Double parton scattering: Impact of nonperturbative parton correlations

We apply the phenomenological Reggeon field theory framework to investigate the relative importance of perturbative and nonperturbative multiparton correlations for the treatment of double parton scattering in proton-proton collisions. We obtain a significant correction to the so-called effective cross section for double parton scattering due to nonperturbative parton splitting. When combined with the corresponding perturbative contribution, this results in a rather weak energy and transverse momentum dependence of the effective cross section, in agreement with experimental observations at the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider. In addition, we observe that color fluctuations have a sizable impact on the calculated rate of double parton scattering and on the relative importance of the perturbative parton splitting mechanism.