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-$|t|$ "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, $\rho (13TeV)=0.1\pm 0.01$, 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.

Comments: 20 pages, 15 figures, 1 table (some explanations added, misprints corrected)