Inclusive cross sections of proton-proton and proton-antiproton scattering

TL;DR

This paper predicts and analyzes the difference in inclusive cross sections between proton-proton and proton-antiproton collisions at 900 GeV, explaining the observed ratio through subprocesses involving three-quark string decays.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical prediction of the cross section ratio and attributes the difference to specific subprocesses absent in proton-proton interactions.

Findings

Predicted ratio R > 1 across pseudorapidity range.

Experimental data from ATLAS supports R ≈ 1.2.

Difference arises from hadron production via three-quark string decay.

Abstract

We have predicted the difference in inclusive cross sections on pseudorapidity in ${\rm d}\sigma^{p\bar{p}}/{\rm d}\eta$ and ${\rm d}\sigma^{pp}/{\rm d}\eta$ interactions at $\sqrt{s}=900$~GeV. Their ratio $R=\left({\rm d}\sigma^{p\bar{p}}/{\rm d}\eta\right)\left/\left({\rm d}\sigma^{pp}/{\rm d}\eta\right)\right.>1$ in the whole pseudorapidity range. On the basis of AGK theorem we show that the ratio of inclusive cross sections of $pp$ and $p\bar{p}$ at $\sqrt{s}=900$~GeV in the region of low transverse momenta $p_\perp$ up to 2~GeV $\left(\frac{1}{2\pi p_\perp}\frac{{\rm d}^2\sigma^{p\bar{p}}}{{\rm d}\eta {\rm d}p_\perp}\right)\left/\left(\frac{1}{2\pi p_\perp}\frac{{\rm d}^2\sigma^{pp}}{{\rm d}\eta {\rm d}p_\perp}\right)\right.=R$. Experimental measurements by the ATLAS Coll. give value $R\simeq1.2$ for interval $|\eta|<2.5$. The difference in inclusive cross sections results from presence of additional subprocess in $p\bar{p}$ -- hadrons production from decay of three quark strings, which is absent in $pp$ scattering.