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.     

Pomeron factorization in general dual models

We demonstrate that in each ghost-free dual model with one minor restriction, there exists a critical dimensionality of space-time in which the pomeron singularity becomes a factorizable Regge pole. In each model when this dimensionality is chosen, the pomeron emerges with twice the intercept and half the slope of the leading secondary (f) trajectory. We explicitly construct the pomeron propagator and the operator coupling the pomeron to the reggeon sector for the general dual model, including the lower-lying negative-G-parity pomeron in the Neveu-Schwarz model. Gauge identities and physical states in the pomeron sector are also investigated. In all of the dual models the pomeron form factors exhibit a generalized f dominance and modified Wu-Yang behavior.     

Probing the structure of the pomeron

We suggest that the pseudo-rapidity cut dependence of diffractive deep-inelastic scattering events at HERA may provide a sensitive test of models of diffraction. A comparison with the experimental cross section shows that the Donnachie-Landshoff model and a simple two-gluon exchange model of the pomeron model are disfavoured. However a model with a direct coupling of the pomeron to quarks is viable for a harder quark–pomeron form factor, as is a model based on the leading-twist operator contribution. We also consider a direct-coupling scalar pomeron model. We comment on the implications of these results for the determination of the partonic structure of the pomeron. Received: 5 March 1999 / Published online: 3 August 1999     

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 content of unitarity constraints on a pomeron pole of intercept one

We present a consistent picture of a pomeron pole with intercept one, together with its cuts, which evades the decoupling arguments. We use the reggeon cut discontinuity formulae to introduce Gribov's reggeon calculus as an exact solution of multiparticle t-channel unitarity. We show how, within the calculus, two-pomeron iterations of a singular kernel can be responsible for the zero in the triple-pomeron vertex. Using the concept of a bare pomeron pole as a multiperipheral production process which is subsequently renormalised by other effects, we apply the reggeon calculus analysis to inclusive cross sections. We find that the inclusive sum rule decoupling arguments are avoided because of the addition of enhanced absorptive corrections to the conventional Regge pole contributions. However, we show that in this picture the combined pole and two-pomeron cut contribution to the total cross section factories to order (ln s)^?2.We also show that, when the correct helicity structure of the pomeron is taken into account, the s-channel unitarity condition for pomeron scattering amplitudes does not lead to any serious decouplings.     

Photon contribution to the “super-hard” pomeron

It is shown that direct photons provide a leading twist mechanism for diffractive jet production in which the jets carry away all of the momentum lost by the proton. Two-photon processes are thus expected to asymptotically dominate “super-hard” pomeron events in ep collisions. We report the expected rates from these events for recent ZEUS and H1 data cuts. We also estimate the direct photon contribution to the “super-hard” pomeron events observed by the CERN UA8 group for collisions. It is again argued that direct photons are the leading mechanism for these events. We find that direct photons are an appreciable fraction of the events seen by UA8.     

QCD instantons and the soft pomeron

We study the rôle of semiclassical QCD vacuum solutions in high-energy scattering by considering the instanton contribution to hadronic cross sections. We propose a new type of instanton-induced interactions (“instanton ladder”) that leads to the rising with energy cross section σs^Δ of Regge type (the pomeron). We argue that this interaction may be responsible for the structure of the soft pomeron. The intercept Δ>0 is calculated. It has a nonanalytic dependence on the strong coupling constant, allowing a nonsingular continuation into the nonperturbative region. We derive the pomeron trajectory, which appears to be approximately linear in some range of (negative) momentum transfer t, but exhibits a curvature at small t. Possible rôle of instantons in multiparticle production is also discussed.     

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.     

Forward gluon production in hadron–hadron scattering with pomeron loops

We discuss new physical phenomena expected in particle production in hadron–hadron collisions at high energy, as a consequence of pomeron loop effects in the evolution equations for the color glass condensate. We focus on gluon production in asymmetric, ‘dilute–dense’, collisions: a dilute projectile scatters off a dense hadronic target, whose gluon distribution is highly evolved. This situation is representative for particle production in proton–proton collisions at forward rapidities (say, at LHC) and admits a dipole factorization similar to that of deep inelastic scattering (DIS). We show that at sufficiently large forward rapidities, where the pomeron loop effects become important in the evolution of the target wavefunction, gluon production is dominated by ‘black spots’ (saturated gluon configurations) up to very large values of the transverse momentum, well above the average saturation momentum in the target. In this regime, the produced gluon spectrum exhibits diffusive scaling, so like DIS at sufficiently high energy.     

