Muon trident process at far-forward LHC detectors

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the feasibility of detecting muon trident processes at LHC's far-forward detectors, predicting observable rates for muon-induced dilepton production, including tau pairs and QED bound states.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed predictions for muon trident production, including tau pairs and bound states, at LHC far-forward detectors like FASERν and FASERν2.

Findings

Muon trident process is detectable at FASERν.

Tau pair production in muon scattering can be observed for the first time at LHC.

Predictions include production rates for QED bound states.

Abstract

The electromagnetic production of a dilepton pair in the muon - ion scattering, usually denoted muon trident process, is investigated considering the feasibility of studying processes induced by muons at LHC using its far-forward detectors. The total and differential cross - sections are estimated taking into account of the Bethe-Heitler and bremsstrahlung channels, and predictions for the event rates expected for muon - tungsten ($\mu W$) collisions at the LHC energies are presented. Our results indicate that the observation of the muon trident process is feasible at FASER$\nu$. In particular, our results indicate that the electromagnetic production of $\tau^+ \tau^-$ pairs in the $\mu W$ scattering can, in principle, be observed for the first time ever at the LHC. In addition, we present our predictions for the production of QED bound states. Finally, results for the trident process at the FASER$\nu$2 detector are also presented.