Range of High-Energy Interactions

The range of high-energy nucleon-nucleon interactions is examined in a simple single inelastic channel model which consists of the production of two spinless isobars. An almost transparent, purely absorbing optical approximation is made, in which case both the inelastic and elastic angular distributions are sensitive to the variation of the absorption coefficient ${\eta }_l$ with angular momentum $l$. Unlike the case of the strong absorber, the inelastic and elastic interactions are described by different effective ranges. Two examples are given, one in which the inelastic channel has an angular distribution characteristic of a one-pion exchange process and the second in which it is characteristic of a "vacuum Regge pole" exchange.