New physics from TOTEM's recent measurements of elastic and total cross sections

TL;DR

This paper examines recent LHC measurements of elastic proton-proton scattering, revealing phenomena that challenge standard theories and highlighting the role of the odderon in the scattering amplitude.

Contribution

It introduces a new analysis of TOTEM data, evaluating the contributions of different components to the scattering amplitude and addressing deviations from traditional models.

Findings

Observation of the low-|t| 'break' in the diffraction cone

Accelerating rise of the forward slope B(s,t=0) with energy

Significant role of the odderon in the scattering amplitude

Abstract

We analyze the recently discovered phenomena in elastic proton-proton scattering at the LHC, challenging the standard Regge-pole theory: the low-$|t|$ "break" (departure from the exponential behavior of the diffraction cone), the accelerating rise with energy of the forward slope $B(s,t=0)$, the absence of secondary dips and bumps on the cone and the role of the odderon in the forward phase of the amplitude, $\rho(13~TeV)=0.1\pm0.01$, and especially its contribution at the dip region, measured recently by TOTEM. Relative contributions from different components to the scattering amplitude are evaluated from the fitted model.