We present a simple formula for the total cross section sigma^{nu N} of neutral- and charged-current deep-inelastic scattering of ultrahigh-energy neutrinos on isoscalar nuclear targets, which is proportional to the structure function F_2^{nu N}(M_V^2/s, M_V^2), where M_V is the intermediate-boson mass and s is the square of the center-of-mass energy. The coefficient in the front of F_2^{nu N}(x, Q^2) depends on the asymptotic low-x behavior of F_2^{nu N}. It contains an additional ln(s) term if F_2^{nu N} scales with a power of ln(1/x). Hence, an asymptotic low-x behavior F_2^{nu N} propto ln^2(1/x), which is frequently assumed in the literature, already leads to a violation of the Froissart bound on sigma^{nu N}.
The authors of a recent paper, "Ultrahigh-Energy Neutrino-Nucleon Deep-Inelastic Scattering and the Froissart Bound", A. Illarianov, B. Kniehl and A. Kotikov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 231802 (2011), derive an approximate formula for the UHE limit of $σ_{νN}(s)$ in a class of models that includes our own and assert that they are led "to the important observation that $σ_{BBT}^{νN} \propto ln^3s$, which manifestly violates the Froissart bound [2] in contrast to what is stated in Refs. [6-8]", the latter reference being to our work and the $σ_{BBT}^{νN}$ to the cross sections we reported there. We h…
In this letter we derive the Froissart boundary in QCD for the deep inelastic structure function in low $x$ kinematic region. We show that the comparison of the Froissart boundary with the new HERA experimental data gives rise to a challenge for QCD to explain the matching between the deep inelastic scattering and real photoproduction process.
Assuming that axiomatic local field theory results hold for hadron scattering, André Martin and S. M. Roy recently obtained absolute bounds on the D-wave below threshold for pion-pion scattering and thereby determined the scale of the logarithm in the Froissart bound on total cross sections in terms of pion mass only. Previously, Martin proved a rigorous upper bound on the inelastic cross-section $σ_{inel}$ which is one-fourth of the corresponding upper bound on $σ_{tot}$, and Wu, Martin,Roy and Singh improved the bound by adding the constraint of a given $σ_{tot}$. Here we use unitarity and a…
In Part I (in this journal) we argued that the structure function $F_2^{γp}(x,Q^2)$ in deep inelastic $ep$ scattering, regarded as a cross section for virtual $γ^*p$ scattering, has a saturated Froissart-bounded form behaving as $\ln^2 (1/x)$ at small $x$. This form provides an excellent fit to the low $x$ HERA data, including the very low $Q^2$ regions, and can be extrapolated reliably to small $x$ using the natural variable $\ln(1/x)$. We used our fit to derive quark distributions for values of $x$ down to $x=10^{-14}$. We use those distributions here to evaluate ultra-high energy (UHE) cros…
We prove that while the total cross{}-section is bounded by $(π/m_π^2) \ln^2 s$, where $s$ is the square of the c.m. energy and $m_π$ the mass of the pion, the total inelastic cross{}-section is bounded by $(1/4)(π/m_π^2) \ln^2 s$, which is 4 times smaller. We discuss the implications of this result on the total cross{}-section itself.
We fit the reduced cross section for deep-inelastic electron scattering data to a three parameter ln^2 s fit, A + beta ln^2 (s/s_0), where s= [Q^2/x] (1-x) + m^2, and Q^2 is the virtuality of the exchanged photon. Over a wide range in Q^2 (0.11 < Q^2 < 1200 GeV^2) all of the fits satisfy the logarithmic energy dependence of the Froissart bound. We can use these results to extrapolate to very large energies and hence to very small values of Bjorken x -- well beyond the range accessible experimentally. As Q^2 --> infinity, the structure function F_2^p(x, Q^2) exhibits Bjorken scaling, within exp…
We argue that the deep inelastic structure function $F_2^{γp}(x, Q^2)$, regarded as a cross section for virtual $γ^*p$ scattering, is hadronic in nature. This implies that its growth is limited by the Froissart bound at high hadronic energies, giving a $\ln^2 (1/x)$ bound on $F_2^{γp}$ as Bjorken $x\rightarrow 0$. The same bound holds for the individual quark distributions. In earlier work, we obtained a very accurate global fit to the combined HERA data on $F_2^{γp}$ using a fit function which respects the Froissart bound at small $x$, and is equivalent in its $x$ dependence to the function u…
We update our estimates of charged and neutral current neutrino total cross sections on isoscalar nucleons at ultrahigh energies using a global (x, Q^2) fit, motivated by the Froissart bound, to the F_2 (electron-proton) structure function utilizing the most recent analysis of the complete ZEUS and H1 data sets from HERA I. Using the large Q^2, small Bjorken-x limits of the "wee" parton model, we connect the ultrahigh energy neutrino cross sections directly to the large Q^2, small-x extrapolation of our new fit, which we assume saturates the Froissart bound. We compare both to our previous wor…
We study the consequences of high-energy collider data on the best fits to total, elastic, and inelastic cross sections for $pp$ and $p\bar{p}$ scattering using two very distinct unitarisation schemes: the eikonal and the $U$-matrix. Despite their analytic differences, we find that the two schemes lead to almost identical predictions up to EeV energies, with differences only becoming significant at GUT-scale and higher energies.
