Setting the scale of the p p and p bar p total cross sections using AdS/QCD

Abstract

This paper is an addendum to our earlier paper \cite{pom} where we computed the Pomeron contribution to $p ~ p$ and $p ~ \bar p$ scattering in AdS/QCD. The model of \cite{pom} depends on four parameters: the slope and intercept of the Pomeron trajectory $\alpha'_c, \alpha_c(0)$, a mass scale $M_d$ which determines a form factor entering into matrix elements of the energy-momentum tensor, and a coupling $\lambda_{\cal P}$ between the lightest spin $2$ glueball and the proton which sets the overall scale of the total cross section. Here we perform a more detailed computation of $\lambda_{\cal P}$ in the Sakai-Sugimoto model using the construction of nucleons as instantons of the dual 5d gauge theory and an effective 5d fermion description of these nucleons which has been successfully used to compute a variety of nucleon-meson couplings. We find $\lambda_{\cal P,{\rm SS}} \simeq 6.38 ~ {\rm GeV}^{-1}$ which is in reasonable agreement with the value $\lambda_{{\cal P},{\rm fit}} = 8.28 ~ {\rm GeV}^{-1}$ determined by fitting single Pomeron exchange to data.