The diffractive component of multihadron production processes at high energies

Multihadron production at high energies proceeds through two mechanisms: A nondiffractive mechanism of a general multiperipheral nature and a diffractive mechanism. Assuming that the diffractive mechanism is dominated at present energies (s < 3000 BeV²) by single diffraction excitation we explore its theoretical and phenomenological implications. In particular we study the question of the rising total cross section. We show that "high mass diffraction excitation" leads to the formation of a central plateau in the inclusive single pion distribution and that the height of this plateau rises with energy and obeys scaling when normalized by the total cross section. We compute the multiplicity distribution for the diffractive component, and deduce the properties of the average multiplicity, its moments, and the statistical mechanics analogue of the "diffractive" Feynman gas. Two-particle correlations are computed and shown to be of a long range nature. Finally we outline an "improved" two component model into which some of the detailed features of the diffractive part are incorporated.