Soft Pomeron in light of the LHC correlated data

TL;DR

This paper analyzes LHC proton-proton scattering data to refine the understanding of the soft Pomeron within Regge theory, incorporating correlated errors and different amplitude models to predict high-energy scattering parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a method to include correlated errors in global fits and determines Pomeron parameters using both Born-level and eikonalized amplitudes, advancing the modeling of high-energy scattering.

Findings

Correlated data analysis reduces uncertainty in the $ ho$ parameter.

Soft Pomeron parameters are extracted from LHC data using Regge theory.

Predictions for total cross section and $ ho$ at LHC and cosmic ray energies.

Abstract

The LHC has released precise measurements of elastic proton-proton scattering that provide a unique constraint on the asymptotic behavior of the scattering amplitude at high energies. Recent reanalyses of part of these data indicate that the central values of some forward quantities would be different than initially observed. We introduce correlation information between the original and the reanalyzed data sets in a way suitable for a global fitting analysis of all data. The careful treatment of correlated errors leads to much less stringent limits on the $\rho$ uncertainty and sets up the stage for describing the forward data using a scattering amplitude dominated by only crossing-even terms. In the light of these correlated data we determine the parameters of the soft Pomeron from the Regge theory. We use Born-level and eikonalized amplitudes. In the Born-level case we estimate the contribution of the double Pomeron exchange, while in the latter case we investigate the role of the eikonalization in both the one- and two-channel models. The role of the proton-Pomeron vertex form and of the nearest $t$-channel singularity in the Pomeron trajectory receives particular attention. We discuss the implications of our results and present predictions for the total cross section and the $\rho$ parameter in proton-proton collisions at LHC and cosmic ray energies.