Exclusive open strangeness production in the $pp \to pp K^{+} K^{-}$ reaction at high energies and a measurement of scalar $\chi_{c0}$ meson

TL;DR

This paper analyzes exclusive open strangeness production in proton-proton collisions at high energies, focusing on background processes and predicting observables for future collider experiments, including a measurement of the scalar _{0} meson.

Contribution

It provides a detailed theoretical prediction of exclusive $pp o pp K^+ K^-$ reactions and proposes a method to measure the _{0} meson via its decay into kaons.

Findings

Predicted differential distributions for invariant mass, rapidities, and transverse momenta of kaons.

Calculated the amplitude for _{0} production using the $k_t$-factorization approach.

Discussed the impact of absorption effects and rescattering on the reaction.

Abstract

We discuss the results of exclusive $p p \to p p K^{+} K^{-}$ reaction at high energies which constitutes an irreducible background to three-body processes $p p \to p p M$, where $M=\phi$, $f_{2}(1275)$, $f_{0}(1500)$, $f_{2}'(1525)$, $\chi_{c0}$. We consider central diffractive contribution mediated by Pomeron and Reggeon exchanges including absorption effects due to proton-proton interaction and kaon-kaon rescattering. We make predictions for future experiments at RHIC, Tevatron and LHC. Differential distributions in invariant two-kaon mass, kaon rapidities and transverse momenta of kaons are presented. We discuss a measurement of exclusive production of scalar $\chi_{c0}$ meson in the proton-(anti)proton collisions via $\chi_{c0} \to K^{+}K^{-}$ decay. The corresponding amplitude for exclusive central diffractive $\chi_{c0}$ meson production is calculated within the $k_{t}$-factorization approach.