A measurement of the total $pp$ cross section at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV is presented. An integrated luminosity of $500$ $\mu$b$^{-1}$ was accumulated in a special run with high-$\beta^{\star}$ beam optics to measure the differential elastic cross section as a function of the Mandelstam momentum transfer variable $t$. The measurement is performed with the ALFA sub-detector of ATLAS. Using a fit to the differential elastic cross section in the $-t$ range from $0.014$ GeV$^2$ to $0.1$ GeV$^2$ to extrapolate $t\rightarrow 0$, the total cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X)$, is measured via the optical theorem to be: $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X) = {96.07} \; \pm 0.18 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.85 \; ({{exp.}}) \pm 0.31 \; ({extr.}) \; {mb} \;,$ where the first error is statistical, the second accounts for all experimental systematic uncertainties and the last is related to uncertainties in the extrapolation $t\rightarrow 0$. In addition, the slope of the exponential function describing the elastic cross section at small $t$ is determined to be $B = 19.74 \pm 0.05 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.23 \; ({{syst.}}) \; {GeV}^{-2}$.

The coherent elastic reaction K + d → K + d and the break-up reaction K + d → K + pn are studied in a K + d experiment at 4.6 GeV/ c which the CERN 2 m bubble chamber. Partial and differential cross sections are given and the slopes of the differential cross sections are determined. The results for the reaction K + d → K + p(n s ), where n s denotes the spectator neutron, are compared with those of the reaction K + p → K + p on free protons. Combining our data with existing data on the reactions K + d → K 0 pp and K + p → K + p, parameters of the elastic K + -nucleon scattering at 4.6 GeV/ c are determined in the framework of the Glauber model. The D-wave of the deuteron and spin-flip effects are taken into account.

K − p elastic scattering at 10 GeV/ c is studied on ∼3600 bubble chamber events. The elastic cross section is found to be σ el = (3.20 ± 0.14)mb and the ratio σ el σ tot = (0.142 ± 0.006) , that is below the upper limit of 0.185 suggested in a model by Van Hove. The value of the forward differential cross section is consistent with zero real part to the scattering amplitude. The slope of d σ d t is similar to that for π ± and greater than that of K + , with no evidence for shrinkage of the diffraction peak. No events of backward scattering were observed. The Regge-pole model of Phillips and Rarita gives a good fit to the data.

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The TOTEM experiment has made a precise measurement of the elastic proton-proton differential cross-section at the centre-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 8 TeV based on a high-statistics data sample obtained with the beta* = 90 optics. Both the statistical and systematic uncertainties remain below 1%, except for the t-independent contribution from the overall normalisation. This unprecedented precision allows to exclude a purely exponential differential cross-section in the range of four-momentum transfer squared 0.027 < |t| < 0.2 GeV^2 with a significance greater than 7 sigma. Two extended parametrisations, with quadratic and cubic polynomials in the exponent, are shown to be well compatible with the data. Using them for the differential cross-section extrapolation to t = 0, and further applying the optical theorem, yields total cross-section estimates of (101.5 +- 2.1) mb and (101.9 +- 2.1) mb, respectively, in agreement with previous TOTEM measurements.

A measurement of the total $pp$ cross section at the LHC at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV is presented. In a special run with high-$\beta^{\star}$ beam optics, an integrated luminosity of 80 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ was accumulated in order to measure the differential elastic cross section as a function of the Mandelstam momentum transfer variable $t$. The measurement is performed with the ALFA sub-detector of ATLAS. Using a fit to the differential elastic cross section in the $|t|$ range from 0.01 GeV$^2$ to 0.1 GeV$^2$ to extrapolate to $|t|\rightarrow 0$, the total cross section, $\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X)$, is measured via the optical theorem to be: $$\sigma_{\mathrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X) = 95.35 \; \pm 0.38 \; ({\mbox{stat.}}) \pm 1.25 \; ({\mbox{exp.}}) \pm 0.37 \; (\mbox{extr.}) \; \mbox{mb},$$ where the first error is statistical, the second accounts for all experimental systematic uncertainties and the last is related to uncertainties in the extrapolation to $|t|\rightarrow 0$. In addition, the slope of the elastic cross section at small $|t|$ is determined to be $B = 19.73 \pm 0.14 \; ({\mbox{stat.}}) \pm 0.26 \; ({\mbox{syst.}}) \; \mbox{GeV}^{-2}$.

