Inelastic cross sections, overlap functions and moments from ISR to LHC energies in proton interactions

Abstract

We investigated the energy dependence of the parton–parton inelastic cross sections, parton–parton inelastic overlap functions and the Cq moments in proton interactions from to 14000 GeV. The approach we used is based on a phenomenological procedure where elastic and inelastic proton observables are described in a connected way by exploring the unitarity of the S-matrix. Applying a quantum-chromodynamics-inspired eikonal model, that contains contributions of the quark–quark, quark–gluon and gluon–gluon interactions, theoretical predictions on inelastic cross sections and Cq moments are compared with measurements and show a successful description of the experimental data. The Koba–Nielson–Olesen hypothesis violation is discussed as a consequence of the semihard contribution to the multiparticle production in the interactions, in accordance with several experimental and theoretical previous results. A prediction of the ratio as a function of the collision energy is presented and also compared with the experimental information.