Quark Parton Model: Explaining Inelastic Scattering

[Josh1079]

Hi,

I've been studying the quark parton model recently and all seems fine at first. However, there's just one thing bugging me right now. So in the quark parton model it is assumed that inelastic lepton-hadron scattering can be explained by elastic lepton-hadron scattering, but how can it be? I've seen articles saying something like an incoherent sum of elastic scatterings and I suppose that's the answer, but I just don't get it how is it possible to sum a load of elastic scatterings into something inelastic? if each of them does not lose energy then why does the sum of them lose energy?

Might be a silly question but just bear with me please. Thanks.

 

[mfb]

If you scatter elastic from a parton then you give energy to this parton - if it gets enough energy this will lead to the creation of new particles from the hadron it was part of.

 

[Orodruin]

So in the quark parton model it is assumed that inelastic lepton-hadron scattering can be explained by elastic lepton-hadron scattering

To me this sounds like you are talking about deep inelastic scattering, where you scatter a high energy lepton against a parton (not the entire hadron). This is a good approximation when the lepton is highly energetic in the hadron rest frame so that the partons can be considered free with respect to strong interactions. You then transfer a lot of energy to the parton, which upon further strong interactions leads to hadronisation and creation of new particles.

 

[Josh1079]

Hi mfb, Orodruin,

Thanks for the reply! I see that it is kind of a silly question. Haven't been thinking about scattering for too long. At that moment elastic scattering just occurred to me as saying "energy of lepton is conserved" which is, of course, totally false. Thank you guys so much for pointing that out!