The energy dependence of the hard exclusive diffractive processes in pQCD as the function of momentum transfer

TL;DR

This paper predicts how the energy dependence of hard exclusive diffractive processes varies with momentum transfer in pQCD, reconciling theoretical calculations with HERA experimental data and exploring conditions for perturbative Pomeron behavior.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of energy dependence in diffractive processes, including explicit formulas and the impact of double logarithmic terms and gluon radiation within pQCD.

Findings

Energy dependence varies with momentum transfer and Q^2.

Double logarithmic terms are crucial for accurate predictions.

Perturbative Pomeron behavior appears only at energies beyond HERA's range.

Abstract

We predict the dependence on energy of photo(electro) production processes: $\gamma(\gamma^*)+p\to V+ X$ with large rapidity gap at small x and large momentum $-t$ transferred to $V$ in pQCD. Here V is a heavy quarkonium ($J/\psi, \Upsilon$) or longitudinally polarized light vector meson (in the electroproduction processes), etc. In the kinematics of HERA we calculate the dependence on energy of cross sections of these processes as the function of momentum transfer $t$, photon virtuality $Q^2$ and/or quarkonium mass. In the kinematical region $Q_0^2\le -t\ll Q^2+M^2_V$ the nontrivial energy dependence of the cross section for the vector meson production due to the photon scattering off a parton follows within QCD from the summing of the double logarithmic terms. In the second regime $-t\ge Q^2+M^2_V$ within DGLAP approximation in all orders of perturbation theory the $q\bar q - {\rm parton}$ elastic cross section is energy independent. We show that the correct account of the double logarithmic terms and of the gluon radiation including kinematical constraints removes the disagreement between pQCD calculations and recent HERA experimental data. The explicit formula for the dependence of the differential cross section$\displaystyle{\frac{d^2\sigma}{dtdx_J}}$ of these processes on $s_{\gamma^*N}$ is obtained. We show that perturbative Pomeron type behavior may reveal itself only at energies significantly larger than those available at HERA. In addition we evaluate the energy dependence of DCVS processes.