A QCD motivated model for soft interactions at high energies

TL;DR

This paper presents a QCD-inspired model for high-energy soft interactions, combining Good-Walker and multi-Pomeron mechanisms, successfully fitting experimental data and predicting a low survival probability for diffractive Higgs production at the LHC.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach that links soft scattering processes to perturbative QCD at short distances, providing a comprehensive model fitting a wide range of experimental data.

Findings

Model fits ISR-Tevatron data for total, elastic, and diffractive cross sections.

Predicts a survival probability of less than 1% for diffractive Higgs production at LHC.

Determines the Pomeron slope from experimental data, consistent with theoretical expectations.

Abstract

In this paper we develop an approach to soft scattering processes at high energies,which is based on two mechanisms: Good-Walker mechanism for low mass diffractionand multi-Pomeron interactions for high mass diffraction. The pricipal idea, that allows us to specify the theory for Pomeron interactions, is that the so called soft processes occur at rather short distances ($r^2 \propto 1 /<p_t>^2 \propto \alpha'_\pom \approx 0.01 GeV^{-2}$), where perturbative QCD is valid. The value of the Pomeron slope $\alpha'_\pom $ was obtained from the fit to experimental data. Using this theoretical approach we suggest a model that fits all soft data in the ISR-Tevatron energy range, the total, elastic, single and double diffractive cross sections, including $t$ dependence of the differential elastic cross section, and the mass dependence of single diffraction. In this model we calculate the survival probability of diffractive Higgs production, and obtained a value for this observable, which is smaller than 1% at the LHC energy range.