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.