Oscillations (Quasi-Periodical Structure) of Elastic Hadron Scattering at High Energies

Abstract The possible fine structure of differential cross sections of nucleon elastic scattering at small angles at high energies is considered. A brief historical overview of various approaches to the problem under consideration is given. The presence of a periodic structure in differential cross sections at LHC energies is considered by a model-independent method and within the framework of the new Regge-eikonal model taking into account the generalized structure of nucleons (HEGS model). The analysis of new effects discovered on the basis of experimental data at 13 TeV and associated with the specific properties of the hadron potential at large distances is carried out taking account of all sets of experimental data on elastic $$pp$$ scattering obtained at $$\sqrt s = 3.6$$ up to $$\sqrt s = 13$$ TeV in a wide momentum transfer region. It also gives quantitative descriptions of all examined experimental data with a minimum number of fitting parameters. It is shown that the new features determined at a high statistical level give an important contribution to the differential cross sections and allow the research into hadron interactions at large distances.