Elastic and Diffractive Scattering after AdS/CFT

TL;DR

This paper explores the dual descriptions of elastic and diffractive scattering in high-energy physics using AdS/CFT correspondence, linking vacuum exchange processes to string theory sectors and extending to Higgs production at LHC.

Contribution

It identifies the AdS dual of the Odderon as the Neveu-Schwarz B-field sector and extends the strong coupling approach to central diffractive Higgs production.

Findings

Odderon associated with Neveu-Schwarz B-field in string theory

Extension of AdS/CFT methods to Higgs production at LHC

Dual descriptions of scattering processes at strong coupling

Abstract

At high energies, elastic hadronic cross sections are believed to be dominated by vacuum exchange. In leading order of the leading $1/N_c$ expansion this exchange process has been identified as the BFKL {\em Pomeron} or its strong AdS dual the closed string graviton \cite{Brower:2006ea}. However difference of particle anti-particle cross sections are given by a so-called {\em Odderon} carrying C = -1 quantum numbers identified in weak coupling with odd numbers of exchanged gluons. Here we show that the dual description associates this with the Neveu-Schwartz ($B_{\mu\nu}$) sector of closed string theory. We also discuss the extension of the strong coupling treatment to central diffractive Higgs production at LHC.