Topology, which occurs in the topological expansion of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and in the dual topological unitarization (DTU) schemes, allows us to establish a quantitative correspondence between QCD and the dual $S$-matrix approaches. This topological correspondence, proposed by Veneziano and made more explicit in a recent paper for current-induced reactions, provides a clarifying and unifying quark-parton interpretation of soft inclusive processes. Precise predictions for inclusive cross sections in hadron-hadron collisions, structure functions of hadrons, and quark fragmentation functions including absolute normalizations are shown to agree with data. On a more theoretical ground the proposed scheme suggests a new approach to the confinement problem.

• Received 6 December 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.19.3397