Interplay of total cross sections and ratios of real to imaginary parts of hadron amplitudes

TL;DR

This paper investigates how assumptions about the high-energy behavior of proton-proton total cross sections influence the ratio of real to imaginary parts of the scattering amplitude, emphasizing the role of LHC data in constraining models.

Contribution

It demonstrates how experimental measurements of the amplitude ratio at LHC energies can inform the correct asymptotic behavior of total cross sections.

Findings

Different high-energy assumptions affect the amplitude ratio predictions.

LHC data can discriminate between competing models of cross section growth.

Proper modeling of asymptotic behavior is crucial for understanding hadron interactions.

Abstract

The impact of different assumptions about high energy behavior of the total cross section of proton-proton interactions on the ratio of the real to imaginary part of the forward elastic scattering amplitude is analyzed. It is shown how experimental data about this ratio at LHC energies can help in the proper choice of the asymptotic dependence of the total cross section.