We present a method to extract, in the leading and next-to-leading order approximations, the longitudinal deep-inelastic scattering structure function FL(x,Q2) from the experimental data by relying on a Froissart-bounded parametrization of the transversal structure function F2(x,Q2) and, partially, on the Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi equations. Particular attention is paid on kinematics of low and ultra low values of the Bjorken variable x. Analytical expressions for FL(x,Q2) in terms of the effective parameters of the parametrization of F2(x,Q2) are presented explicitly. We argu…
Unitarity relates the total cross section for neutrino-nucleon scattering to the neutrino-nucleon forward scattering amplitude. Assuming the validity of the perturbative expansion of the forward amplitude in the {\em weak} coupling constant, we derive a unitarity bound on the inelastic cross section. The inelastic cross section saturates this bound at a typical neutrino energy $E_ν\simeq 10^8 {\rm GeV}$. This implies that calculations of the inelastic cross section that use current parton distribution functions and lowest order weak perturbation theory are unreliable above this energy.
The Froissart (\F) asymptotic behavior of high energy cross-sections, if considered in a parton picture, is usually represented as a kind of behavior that occurs in the process of a collision of two almost black disks, filled with partons, when radiuses of these \F - disks grow proportional to log's of there energies. In this article we briefly summarize the main asymptotic properties of \F - disks that one can expect in QCD. ~~Then we consider if it is possible to guarantee the boost-invariance of transparency $T(s,b) = 1 - σ_{in}(s,b)$, where $σ_{in}(s,b)$ is the total inelastic cross-sectio…
We show that it is possible to fit all of the HERA DIS (deep inelastic scattering) data on $F_2^{γp}$ at small values of Bjorken $x$, including the data at {\em very low} $Q^2$, using a new model for $F_2^{γp}$ which both includes an asymptotic (high energy) part that satisfies a saturated Froissart bound behavior, with a vector-dominance like mass factor in the parameterization, and extends smoothly to $Q^2=0$. We require that the corresponding part of the virtual $γ^* p$ cross section match the known asymptotic part of the real $γp$ cross section at $Q^2=0$, a cross section which is determin…
We discuss W and Z production through the deep inelastic neutrino-nucleon scattering in the context of the standard model SU(3)x SU(2)x U(1) of the strong and electroweak interactions. We find the cross section rates for the process neutrino + nucleon --> lepton(-) + W(+) + X for the case of ultrahigh-energy neutrinos colliding on a target nucleon.
The IceCube collaboration has recently identified events due to ultrahigh-energy neutrino interactions. Predictions of the neutrino-nucleon cross section at ultrahigh energies require a huge extrapolation of the cross sections experimentally measured at laboratory energies. Upon relating neutrino scattering to deep inelastic electron scattering, we show that the empirically verified color dipole picture is well suited for such an extrapolation. The dominant contribution to the total neutrino-nucleon cross section, even at ultrahigh energies, is due to the kinematic range where color transparen…
Present status of experimental studies of inelastic diffraction at the Large Hadron Collider is analysed. Impact of the current uncertainties concerning the diffraction rate on the predicted extensive air shower development is investigated. Relation to studies of the primary composition of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays is illustrated by comparing numerical simulation results to the data of the Telescope Array experiment on the distributions of the shower maximum position.
Recently André Martin has proved a rigorous upper bound on the inelastic cross-section $σ_{inel}$ at high energy which is one-fourth of the known Froissart-Martin-Lukaszuk upper bound on $σ_{tot}$. Here we obtain an upper bound on $σ_{inel}$ in terms of $σ_{tot}$ and show that the Martin bound on $σ_{inel}$ is improved significantly with this added information.
