeron exchange in inclusive and exclusive experiments

The pionization region of the inclusive single-particle spectrum is accounted for by double pomeron exchange in the absorptive part of a six-point amplitude. In this paper a multiperipheral model for the six-point amplitude with double pomeron exchange is used for continuation by crossing and analyticity to the physical region of the exclusive two particle → four particle production process. The cross section for π^? p → π^?(π⁺π^?)p in the double-Regge region is then calculated and compared with the experimental analysis of Lipes, Zweig and Robertson which sets an upper bound to the strength of the double pomeron exchange coupling. This upper bound, coupled with the model for continuation to the inclusive cross section, is shown to give too small a magnitude for the double pomeron exchange in the pionization region. Further avenues for investigation are discussed.     

Diffractive resonance production and f-dominance of the pomeron

A model for predicting diffractive production of meson resonances is presented. From a study of the s and t dependence of the available cross section and density matrix data, we deduce that the assumption of f, f′ dominance of the pomeron is violated. Relative to elastic scattering, where f, f′ dominance works well, the pomeron component in these inelastic processes appears to be about one half as strong in amplitude.     

Double pomeron exchange in high-energy pp collisions

The double pomeron exchange cross section in high-energy pp collisions is analyzed in detail for different phase-space cuts. The ratio of double pomeron exchange signal to diffraction dissociation background is examined as a function of s. The theoretical predictions are found to be in excellent agreement with the recent results of the experiments at the CERN ISR. The properties of the central cluster as well as the predictions for high energies are discussed.     

Bethe-Salpeter equations forq $$\bar q$$ andqqq systems in the instantaneous approximation

We consider a model for elastic scattering and inelastic diffractive production at high energy, which is inspired by Quantum Chromodynamics. The pomeron arises in our model from gluon exchange between quark constituents. The color-neutrality of each hadron implies strong cancellations among the gluon exchanges. Hence our model is “subtractive”, in contrast to the old “additive” quark model. The subtractive model provides a natural explanation for the large cross section which is observed for diffractive dissociation. We show that multiple gluon exchange contributes significantly, alongside two gluon exchange, in building the pomeron.     

A generalized reggeon field theory incorporating hard scattering effects

Guided by the parton interpretation of RFT and by QCD, we propose an RFT where the pomeron field depends both onb and onQ ², the bare propagator describing an inhomogenous random walk inb and in lnQ ². Here,Q ² measures the virtuality of the inelastic processes which generate the pomeron exchange amplitude as their shadow. The asymptotic behaviour of such a theory should be different from that of standard RFT, at and above the critical point. Arguments are given in favour of a supercritical pomeron.     

Diffractive production of dijets at HERA

We investigate the production of a quark-antiquark pair in diffractive photon-proton scattering, approximating soft pomeron exchange by the exchange of two nonperturbative gluons. In deep inelastic scattering at HERA, events with two jets and the scattered proton in the final state are predicted to be observable, with an important contribution from charm production. For photoproduction of light quark jets with high transverse momentum we find that both exchanged gluons must have a large invariant mass, so that the cross section is very small, whereas for charm quarks it is quite appreciable. From our calculation we also extract the quark structure function of the pomeron for the scaling variablez no too close to 0 or 1, finding a strong flavour dependence and a behaviour somewhat harder thanz(1?z) for light quarks.     

Spin effects in proton-proton elastic scattering near the forward direction

We have analysed the several sets of experimental data on pp elastic scattering in the Coulomb interference region in the range p_lab between 9 and 500 GeV/c, in order to estimate the size of the spin dependent part of the strong amplitude. Calling β the ratio of this spin-dependent part to the spin-dependent amplitude in the forward direction, we find all the data strongly suggest but do not conclusively prove a non-negligible β whose value is around 10% and approximately constant with energy. This result cannot be explained theoretically in terms of exchange of any simple factorising Regge pole. We suggest important pomeron cut contributions. Implications of our analysis for some experiments at ISR energies which appear to give rising total cross sections are discussed.     

Characteristics of double-pomeron exchange

A detailed kinematic study is made of the cross section for double-pomeron exchange. We consider reactions of the type a + b → c + d + (h₁ + h₂ + …) where a → c and b → d are quasi-elastic transitions with limited momentum transfer and (h₁ + h₂ + …) is a centrally produced hadron cluster. The dependence of the cross section on the relative azimuthal angle φ between the final hadrons c and d provides an important test for double-pomeron exchange. We calculate this φ-dependence for all cases of interest, using a model in which pomeron exchange is represented by an effective current-current interaction. For limited momentum transfer, where the pomeron spin is nearly equal to one, this model is equivalent to Reggeized pomeron exchange. We give a complete formalism for the partial-wave analysis of the double-pomeron reaction ab → cd + h₁₂ which differs from the one given by Rushbrooke and Webber. Furthermore, we discuss the two-pomeron vertex, and the construction of detailed and realistic models for double-pomeron reactions.     

