Large-angle cross-sections p+p→A+B and π+p→A+B at high energies predicted by the statistical model

Summary  Large-angle cross-sections p+p→A+B and π+p→A+B are predicted using the statistical model. We formulate a condition for « central collisions » which, together with the relative probabilityP elastic/(ΣP)all channels, leads to a relation between the above large-angle cross-sections and the total inelastic cross-sections for pp and πp collisions. It is found that all these cross-sections, taken at c.m. scattering angles near to 90°, decrease exponentially with the total c.m. energy. For p+p→p+p a comparison with recent experiments shows good agreement over a range where this cross-section varies by five powers of ten.