Proton-proton diffractive collisions at ultra-high energies

Abstract

Proton-proton total and elastic cross sections are considered in the Dakhno-Nikonov eikonal model [L.G. Dakhno, V.A. Nikonov, Eur. Phys. J. A8, 209 (1999)] at ultra-high energies. The model takes into account the quark structure of hadrons and the gluon structure of the supercritical pomeron that results in colour screening. The pomeron is considered as an input interaction term. The model gives a reasonably good description of the preLHC and LHC data for $pp$ collisions with a growth of the type $\ln^2s$ for total and elastic cross sections and $(\tau={\bf q}_\perp^2\ln^2s)$-scaling for diffractive scattering. We present parameters of the supercritical pomeron and provide predictions for the energy region $\sqrt{s}\sim 10^2-10^4$ TeV.