We have measured the differential cross section for pp and p̄p elastic scattering at √ s = 31, 53 and 62 GeV in the interval 0.05 < | t | < 0.85 GeV 2 at the CERN ISR using the Split Field Magnet detector. At 53 and 62 GeV, for 0.17 < | t | < 0.85 GeV 2 both pp and p̄p data show simple exponential behaviour in t ; at √ s = 31 GeV the data for 0.05 < | t | < 0.85 GeV 2 are consistent with a change in slope near | t | = 0.15 GeV 2 .

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 $B = 19.74 \pm 0.05 \; ({{stat.}}) \pm 0.23 \; ({{syst.}}) \; {GeV}^{-2}$.

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 $B = 19.73 \pm 0.14 \; ({\mbox{stat.}}) \pm 0.26 \; ({\mbox{syst.}}) \; \mbox{GeV}^{-2}$.

By means of an isospin analysis of the reaction π ± p→ π (N π ) at 16 GeV/ c we have determined the decay angular distributions of the N π system with I= 1 2 produced by isospin zero exchange. Helicity conservation is not observed in the t -channel for the N π mass region below 1.6 GeV, where diffraction dissociation of the proton is supposed to dominate. There are indications for approximate t -channel helicity conservation for N ∗ (1690) production. In the helicity frame, the experimental data are not in agreement with s -channel helicity conservation over the whole N π mass range investigated. Thus the diffractive process N→N π differs both from the process N→N ππ (or π → πππ and K→K ππ ) which approximately conserves t -channel helicity and from the elastic scattering N→N which conserves helicity in the s -channel.

A comparison is made of the low-mass three-meson systems (πππ), (Kππ), (π K K ) and ( K K K ) diffractively produced in the reaction meson + proton → three mesons + proton. Several striking similarities and a few important differences are observed: (i) the reactions are consistent with the assumption that the three mesons decay entirely into a 0 − meson and a 0 + , 1 − or 2 + resonance; (ii) the three-meson mass spectra have a peak ≈ 250 MeV above the effective threshold M eff of the dominant decay mode and then fall off approximately as (mass) −3 ;(iii) the average spin 〈 J 〉 = 0.55 + 1.1 Q eff , where Q eff = M - M eff ; (iv) the average orbital angular momentum 〈 l 〉 increases according to 〈 l 〉 = 0.75 Q eff ; (v) the three-meson states are produced dominantly in unnatural spin-parity states and no evidence for their being resonant is found; (vi) the only natural spin-parity states found are the well-established 2 + resonances A 2 and K ∗ (1420); they have similar properties to the non-resonant unnatural parity states except for a dip at t = 0 in the dσ/d t distributions; (vii) both the unnatural and natural spin-parity states are produced mostly by an exchange of natural parity; (viii) there is evidence for two types of production mechanism with different polarization properties, one approximately conserving helicity in the t -channel and the other in the s -channel.

We have performed a partial-wave analysis of the mainly diffractively produced low-mass (K ππ ) system in the reactions K − p → K − π + π − p and K − p → K 0 π − π 0 p at 10, 14 and 16 GeV /c . We find that the dominant 1 + S ( K ∗ π ) state has possibly a two-peak structure (around 1.27 and 1.37 GeV). In contrast the 1 + S(K ϱ ) state shows one narrow peak near thershold (around 1.27 GeV). These states are found to be of different origin. The results favour the interpretation of the 1 + S(K ϱ ) as a 1 + resonance below the (K ϱ ) threshold. The t ′ pp dependence is found to be different for the 1 + and 0 − states.

