K+K- photoproduction in ultra$-$peripheral Pb$--$Pb collisions

TL;DR

This paper reports the first measurement of exclusive K+K- photoproduction cross section at midrapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV, providing new insights into photon-nucleus interactions.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of the exclusive K+K- photoproduction cross section in ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies.

Findings

First measurement of K+K- photoproduction in UPCs at 5.02 TeV.

Provides data on photon-nucleus interactions involving the phi(1020) resonance.

Enhances understanding of electromagnetic processes in heavy-ion collisions.

Abstract

In ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic heavy ions, photoproduction occurs when a photon emitted from one nucleus interacts with the other nucleus from the opposing beam, producing particles in the final state. Measurements of \KK photoproduction probe interactions and couplings between the $\phi (1020)$ and charged kaons with photons and nuclear targets. We report exclusive \KK photoproduction cross section at midrapidity in \PbPb collisions at \snn = 5.02 TeV, which is measured for the first time in UPCs.