| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Total Authors: 3
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| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Campus Blumenau, Rua Pomerode 710, BR-89065300 Blumenau, SC - Brazil
[2] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Fis Gleb Wataghin, BR-13083859 Campinas, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
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| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | Nuclear Physics A; v. 946, p. 194-226, FEB 2016. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 9 |
| Abstract | |
In the absence of a global description of the experimental data on elastic and soft diffractive scattering from the first principles of QCD, model-independent analyses may provide useful phenomenological insights for the development of the theory in the soft sector. With that in mind, we present an empirical study on the energy dependence of the ratio X between the elastic and total cross sections; a quantity related to the evolution of the hadronic central opacity. The dataset comprises all the experimental information available on proton proton and antiproton-proton scattering in the c.m. energy interval 5 GeV-8 TeV. Generalizing previous works, we discuss four model-independent analytical parameterizations for X, consisting of sigmoid functions composed with elementary functions of the energy and three distinct asymptotic scenarios: either the standard black disk limit or scenarios above or below that limit. Our two main conclusions are the following: (1) although consistent with the experimental data, the black disk does not represent an unique solution; (2) the data reductions favor a semi-transparent scenario, with asymptotic average value for the ratio (X) over bar = 0.30 +/- 0.12. In this case, within the uncertainty, the asymptotic regime may already be reachedaround 1000 TeV. We present a comparative study of the two scenarios, including predictions for the inelastic channel (diffraction dissociation) and the ratio associated with the total cross-section and the elastic slope. Details on the selection of our empirical ansatz for X and physical aspects related to a change of curvature in this quantity at 80-100 GeV, indicating the beginning of a saturation effect, are also presented and discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/27060-3 - High-Energy Elastic Hadron Scattering: Studies on the Direct and Inverse Problems |
| Grantee: | Paulo Victor Recchia Gomes da Silva |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |