INTERPRETATION OF HIGH-ENERGY STRING SCATTERING IN TERMS OF STRING CONFIGURATIONS

High energy string scattering at fixed momentum transfer, known to be dominated by Regge trajectory exchange, is interpreted by identifying families of string states which induce each type of trajectory exchang e. These include the usual leading trajectory alpha(t) = alpha't + 1 a nd its daughters as well as the ''sister'' trajectories alpha(m)(t) = alpha(t)/m - (m - 1)/2 and their daughters. The contribution of the si ster alpha(m) to high energy scattering is dominated by string excitat ions in the mth mode. Thus, at large -t, string scattering is dominate d by wee partons, consistent with a picture of the string as an infini te composite system of ''constituents'' which carry zero energy and mo mentum.