Spin Correlations, QCD Color Transparency, and Heavy-Quark Thresholds in Proton-Proton Scattering

The strikingly large spin-spin correlation $A_{\mathrm{NN}}$ observed in $\mathrm{pp}$ elastic scattering at $p_{\mathrm{lab}}=2.5\mathrm{} \mathrm{and} 11.75$ GeV/c and the unexpected energy dependence of absorptive corrections to quasielastic proton-proton scattering in a nuclear target can be interpreted in terms of two $J=L=S=1\mathrm{}$, $B=2\mathrm{}$ resonance structures associated with the strange- and charmed-particle production thresholds, interfering with a perturbative QCD background. The results provide support for the "color-transparency" phenomenon predicted in perturbative QCD away from resonances or heavy-quark thresholds.