Heavy quark photoproduction in $pp$ coherent interactions at LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates how measuring heavy quark photoproduction at the LHC can help distinguish between different high-energy QCD models, specifically the classical and quantum Color Glass Condensate formalisms.

Contribution

It provides predictions for charm and bottom production cross sections and rapidity distributions using three saturation models, aiding experimental discrimination of QCD dynamics.

Findings

Predicted cross sections align with existing HERA data.

Results can differentiate between classical and quantum CGC models.

Provides a framework for experimental tests at LHC.

Abstract

In this work we analyse the possibility of constraining the QCD dynamics at high energies studying the heavy quark photoproduction at LHC in coherent interactions. The rapidity distribution and total cross section for charm and bottom production are estimated using three different phenomenological saturation models which successfully describe the HERA data. Our results indicate that the experimental study of the inclusive heavy quark photoproduction can be very useful to discriminate between the classical and quantum versions of the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) formalism.