Simple Model for Strong Interactions

A simple model is proposed which relates elastic and inelastic processes in strong interactions. It is assumed that the basic process in strong interactions is meson production. The meson fields are calculated from a Klein-Gordon equation using a Gaussian source function. It is assumed that there are three types of strong interactions, whose quanta are, respectively, the $\pi$ meson, the $K$ meson, and the antibaryon. The sizes of the three corresponding source functions are inversely proportional to the square roots of the masses of the quanta. The three coupling constants are taken to be equal. Elastic scattering is assumed to be the diffraction scattering associated with the inelastic meson-producing processes. We thus obtain predictions for three phenomena in nucleon-nucleon collisions: the differential elastic-scattering cross section; the differential cross section for production of particles; the average number of mesons produced as a function of incident energy. The predictions are in good agreement with all experimental data in the multi-GeV region.