The Regge limit of QCD

Hancock, Robert Edward (1992) The Regge limit of QCD. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

We study scattering amplitudes in quantum chromodynamics in the Regge limit. Following Lipatov et al we derive an integral equation whose solution gives the leading logarithmic term for that part of the amplitude which corresponds to singlet exchange, equivalent to finding the Regge trajectory of the pomeron. We solve the eigenvalue problem for this equation for both fixed and running coupling. We conclude that while renormalisation effects modify the eigenfunctions, the spectrum of the integral operator remains continuous, with a leading eigenvalue much larger than the pomeron intercept. We show that to make the spectrum discrete one must modify the equation to include non-perturbative effects, and that such modifications also substantially reduce the leading eigen-value. We study the spectrum for a variety of such models. Finally, we consider the equation for non-zero momentum transfer. We consider an approximate analytic solution for large momentum transfer, and show why confinement effects are unimportant here. We also find the Regge trajectory slopes at the origin, and discuss how the calculated trajectory compares with that found experimentally.

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