Model of High-Energy Elastic Scattering and Diffractive Excitation Processes in Hadron-Hadron Collisions

Abstract

$q$ numbers are introduced to replace $c$ numbers for the density function $\rho$ in a recent model of high-energy elastic scattering. The result is shown to be equivalent to the Glauber theory suitably generalized. The model leads naturally to the distinction between diffractive and nondiffractive excitation processes. The former has finite cross sections at infinite energy. Selection and intensities rules for diffractive excitation processes are discussed.