Elastic Diffraction Scattering of Hadrons at High Energies

A new model for the high-energy ($p_{\mathrm{lab}}\ge 4$ GeV/c) diffraction scattering of hadrons is presented. This shadow-scattering model explains, quantitatively, the magnitude and energy dependence of the widths of elastic-scattering diffraction peaks. An improved approximation for the inelastic intermediate states is used which emphasizes the role of quasielastic scattering and of optical absorption with energy-independent opacity. The quasielastic scattering is calculated from Feynman diagrams, while the optical absorption is constrained by the observed total cross section. Unitarity and one energy-independent scale-fixing parameter, then, give quantitative predictions for the widths of diffraction peaks which are only weakly dependent on the assumed $l$ dependence of the optical absorption.