At the LHC energy of $\sqrt s = 7\,{\mathrm { TeV}}$ , under various beam and background conditions, luminosities, and Roman Pot positions, TOTEM has measured the differential cross-section for proton-proton elastic scattering as a function of the four-momentum transfer squared t. The results of the different analyses are in excellent agreement demonstrating no sizeable dependence on the beam conditions. Due to the very close approach of the Roman Pot detectors to the beam center (≈5σ(beam)) in a dedicated run with β* = 90 m, |t|-values down to 5·10(−)(3) GeV(2) were reached. The exponential slope of the differential elastic cross-section in this newly explored |t|-region remained unchanged and thus an exponential fit with only one constant B = (19.9 ± 0.3) GeV(−)(2) over the large |t|-range from 0.005 to 0.2 GeV(2) describes the differential distribution well. The high precision of the measurement and the large fit range lead to an error on the slope parameter B which is remarkably small compared to previous experiments. It allows a precise extrapolation over the non-visible cross-section (only 9%) to t = 0. With the luminosity from CMS, the elastic cross-section was determined to be (25.4 ± 1.1) mb, and using in addition the optical theorem, the total pp cross-section was derived to be (98.6 ± 2.2) mb. For model comparisons the t-distributions are tabulated including the large |t|-range of the previous measurement (TOTEM Collaboration (Antchev G. et al), EPL, 95 (2011) 41001).

Elastic scattering, single-pion and deuteron production have been investigated. The cross-section for elastic scattering is σelastic = (13.5±0.3) mb. The angular distribution has been fitted to dσ/d|t|=(dσ/d|t|)0 e −bt in the region of low values oft. The best fit givesb=(6.7±0.5) (GeV/c)−2 and (dσ/d|t|)0=(91±5) mb(GeV/c)−2. The cross-sections for ppπ0, pnπ+ reactions are respectively (2.6±0.3) mb and (9.7±0.4) mb. These reactions are dominated by the (3/2, 3/2) nucleonpion isobar production and by forward backward collimation of the nucleons. The production rates for the isobars ++1238 , +1238 , +1500 have been estimated, taking into account the experimental peripheral behaviour of the interaction. In the pnπ+ reaction they are (50±2)%; (10±3)%; (4±3)%. In the ppπ+ reaction the production of ++1238 is estimated to be (45±10)%. The dπ+ and dπ+π+π- reaction cross-sections are respectively (0.03±0.01) mb, and (0.04±0.01) mb.

The differential cross-section for elastic charge-exchange scattering of neutrons on protons has been measured at 8 GeV/c over forward laboratory scattering angles (0÷90) mrad (square of four-momentum transfer 0<−t<0.5 (GeV/c)2). The method utilized acoustic spark chambers and about 1900 elastic-scattering events were analysed. A value of (dσ/dΩ)lab=(20±6) mb/sr (dσ/dt=(0.93±0.28) mb/(GeV/c)2) was obtained for the forward differential cross-section and an estimated (0.06±0.03) mb for the elastic charge exchange cross-section. Both cross-sections show the decreased values expected from Pomeranchuk’s second theorem (1) when compared with results at lower energies (2). Further comparison shows that the narrow forward peak in the distribution of dσ/dt previously observed for −t<0.05, is still present at 8 GeV/c, varying in shape only slowly, if at all, with energy. For −t>0.1 however, energy dependence is apparent. The results also suggest that the interaction is spin-dependent and/or that the real parts of the scattering amplitudes in the isospin states 0 and 1 are different. Comparisons with the theoretical predictions show good agreement with the value of forward cross-section given by the Regge pole approach ofAhmadzadeh (3). The model ofRingland andPhillips (4) for single-pion exchange with absorption agrees with our results for −t<0.01 but a predicted secondary peak at −t∼0.08 is not observed.