A partial-wave analysis has been performed of the diffractively produced low-mass ( K ̄ 0 π − π 0 ) system in the reaction K − p → ( K ̄ 0 π − π 0 ) p at 10 and 16 GeV/ c . Thus information complementary to that derived from the K − p → (K − π + π − )p) channel is obtained. The presence of the K ϱ decay mode, besides the dominant K ∗ (890)π mode, for the state J P = 1 + , is confirmed. It is also confirmed that for this 1 + state the assumption of factorization of the amplitude into “production” and “decay” does not hold: the two decay modes K ∗ π and K ϱ have different polarisation properties (helicity is approximately conserved in the t -channel for the first, in the s -channel for the second). The assumption that the ( K ̄ 0 π − π 0 ) system has isospin I = 1 2 has been tested and found to hold. From the cross sections for the various J P states, assuming I = 1 2 , the cross sections for the (K − π + π − ) system are predicted and compared with the experimental ones. In general, agreement is found.

We present measurements of the αα elastic scattering differential cross section at √ s = 126 GeV in the range 0.05 ⩽ ‖ t ‖

The reactions π − p → p π − and π − p → p ϱ − ( ϱ − → π − π 0 ) at 10 GeV/ c with the proton in the forward direction in the c.m.s. are discussed on the basis of 953 elastic scattering events and 2240 events of the reaction π − p → p π − π 0 . The total backward cross sections are 0.52±0.10 and 1.52±0.28 μ b, respectively. In both cases the production mechanism is compatible with the dominance of the baryonic Δ δ Regge trajectory exchange. The ϱ − decay angular distributions are studied in the u -channel helicity frame and the spin density matrix elements are presented as functions of u .

Antiproton-proton elastic scattering was measured at c.m.s. energies √s =546 and 1800 GeV in the range of four-momentum transfer squared 0.025<-t<0.29 GeV2. The data are well described by the exponential form ebt with a slope b=15.28±0.58 (16.98±0.25) GeV−2 at √s =546 (1800) GeV. The elastic scattering cross sections are, respectively, σel=12.87±0.30 and 19.70±0.85 mb.

Data on the reactions π − p → p π − , p p → π + π − , K − p → pK and p p → p p at 8 and 12 GeV/ c are presented. Our results agree with line reversal symmetry (between π − p → p π − and p p → π + π − ), Regge pole behaviour for non-exotic reactions ( π − p → p π − , p p → π + π − ), and universal behaviour for exotic reactions ( p p → p p , K − p → pK − ) with d σ /d u | u =0 ∼ s −10 excluding the existence of a “glory” mechanism in p p elastic backward scattering in our energy range.

We measured the elastic scattering of αα at s = 126 GeV and of α p at s = 89 GeV . For αα , the differential cross section d σ /d t has a diffractive pattern minima at | t | = 0.10 and 0.38 GeV 2 . At small | t | = 0.05−0.07 GeV 2 , this cross section behaves like exp[(100 ± 10) t ]. Extrapolating a fit to the data to the optical point, we obtained for the total cross section α tot ( αα ) = 250 ± 50 mb and an integrated elastic cross section σ e1 ( αα ) = 45 ± mb. Another method of estimating σ tot ( αα ), based on measuring the interaction rate, yielded 295 ± 40 mb. For α p, d σ /d t has aminimum at | t | = 0.20 GeV 2 , and for 0.05 < | t | < 0.18 GeV 2 behaves like exp[(41 ± 2) t ]. Extrapolating this slope to | t | = 0, we found σ tot ( α p) = 130 ± 20 and σ e1 ( α p) = 20 ± 4mb. Results on pp elastic scattering at s = 63 GeV agree with previous ISR experiments.

We measured the differential cross section for p̄p and pp elastic scattering in the momentum-transfer range 0.01 <| t | < 1.0 GeV 2 at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings with center-of-mass energy s = 52.8 GeV . Fitting the differential cross section with an exponential [ A exp ( bt )], we found b p p = 13.92 ± 0.59 GeV −2 for | t | < 0.05 GeV 2 , whilst for | t | > 0.09 GeV 2 , b p p = 10.68 ± 0.26 GeV −2 . Using the optical theorem, we obtained for the total cross section σ tot ( p p)= 44.86 ± 0.78 mb and, by integrating the differential cross section, we obtained for the total elastic cross section σ el ( p p) = 7.89 ± 0.28 mb . Calculations of σ tot combining elastic-rate and total-rate measurements are also given. All of these measurements were also performed for pp scattering at the same energy, and the results for both reactions are compared.

