A QCD motivated model for soft interactions at high energies

In this paper we develop an approach to soft scattering processes at high energies which is based on two elements: the Good-Walker mechanism for low mass diffraction and multi-pomeron interactions for high mass diffraction. The principal idea, which allows us to specify the theory for pomeron interactions, is that the so called soft processes occur at rather short distances (r ² 1/p _t ² α_a≈0.01 GeV ^-2), where perturbative QCD is valid. The value of the pomeron slope α _a is obtained from a fit to the experimental data. Using this theoretical approach, we suggest a model that fits all soft data in the ISR-Tevatron energy range: total, elastic, single and double diffractive cross sections, as well as the t dependence of the differential elastic cross section, and the mass dependence of single diffraction. In this model we calculate the survival probability of diffractive Higgs production, and we obtain a value for this observable that is smaller than 1% at the LHC energy range.