Regge-cut discontinuity equations and self-consistent solutions for multi-pomeron cuts

Using the results on the n-reggeon cut obtained by Gribov, Pomeranchuk and Ter-Martirosyan, we construct formal solutions for a two-particle scattering amplitude involving the exchange of a pomeron and multi-pomeron cuts.     

Unitarisation and black-disk limit at the LHC in the presence of a hard pomeron

Recent models of soft diffraction include a hard pomeron pole besides the usual soft term. Such models violate the black-disk limit around Tevatron energies, so that they need to be supplemented by a unitarisation scheme. Two standard schemes are considered in this Letter, and we show that they lead to an uncertainty at the LHC much larger than previously estimated. We also examine the signature of unitarisation on various small-t observables, the slope in t of the elastic cross section, or the ratio of the real to imaginary parts of the scattering amplitude, and show that the existence of a unitarised hard pomeron in soft scattering may be confirmed by LHC data.     

Search for glue balls in a pomeron pomeron scattering experiment

The exclusive reactionpp→ppπ⁺ π^? has been studied using the SFM spectrometer at ISR energies of \(\sqrt s = 24\) and 63 GeV. The cross section in the double pomeron exchange region defined by |x _p |>0.9, |y _π |<1 is 28±6, 23(+13, ?6) and 29(+29, ?10)μb, respectively. The ππ mass spectrum is dominated by an 1/m _ππ ² part, as expected for pomeron pomeron scattering. In addition, thef(1, 270) resonance is clearly distinguished. There are no further resonance signals, which could be assigned to glueball candidates expected in the 1,000 MeV region. Compared to photon photon scattering, the ratio of continuum tof-resonance production cross sections is significantly larger in pomeron pomeron scattering.     

Inelastic shadow correction for hadron-deuteron elastic scattering

We calculate the inelastic screening effect in hadron-deuteron elastic scattering, using a new technique. The main idea is to calculate explicitly the complex cut integral in the M² plane, using an ansatz for the asymptotic behaviour of the six-point amplitude. In the hypothesis of pomeron dominance that contribution is real and small.     

A new interpretation of the absorption mechanism for high energy scattering

We propose a new s-channel absorption mechanism for high energy processes. A possible small dimensionless physical quantity naturally emerges. Consequently, the proposed s-channel equation can accommodate, at present energies, an elastic amplitude dominated by a simple factorizable bare pomeron pole, as in the t-channel perturbative expansion of the Gribov's Reggeon calculus in the strong coupling limit.     

Diffractive scattering in the dual model

A method is suggested for calculating the elastic amplitude as the shadow of multiparticle processes. This does not require explicit formulae for the production amplitudes, but depends only on the following assumptions: (a) Regge behaviour, (b) semi-local duality, (c) exchange degeneracy. The system is multiperipheral in general structure but because of the assumption (a)-(c), it incorporates such features as the clustering of final particles and provides a proper treatment of quantum numbers, phases, and resonance spins. As a result, the unitarity sum separates automatically into two components corresponding respectively to pomeron and ordinary reggeon exchange, each of which is seen to have the correct qualitative dependence on the quantum numbers, the energy s, and the momentum transfer t. Quantitatively, the elastic amplitude is given in terms of a triple-Regge vertex, for which we suggest a simple parametization based on a detailed study of existing experiment and the Veneziano model. The method is then applied to calculate the elastic amplitudes for π^±p, K^±p and pp within the range 6 < s < 50 and 0 > t > ?0.5 GeV². Semi-quantitative agreement is obtained with experiment with essentially no free parameter. Although the investigation is restricted at present to elastic scattering as the shadow of only the non-diffractive component satisfying (a)-(c), the method is believed to apply also to other diffractive processes, and may be regarded as the first step in an iterative solution of the full unitarity equation.     

Models for high-energy inclusive processes and screening in deuterium

The screening correction to the high energy (p_lab > 10 GeV/c) elastic hadron-deuteron scattering amplitude is discussed. It is found that the correction cannot completely be calculated using as input only the data for cross sections of inclusive reactions on free nucleons. Nevertheless measurements of high energy screening corrections provide sensitive tests for models of inclusive processes. In particular elastic screening does not dominate over the inelastic screening if, as indicated by recent fits, the triple pomeron coupling does not vanish for three mass-zero pomerons. If this is the case, the theory of high energy elastic scattering on heavier nuclei would have to be reconsidered. The discussion is illustrated by a numerical calculation for elastic πd scattering in the 10GeV–2000 GeV energy range.     

Flavouring the Gribov process

The exchange of flavour carrying trajectories is studied in the non-covariant parton interpretation of reggeon field theory. While pomeron exchange is described by wee partondensities, i.e. diagonal elements of the density matrix of a fast hadron, meson exchange is described by density matrix elements which are diagonal in parton number but off-diagonal in flavour. The reggeon field theory “hamiltonian” describes a markoffian evolution of this block-diagonal density matrix during a boost. This interpretation is possible both if there are two distinctf and ? trajectories and in case of ? identity. The meson trajectories are superpositions of odd and even signature trajectories.