Diffractive vector meson production at large-$t$ in coherent hadronic interactions at CERN LHC

TL;DR

This paper investigates diffractive vector meson production with large momentum transfer in coherent hadronic interactions at LHC, using BFKL evolution to estimate cross sections and rapidity distributions, suggesting experimental feasibility.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of vector meson production at large-$t$ in coherent hadron collisions at LHC using the non-forward BFKL approach, which is novel.

Findings

Cross sections are sizable and potentially measurable at LHC.

Rapidity distributions provide insights into the underlying QCD dynamics.

The process can serve as a probe of the BFKL evolution at high energies.

Abstract

The diffractive vector meson photoproduction with hadron dissociation in coherent hadron-hadron interactions at LHC energies is studied assuming that the color singlet $t$-channel exchange carries large momentum transfer. We estimate the rapidity distribution and total cross section for the processes $pp \rightarrow p V X$ and $PbPb \rightarrow Pb V X$ ($V = \rho$ or $\Upsilon$) considering the non-forward solution of the BFKL equation at high energy and large momentum transfer. Our results indicate that the experimental identification of these processes can be feasible at the LHC.