New physics from TOTEM’s recent measurements of elastic and total cross sections

Abstract

We analyze the recently discovered phenomena in elastic proton–proton scattering at the LHC, challenging the standard Regge-pole theory: the low- ‘break’ (departure from the exponential behavior of the diffraction cone), the accelerating rise with energy of the forward slope B(s, t = 0), the absence of secondary dips and bumps on the cone and the role of the odderon in the forward phase of the amplitude, ρ(13 TeV) = 0.1 ± 0.01, and especially its contribution at the dip region, measured recently by TOTEM. Relative contributions from different components to the scattering amplitude are evaluated from the fitted model.