The reaction K − p → K − π − π + p has been measured at 25 and 40 GeV/ c at the Serpukhov Proton Accelerator. The production cross section at 25 and 40 GeV/ c as a function of momentum transfer and K ππ mass is presented, and results of the partial-wave analysis of the K ππ system yielding information about Q(1300), K ∗ (1400) and L(1770) mesons are discussed.

We report the results of a study of the reaction p p → p + x at 32.1 GeV c , where the recoiling proton has a small laboratory momentum. The reaction is studied in the 4.5 m Mirabelle bubble chamber at Serpukhov. We compare the diffractive dissociation of the incident antiproton to other incident particles.

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The differential cross section for elastic antiproton—proton scattering at s =1.8 TeV has been measured over the t range 0.034⩽| t |⩽0.65 (GeV/ c ) 2 . A logarithmic slope parameter, B , of 16.3±0.3 (GeV/ c ) −2 is obtained. In contrast to lower energy experiments, no change in slope is observed over this t range.

We have studied proton-antiproton elastic scattering at s=1800 GeV at the Fermilab Collider, in the range 0.02<|t|<0.13 (GeV/c)2. Fitting the distribution by exp(−B|t|), we obtain a value of B of 17.2±1.3 (GeV/c)−2.

We have measured the antiproton-proton total cross section at √s =1.8 TeV at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider; the value obtained is 78.3±5.9 mb. B, the nuclear slope parameter for elastic scattering, was measured to be 16.3±0.5 (GeV/c)−2. From these data, we derive a value for the total elastic cross section.

We have measured ρ, the ratio of the real to the imaginary part of the p¯p forward elastic-scattering amplitude, at √s =1.8 TeV. Our result, ρ=0.140±0.069, is compared with extrapolations from lower-energy data based on dispersion relations, and with the UA4 value at √s =546 GeV.

The antiproton-proton small-angle elastic-scattering distribution was measured at\(\sqrt s \) GeV at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. A fit to the nuclear-scattering distribution in the range 0.065≤|t|≤0.21 (GeV/c)2 givesb=(16.2±0.5±0.5) (GeV/c)−2 for the logarithmic slope parameter. Using the optical theorem and the luminosity from Collider parameters, we obtain σtoto(1+ρ2)1/2 =(61.7±3.7±4.4)mb.

Differential cross sections for p p elastic scattering have been measured for very small momentum transfers at six different incident antiproton momenta in the range 3.7 to 6.2 GeV/c by the detection of recoil protons at scattering angles close to 90°. Forward scattering parameters σ T , b , and ϱ have been determined. For the ϱ-parameter, up to an order of magnitude higher level of precision has been achieved compared to that in earlier experiments. It is found that existing dispersion theory predictions are in disagreement with our results for the ϱ-parameter.

An analysis of theA-dependence of the target-diffractive cross-section is presented. Data on thet-dependence of the cross section are fitted in the usual exponential form. The mean multiplicity of negative particles produced diffractively is found not to be sensitive to the nuclear mass. TheA-dependence of the emitted proton multiplicity and the angular distributions of the produced charged particles suggest re-scattering of the emitted particles on other nucleons of the nucleus. All these facts are compared with results obtained by Monte-Carlo simulation according to a two-component Dual Parton Model.

Data on the reactions (K+/π+)p→(K+/π+)pπ+π- and (K+/π+)p→(K+/π+)p2π+2π-, obtained with the European Hybrid Spectrometer, are presented and compared with data at lower energies. The contribution of beam and target diffractive dissociation and double Pomeron exchange, and porperties of these reactions are discussed.

The ratio of π+p to pp elastic scattering is found to be smoothly varying over the range −t=0.03 to 0.4 GeV2. It is well fitted by a single exponential, indicating the forward behavior must be quite similar for the two reactions.