We discuss the production of W-+ bosons in deep inelastic processes (anti-nu)nu + nucleon --> l+- + W-+ + X, in the context of an electroweak model in which the vector boson self interactions may be different from those prescribed by the electroweak standard model. We present results which show the strong dependence of the cross section on the anomalous magnetic dipole moment kappa of the W+-. We show that even small deviations from the standard model value of kappa (kappa=1) could imply large deviations in the cross section rates of W-+ production through the collision of an ultrahigh energy …
The opacity of the Earth to incident ultra high energy neutrinos is directly connected with the behaviour of the neutrino - nucleon ($σ^{νN}$) cross sections in a kinematic range utterly unexplored. In this work we investigate how the uncertainties in $σ^{νN}$ due the different QCD dynamic models modify the neutrino absorption while they travel across the Earth. In particular, we compare the predictions of two extreme scenarios for the high energy behaviour of the cross section, which are consistent with the current experimental data. The first scenario considered is based on the solution of t…
The high parton density present at high energies and large nuclei is expected to modify the lepton - hadron cross section and the associated observables. In this paper we analyse the impact of the high density effects in the average inelasticity and the neutrino - nucleus cross section at ultra high energies. We compare the predictions associated to the linear DGLAP dynamics with those from the Color Glass Condensate formalism, which includes non-linear effects. Our results demonstrated that the non-linear effects reduce the average inelasticity and that the predictions of the distinct approac…
We use an almost model-independent analytical parameterization for $pp$ and $\bar{p}p$ elastic scattering data to analyze the eikonal, profile, and inelastic overlap functions in the impact parameter space. Error propagation in the fit parameters allows estimations of uncertainty regions, improving the geometrical description of the hadron-hadron interaction. Several predictions are shown and, in particular, the prediction for $pp$ inelastic overlap function at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV shows the saturation of the Froissart-Martin bound at LHC energies.
The analysis of current ultrahigh energy data for hadronic total cross sections and diffractive scattering cross sections points to a steady growth of the optical density with energy for elastic scattering amplitudes in the impact parameter space, $b$. At LHC energy the profile function of the $pp$-scattering amplitude, $T(b)$, reaches the black disk limit at small $b$. Two scenarios are possible at larger energies, $\sqrt{s}\ga 100$ TeV. First, the profile function gets frozen in the black disk limit, $T(b)\simeq 1$ while the radius of the black disk $R_{black\;disk}$ is increasing with $\sqr…
It is shown that in ultrahigh energy inelastic neutrino-nucleon(nucleus) scattering the cross sections for the boson-hadron(nucleus) reactions should exhibit geometric scaling on the single variable tau_A =Q2/Q2_{sat,A}. The dependence on energy and atomic number of the charged/neutral current cross sections are encoded in the saturation momentum Q_{sat,A}. This fact allows an analytical computation of the neutrino scattering on nucleon/nucleus at high energies, providing a theoretical parameterization based on the scaling property.
Charmed mesons may be produced when a primary cosmic ray or the leading hadron in an air shower collide with an atmospheric nucleon. At energies \ge 10^8 GeV their decay length becomes larger than 10 km, which implies that they tend to interact in the air instead of decaying. We study the collisions of long-lived charmed hadrons in the atmosphere. We show that (Λ_c,D)-proton diffractive processes and partonic collisions of any q^2 where the charm quark is an spectator have lower inelasticity than (p,π)-proton collisions. In particular, we find that a D meson deposits in each interaction just a…
We report new calculations of the cross sections for deeply inelastic neutrino-nucleon scattering at neutrino energies between $10^{9}\ev$ and $10^{21}\ev$. We compare with results in the literature and assess the reliability of our predictions. For completeness, we briefly review the cross sections for neutrino interactions with atomic electrons, emphasizing the role of the $W$-boson resonance in $\barν_{e}e$ interactions for neutrino energies in the neighborhood of $6.3\pev$. Adopting model predictions for extraterrestrial neutrino fluxes from active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursters, and …
We obtain a good analytic fit to the joint Bjorken-x and Q^2 dependences of ZEUS data on the deep inelastic structure function F_2(x, Q^2). At fixed virtuality Q^2, as we showed previously, our expression is an expansion in powers of log (1/x) that satisfies the Froissart bound. Here we show that for each x, the Q^2 dependence of the data is well described by an expansion in powers of log Q^2. The resulting analytic expression allows us to predict the logarithmic derivatives {({\partial}^n F_2^p/{(\partial\ln Q^2})^n)}_x for n = 1,2 and to compare the results successfully with other data. We e…
