Does the Pomeron have vacuum quantum numbers?

Abstract

From general arguments, the imaginary part of every elastic scattering amplitude at sufficiently large impact parameter is governed by the two-pion exchange cut in the $t$ channel. Consequently, the large-impact-parameter tail of the Pomeron is not an SU(3) singlet. We calculate the contribution of the tail (typically about ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{tot}}$) approximately, and thereby predict observable differences between high-energy total cross sections for $\pi p$ and $Kp$, and between $pp$, $\Lambda p$, $\Sigma p$, and $\Xi p$. We estimate the asymptotic difference between $\pi p$ and $pp$ cross sections. We also obtain nonzero estimates for the diffractive helicity-flip component of elastic scattering and for diffractive contributions to processes such as $\pi p\to A_{2}p$ and $Kp\to K^{*}\mathrm{}\left(890\right)p$. We predict cross sections for $A_2$ and $K^{*}$ at Fermilab, and elastic polarizations, e.g., in $pp\to pp$ and $\Lambda p\to \Lambda p$, at asymptotic energies.