High-mass diffraction and Regge behavior of total cross sections

We consider a modified two-component model of particle production in which diffractive excitation into high mass states gives a contribution to K^±p, π^±p and pp total cross sections of sufficient magnitude and with the proper associated threshold to be a possible explanation of deviations of σ_tot from Regge pole model fits at Serpukhov energies. We present tests of the model. for K⁺p scattering by extrapolating σ_tot to National Accelerator Laboratory energies and by calculating the high mass diffraction contribution to the forward peak in inclusive reactions. The consistency of this scheme is discussed in relation to the pomeron intercept and the form of the triple-pomeron coupling.     

On the Nikolaev-Zakharov-Zoller form for the BFKL pomeron

The equation proposed by N.N. Nikolaev, B.G. Zakharov and V.R. Zoller for the colour dipole cross-section is compared with the BFKL equation for the hard pomeron for theSU(2) colour group. It is demonstrated that for a fixed coupling constant the difference between the two equations is due to a different manner to introduce the gluon mass.     

Triple pomeron vertex in the limit N_c\rightarrow\infty

In the hard pomeron theory with the number of colours the diffractive amplitude obtained in [3] is compared with the results found for in [1] and in the dipole approach in [5]. It is shown that the double pomeron exchange contribution can be substituted by an equivalent triple pomeron interaction term. After such a substitution the triple pomeron vertices in [1,3,5] essentially coincide. It is demonstrated that, in any form, the triple pomeron vertex is conformal invariant. It is also shown that higher order densities in the dipole approach do not involve 1 to k pomeron verteces with but are rather given by a set of pomeron fan diagrams with only a triple pomeron coupling. Received: 11 December 1997 / Revised version: 6 February 1998 / Published online: 7 August 1998     

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.     

Dual properties of inclusive spectra

The dual properties of the inclusive reaction π^?p → pX are studied over a wide energy range by exploiting the scaling behaviour. Semi-local duality is found to be well satisfied. An energy-dependent triple-Regge analysis reveals a strong triple-pomeron coupling. There is some evidence of an abnormal component in which diffractively produced resonances are dual to pomeron exchange. Combining duality with factorization leads to relations between production cross sections of meson and baryon resonances in πp and pp collisions, which are compatible with existing experimental data.     

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.     

Pomeron structure function and diffraction dissociation of virtual photons in perturbative QCD

We study scaling properties of the diffraction dissociation of virtual photons in a deep inelastic scattering. We concentrate on the total diffraction dissociation rate, diffraction excitation mass spectrum and the pomeron structure function to the lowest order in perturbative QCD. We calculate the valence structure function and the strangeness and charm content of the pomeron and estimate the ocean structure function using the pomeron factorization property. We find that quarks carry ≈ 10% of pomeron's momentum. Differential cross section of the (virtual) photon-pomeron scattering is found to exhibit features typical of the hadronic two-body reactions, supporting a treatment of the Pomeron as a particle, whereas the flavor dependence of structure functions does not support the particle treatment of the pomeron. Diffraction dissociation of photons is predicted to make ≈ 15% of the total deep inelastic scattering rate at smallx and largeQ ². Detailed predictions for the mass spectrum and angular distribution of jets produced on the valence component of the pomeron are presented.     

Cut contributions in the triple-pomeron limit

We investigate pomeron cut contributions in the triple-pomeron limit of one-particle inclusive cross sections, near t = 0 where the triple-pole coupling vanishes. We find that at t = 0 the cuts themselves are suppressed, contributing factors (lnM²)^?2, rather than the single logarithms characteristic of cut contributions in two-body processes. We construct a simple reggeon calculus model in which all important cuts near t = 0 can be calculated, and suggest a simple way of parametrizing the data in that region.     

Reggeon phases and the dual bootstrap program

Analyticity requirements lead to complex Regge vertices in multiparticle production amplitudes. Their effect is discussed within a dual, unitary and exchange-degenerate multi-Regge model. A resulting complex Regge vertex is incorporated in fixed-t model calculations of the reggeon bootstrap and the topological pomeron. The bootstrap condition for particle-particle scattering is unaffected but new j-plane singularities appear in Regge-Regge scattering amplitudes. The pomeron and reggeon intercepts determine the two parameters of our Regge vertex and admit two possible solutions: one is close to the naive phase rule (real vertex) and the other is complex and leads to a high lying non-leading pole in the pomeron channel.