We calculate the cross sections for neutrino interactions with (isoscalar) nuclear targets in the energy domain all the way up to 10^12 GeV. Small x QCD effects are included by using a unified BFKL/DGLAP formalism which embodies non-leading log(1/x) contributions. The few free parameters which specify the input parton distributions are determined by fitting to HERA deep inelastic data. The attenuation of neutrinos transversing the Earth at different nadir angles is calculated for a variety of energy spectra for neutrinos originating from different sources (from Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma ra…
The number of events observed in neutrino telescopes depends on the neutrino fluxes in the Earth, their absorption while crossing the Earth and their interaction in the detector. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the QCD dynamics at high energies on the energy dependence of the average inelasticity and angular dependence of the absorption probability during the neutrino propagation through the Earth, as well in the determination of the properties of the incident astrophysical neutrino flux. Moreover, the number of events at the IceCube and IceCube - Gen2 are estimated considering dif…
In this talk we would like to present recent calculations of the cross sections for the ultrahigh energy neutrinos interacting with nucleons. We briefly present the framework of unifed BFKL/DGLAP equations which resums all the leading log(1/x) effects as well as the subleading terms. The few free parameters which specify the input parton distributions are determined by fitting to HERA deep inelastic data. We then use these parton distributions to calculate the cross section for the neutrino-nucleon interactions at very high energies, up to 10^12 GeV. We do also investigate the attenuation of n…
The high energy neutrino cross section is a crucial ingredient in the calculation of the event rate in high energy neutrino telescopes. Currently there are several approaches which predict different behaviours for its magnitude for ultrahigh energies. In this paper we present a comparison between the predictions based on linear DGLAP dynamics, non-linear QCD and in the imposition of a Froissart-like behaviour at high energies. In particular, we update the predictions based on the Color Glass Condensate, presenting for the first time the results for $σ_{νN}$ using the solution of the running co…
The description of the inelastic proton -- nucleus cross section at very high energies is still an open question. The current theoretical uncertainty has direct impact on the predictions of the cosmic ray and neutrino physics observables. In this paper we consider different models for the treatment of $σ_{inel}^{pA}$, compare its predictions at ultrahigh cosmic ray energies and estimate the prompt neutrino flux at the neutrino energies that have been probed by the IceCube Observatory. We demonstrate that depending of the model used to describe $σ_{inel}^{pA}$, the predictions for the prompt ne…
Recent measurements of the small-$x$ deep-inelastic regime at HERA translate to new expectations for the neutrino-nucleon cross section at ultrahigh energies. We present event rates for large underground neutrino telescopes based on the new cross section for a variety of models of neutrino production in Active Galactic Nuclei, and we compare these rates with earlier cross section calculations.
We study the deep inelastic process $ν_τ + {\cal N} \to τ^{-} + X$ (with ${\cal N} \equiv (n+p)/2$ an isoscalar nucleon), in the context of the two Higgs doublet model type II (2HDM(II)). We discuss the contribution to the total cross section of diagrams, in which a charged Higgs boson is exchanged. We present results which show the strong dependence of such contribution on $\tanβ$ and $M_{H^{\pm}}$. We show that in the region $50 \leq \tanβ\leq 200$ and 90 GeV $\leq M_{H^{\pm}}\leq$ 600 GeV with the additional experimental constraint on the involved model parameters $M_{H^{\pm}} \geq 1.5 \tim…
At $\sqrt s = 57\pm 7$ TeV, the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) collaboration has recently measured the proton-air inelastic production cross section $σ_{\rm p-air}$. Assuming a helium contamination of 25%, they subtracted 30 mb from their measured value, resulting in a p-air inelastic production cross section, $σ_{\rm p-air}=475 \pm 22\ ({\rm stat.})\pm^{20}_{15} \ ({\rm syst.})$ mb, exclusive of helium contamination. Using this result in a Glauber calculation to obtain the $pp$ inelastic cross section, they found the inelastic $pp$ cross section $σ_{\rm inel}= 90\pm 7\ ({\rm stat.}) \pm^9_{11…
