UC Irvine

A bootstrap of a diffractive Pomeranchuk singularity which gives rise to constant total cross sections is carried out in the framework of a multiperipheral model for particle production in which the Pomeranchuk singularity is exchanged at most once. The results for multiplicity distributions and inclusive experiments are presented and contrasted with those of multi-Pomeranchukon-exchange models in order to provide tests for the nature of the Pomeranchuk singularity. In this diffractive model the single-particle spectrum has a limiting distribution at high energies, but does not have pionization. As a consequence, the average multiplicity, n̄, is asymptotically constant. A set of coupled nonlinear integral equations for the Pomeranchukon residue functions are derived and solutions are presented which explicitly exhibit factorization. The model predicts that the elastic contribution saturates unitarity at t-0.6 GeV2, where the P′ Regge trajectory passes through zero. © 1972 The American Physical Society.