Unexpected behaviour of cross sections of high energy protons

Abstract

Nobody expected that protons will try to keep their entity in their collisions at higher and higher energies. However, the comparison of experimental results on proton-proton interactions from ISR to LHC energies clearly shows this tendency with a definitely increasing share of the elasic scattering cross section. This unexpected behaviour immediately leads to the unexpected corollary about the shape of the spatial interaction region of the two protons. The unquestionable principle of unitarity combined with available experimental data on elastic scattering is used to get new conclusions about this shape. Its evolution at present energies from the ISR to the LHC and predictions about its behaviour at ever higher energies are considered. The shape can transform rather drastically if the share of elastic processes keeps rising. The possible origin of the effect and its interrelation to the strong interaction dynamics are speculated. Cosmic ray studies can help in clarifying this behaviour.