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why is the cross section of photon - proton less than the electron- photon cross section for the same photon energy??
Because the photon does not carry electric charge ?why is the cross section of photon - proton less than the electron- photon cross section for the same photon energy??
Well, the proton carries electric charge, and the electron carries electric charge as well, so they interact by exchanging a virtual photon (say for instance in the lowest order appriximation). I guess you are asking about a real photon. How a real photon interacts with a proton depends on the energy of course. At energies around the proton mass and/or QCD scale (which I guess is your question, since ultra-high energy photons can not be produced easily) you can effectively describe the proton-photon interaction by the photon hadronic content, wich fluctuates say in a vector meson (or such hadronic configuration with the right quantum numbers). This is Regge calculus. So you need you photon to fluctuate into something else before interaction. You expect that this is going to considerably reduce your cross section.I don't understand how is that answer related to my question??
Well, the proton carries electric charge, and the electron carries electric charge as well, so they interact by exchanging a virtual photon (say for instance in the lowest order appriximation). I guess you are asking about a real photon. How a real photon interacts with a proton depends on the energy of course. At energies around the proton mass and/or QCD scale (which I guess is your question, since ultra-high energy photons can not be produced easily) you can effectively describe the proton-photon interaction by the photon hadronic content, wich fluctuates say in a vector meson (or such hadronic configuration with the right quantum numbers). This is Regge calculus. So you need you photon to fluctuate into something else before interaction. You expect that this is going to considerably reduce your cross section.