The photon PDF in events with rapidity gaps

TL;DR

This paper develops a modified photon parton distribution function (PDF) to accurately describe photon-initiated events with rapidity gaps in proton-proton collisions, incorporating experimental vetoes and soft survival probabilities, with applications to lepton and W boson pair production.

Contribution

It introduces a new photon PDF formulation tailored for rapidity gap events, enabling more precise phenomenological predictions in proton-proton collisions.

Findings

Demonstrates the implementation of the modified photon PDF with rapidity gap vetoes.

Provides phenomenological results for two-photon induced lepton and W boson pair production.

Shows how soft survival probabilities can be incorporated consistently.

Abstract

We consider photon-initiated events with large rapidity gaps in proton-proton collisions, where one or both protons may break up. We formulate a modified photon PDF that accounts for the specific experimental rapidity gap veto, and demonstrate how the soft survival probability for these gaps may be implemented consistently. Finally, we present some phenomenological results for the two-photon induced production of lepton and $W$ boson pairs.