Probing the diffractive production of gauge bosons at forward rapidities

TL;DR

This paper investigates gauge boson production in forward diffractive events at the LHC, demonstrating the potential to distinguish diffractive processes and constrain gap survival models using specific detector setups.

Contribution

It introduces a method to discriminate diffractive gauge boson production from non-diffractive processes at the LHC using the HERSCHEL and VELO detectors.

Findings

Discrimination of diffractive W and Z production is feasible with current detector setups.

The analysis can help constrain models of gap survival effects.

Forward diffractive processes provide insights into Pomeron structure.

Abstract

The gauge boson production at forward rapidities in single diffractive events at the LHC is investigated considering $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 8 and 13 TeV. The impact of gap survival effects is analysed using two different models for the soft rescattering contributions. We demonstrate that using the Forward Shower Counter Project at LHCb -- HERSCHEL, together with the Vertex Locator -- VELO, it is possible to discriminate diffractive production of the gauge bosons $W$ and $Z$ from the non-diffractive processes and studies of the Pomeron structure and diffraction phenomenology are feasible. Moreover, we show that the analysis of this process can be useful to constrain the modelling of the gap survival effects.