Measurements of the proton-proton total cross section and small angle elastic scattering at ISR energies

Abstract Measurements of the total cross section have been performed at the ISR with c.m. energies between 23.5 GeV and 62.5 GeV. Two independent experimental methods have been applied, a measurement of total interaction rate and of small angle elastic scattering. Both experiments give consistent results showing that the total cross section increases by (11.8±1.5) % over the ISR energy range. This experiment has also measured the slope of the forward diffraction peak in elastic scattering at small momentum transfer. The elastic cross section shows the same relative rise as the total cross section, and the ratio λ of elastic to total cross section approaches a constant value of λ =0.178±0.003.