High-energy photon collisions at the LHC - dream or reality?

TL;DR

This paper explores the feasibility and potential scientific benefits of high-energy photon collisions at the LHC, aiming to enhance understanding of QCD and probe physics beyond the Standard Model through various proposed channels.

Contribution

It assesses the prospects of photon collision experiments at the LHC, highlighting specific channels and their potential to reveal new physics beyond previous collider experiments.

Findings

Photon interactions observed at RHIC and Tevatron.

Three promising channels identified: vector-meson production, anomalous couplings, slepton production.

Potential to improve understanding of QCD and beyond Standard Model physics.

Abstract

We discuss the potential of high-energy photon collisions at the LHC for improving our understanding of QCD and studying the physics beyond the Standard Model. After reviewing briefly the legacy of past photoproduction experiments at LEP and HERA, we examine the gold-plated channels proposed for a photon collider at the ILC for their potential in a hadron collider environment. We stress that initial-state photon interactions have indeed been observed at RHIC and at the Tevatron. Three promising channels at the LHC are then presented in some detail: exclusive vector-meson production, measurements of possibly anomalous electroweak gauge-boson or top-quark couplings, and slepton production.