Can perturbative QCD predict a substantial part of diffractive LHC/SSC physics?

Abstract We examine a model of hadronic diffractive scattering which interpolates between perturbative QCD and non-perturbative fits. We restrict the perturbative QCD resummation to the large transverse momentum region, and use a simple Regge-pole parametrization in the infrared region. This picture allows us to account for existing data, and to estimate the size of the perturbative contribution to future diffractive measurements. At LHC and SSC energies, we find that a cut-off BFKL equation can lead to a measurable perturbative component in traditionally soft processes. In particular, we show that the total pp cross section could become as large as 228 mb (160 mb) and the ϱ parameter as large as 0.23 (0.24) at the SSC (LHC).