A formula is derived showing how elastic-scattering angular distributions are affected by multiparticle momentum distributions. In particular, the importance of longitudinal and transverse momentum correlations on the elastic-scattering slope is emphasized. Hwa has recently shown that a simplified diffractive excitation model gives too small a $\mathrm{pp}$ elastic-scattering slope and that a simplified multiperipheral model gives too large a slope. The reason behind these findings is discussed and is traced back to their differences in multiparticle momentum correlations, but not to their differences in energy dependences. It is also shown that a general class of models, including the uncorrelated jet model, gives rise to too small a $\mathrm{pp}$ elastic-scattering slope. Finally, the cause of failure for the simplified diffractive model is analyzed in detail and an improved diffractive excitation model is suggested. This model gives rise to a larger elastic-scattering slope than the simplified model. It also exhibits a dependence of the diffractive excitation slope on the mass of the excited resonance, in a way that agrees with experiments.

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