Nucleon structure and the high energy interactions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new high-energy nucleon interaction model based on generalized parton distributions, accurately describing experimental scattering data and predicting that the Black Disk Limit is not reached at LHC energies.

Contribution

A novel model of hadron interactions at high energies utilizing a new t-dependence of GPDs, fitting extensive experimental data with minimal free parameters.

Findings

Accurate description of proton-proton and proton-antiproton elastic scattering data from 9.8 GeV to 8 TeV.

Negligible contribution of the hard Pomeron and significant non-small Odderon effects.

Prediction that the Black Disk Limit is not achieved at LHC energies.

Abstract

On the basis of the representation of the generalized structure of nucleons a new model of the hadron interaction at high energies is presented. The new t-dependence of the generalized parton distributions (GPDs) is obtained from the comparative analysis of different sets of the parton distribution functions (PDFs), based on the description of the whole sets of experimental data of electromagnetic form factors of the proton and neutron. Taking into account the different moments of GPDs of the hadron the quantitative descriptions of all existing experimental data of the proton-proton and proton-antiproton elastic scattering from $\sqrt{s} = 9.8$ GeV to $ 8 \ $ TeV, including the Coulomb range and large momentum transfers up to $-t=15$ GeV$^2$, are obtained with a few free fitting high energy parameters. The real part of the hadronic elastic scattering amplitude is determined only through complex $s$ satisfying the dispersion relations. The negligible contributions of the hard Pomeron and the presence of the non-small contributions of the maximal Odderon are obtained. The non-dying form of the spin-flip amplitude is examined as well. The structure of the Born term and unitarized scattering amplitude are analysed. It is shown that the Black Disk Limit for the elastic scatering amplitude is not reached at LHC energies. Predictions for LHC energies are made.