The rise of the total, elastic and inelastic hadronic cross sections at high energies is investigated by means of an analytical parametrization, with the exponent of the leading logarithm contribution as a free fit parameter. Using derivative dispersion relations with one subtraction, two different fits to proton-proton and antiproton-proton total cross section and rho parameter data are developed, reproducing well the experimental information in the energy region 5 GeV - 7 TeV. The parametrization for the total cross sections is then extended to fit the elastic (integrated) cross section data…
In this paper we derive the high energy evolution equation in the Gribov-Zwanziger approach, for the confinement of quarks and gluons. We demonstrate that the new equation generates an exponential decrease of the scattering amplitude at large impact parameter, and resolves the main difficulties of CGC (Colour Glass Condensate) high energy effective theory. Such behaviour occurs if the gluon propagator in Gribov-Zwanziger approach, does not vanish at small momenta. Solving the non-linear equation for deep inelastic scattering, we show that the suggested equation leads to a Froissart disc with r…
High energy measurements of the inelastic proton-proton cross sections, at the LHC at $\sqrt s$=7 TeV and by Auger at 57 TeV, have validated previous evidence from data collected over a wide range of energies that the total and inelastic cross sections for $pp$ and $\bar pp$ interactions saturate the Froissart bound of $\ln^2 s$. Although the data themselves did not cover truly asymptotic energies, our recent analysis of these data obtained the asymptotic ratio $\sigin/\sigtot=0.509\pm 0.021$, consistent with the value of 1/2 required for scattering by a black disk; further, the forward scatte…
We study the deep inelastic process $ν_τ + {\cal N} \to τ^{-} + X$ (with ${\cal N} \equiv (n+p)/2$ an isoscalar nucleon), in the context of the two Higgs doublet model {\it type two} (2HDM(II)). In particular, we discuss the contribution to the total cross section of diagrams, in which a charged Higgs boson is exchanged. We show that for large values of $\tanβ$ such contribution for an inclusive dispersion generated through the collision of an ultrahigh energy tau-neutrino on a target nucleon can reach up to 57% of the value of the contribution of the $W^+$ exchange diagrams (i.e. can reach up…
We consider propagation of high energy earth-skimming taus produced in interactions of astrophysical tau neutrinos. For astrophysical tau neutrinos we take generic power-law flux, $E^{-2}$ and the cosmogenic flux initiated by the protons. We calculate tau energy loss in several approaches, such as dipole models and the phenomenological approach in which parameterization of the $F_2$ is used. We evaluate the tau neutrino charged-current cross section using the same approaches for consistency. We find that uncertainty in the neutrino cross section and in the tau energy loss partially compensate …
Under the assumption that some part of the observed highest energy cosmic rays consists of protons originating from cosmological distances, we derive bounds on the associated flux of neutrinos generated by inelastic processes with the cosmic microwave background photons. We exploit two methods. First, a power-like injection spectrum is assumed. Then, a model-independent technique, based on the inversion of the observed proton flux, is presented. The inferred lower bound is quite robust. As expected, the upper bound depends on the unknown composition of the highest energy cosmic rays. Our resul…
We apply the dipole formalism that has been developed to describe low-x deep inelastic scattering to the case of ultra-high energy real photons with nucleon and nuclear targets. We hope that there will be future modeling applications in high-energy particle astrophysics. We modify the dipole model of McDermott, Frankfurt, Guzey, and Strikman (MFGS) by fixing the cross section at the maximum value allowed by the unitarity constraint whenever the dipole model would otherwise predict a unitarity violation. We observe that, under reasonable assumptions, a significant fraction of the real photon cr…
The origin of high-energy cosmic neutrinos is one of the biggest mysteries in astroparticle physics. The fact that diffuse intensities of high-energy neutrinos, ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, and GeV-TeV gamma rays are all comparable suggests that these messengers are physically connected. The IceCube data above 100 TeV energies can be naturally explained by cosmic-ray reservoir models. In particular, starburst galaxies and galaxy clusters/groups serve as natural storage rooms of cosmic rays, and it has been theoretically predicted that these sources are promising sites of high-energy neutrinos…
Despite not have been yet identified by the IceCube detector, events generated from $ν_τ$ deep inelastic neutrino scattering in ice with varied topologies, such as double cascades (often called \textit{double bangs}), \textit{lollipops} and \textit{sugardaddies}, constitute a potential laboratory for low-x parton studies. Here we investigate these events, analyzing the effect of next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) Parton Distribution Function (PDFs) in the total neutrino--nucleon cross section, as compared with the color dipole formalism, where saturation effects play a major role. Energy dep…
