The multilayer structure of protons

TL;DR

This paper explores how the internal multilayer structure of protons influences elastic scattering at high energies, showing a transition from external to internal layer interactions as energy increases, and discusses unitarity issues.

Contribution

It introduces a multilayer model of protons that explains the energy-dependent transition in scattering dynamics and addresses unitarity constraints.

Findings

Transition from external to internal layer scattering with increasing energy

Double scattering occurs within the proton's layers at TeV energies

Unitarity considerations are crucial for high-energy proton interactions

Abstract

It is argued that the dynamics of the elastic scattering of high-energy protons at intermediate transferred momenta changes with the energy increase. It evolves from the multiple scattering at the external layer for energies about 10 GeV to the double scattering at the two subsequent layers within the colliding protons for energies about 10 TeV. The problem of the unitarity is considered in this context.