We argue that hadron production in coherent diffraction of proton on a heavy nucleus provides a very sensitive probe of the low-x QCD dynamics. This process probes the BFKL dynamics in proton and the non-linear gluon evolution in nucleus. We calculate the diffractive hadron production cross sections in the RHIC and LHC kinematic regions. To study the nuclear effects we introduce the diffractive nuclear modification factor. We show that unlike the nuclear modification factor for inclusive hadron production that has a very interesting dynamics at RHIC but is expected to be almost completely saturated at the LHC, the nuclear modification factor for diffractive production exhibits a non-trivial behavior both at RHIC and LHC.
Transversity generalized parton distributions (GPDs) can be probed in diffractive electro- and photoproduction of two vector mesons on a hadron in kinematics where the two vector mesons are separated by a large rapidity gap. We report on calculations for this process in the case of coherent $ρ^0-ω$ meson production on a deuteron target. Our cross section results show that an electron-ion collider with deuteron beams and forward detectors could probe deuteron transversity GPDs.
We study coherent and incoherent diffractive hadron production in high energy quarkonium--heavy nucleus collisions as a probe of the gluon saturation regime of QCD. Taking this process as a model for pA collisions, we argue that the coherent diffractive gluon production, in which the target nucleus states intact, exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to the energy, rapidity and atomic number dependence. The incoherent diffractive gluon production is less sensitive to the details of the low-x dynamics but can serve as a probe of fluctuations in the color glass condensate. As a quantitative measure …
We investigate the close connection between the quantum phase space Wigner distribution of small-$x$ gluons and the color dipole scattering amplitude, and propose to study it experimentally in the hard diffractive dijet production at the planned electron-ion collider. The angular correlation between the nucleon recoiled momentum and the dijet transverse momentum will probe the nontrivial correlation in the phase space Wigner distribution. This experimental study will not only provide us with three-dimensional tomographic pictures of gluons inside high energy proton, but also give a unique and …
We calculate the cross section for diffractive hadron production in deep inelastic scattering off heavy nuclei in the framework of gluon saturation/color glass condensate. We analyze the kinematic region of the future Electron-Ion Collider. We argue that coherent and incoherent diffractive channels are very sensitive to the structure of the nuclear matter at low $x$. This expresses itself in a characteristic dependence of the cross sections on rapidity and transverse momentum of the produced hadron and on the nuclear weight. We also discuss dependence on the scattering angle and argue that bot…
The diffractive heavy quark cross sections are estimated considering photon-Pomeron ($γ\pom$) interactions in hadron - hadron at RHIC, Tevatron, and CERN LHC energies. We assume the validity of the hard diffractive factorization and calculate the charm and bottom total cross sections and rapidity distributions using the diffractive parton distribution functions of the Pomeron obtained by the H1 Collaboration at DESY-HERA. Moreover, we compare our predictions with those obtained using the dipole model. We verify that this process is a good test of the different mechanisms for diffractive heavy …
The vector meson production in coherent hadron-hadron interactions at LHC energies is studied assuming that the color singlet $t$-channel exchange carries large momentum transfer. We consider the non-forward solution of the BFKL equation at high energy and large momentum transfer and estimate the rapidity distribution and total cross section for the process $h_1 h_2 \to h_1 J/ΨX$, where $h_i$ can be a proton or a nucleus. We predict large rates, which implies that the experimental identification can be feasible at the LHC.
In this work we study the diffractive photoproduction of $J/Ψ$ in proton-proton, proton - nucleus and nucleus - nucleus collisions at LHC energies using the color dipole formalism and different models for the forward dipole - target scattering amplitude. Our goal is to estimate the theoretical uncertainty present in the current predictions in the literature. Our results are compared with the experimental data and predictions for higher energies are presented.
We compute the hard diffractive hadroproduction of bosons W at high energies using Regge factorization and taking into account multiple Pomeron exchange corrections. The ratio of diffractive to non-diffractive W production agrees with the current Tevatron data and a prediction for the LHC is presented.
Results from a phenomenological analysis for diffractive hadroproduction of heavy flavors at high energies are reported. Diffractive production of charm, bottom and top are calculated using Regge factorization, taking into account recent experimental determination of the diffractive parton density functions in Pomeron by the H1 Collaboration at DESY-HERA. In addition, multiple-Pomeron corrections are considered through the rapidity gap survival probability factor. We give numerical predictions for single diffractive as well as double Pomeron exchange (DPE) cross sections, which agree with the …
We study jet final states in diffractive deep-inelastic scattering. We present the QCD factorization formula in terms of diffractive parton distributions and discuss its implementation in NLO Monte Carlo generators. We compute NLO predictions for the diffractive jet cross section. We use this calculational framework to discuss theoretical models of the long-distance behavior.
We present predictions for the diffractive production of heavy quarks in deep-inelastic scattering and hadron-hadron collisions and for double diffractive dijet production in hadron-hadron collisions. With the assumption of hard scattering factorization, the predictions are made using diffractive parton densities that we have previously fitted to HERA data. Comparisons of our predictions with preliminary data from HERA and the Tevatron indicate that factorization is obeyed in diffractive DIS but fails in hadron-induced processes.
Using the pre-LHC and LHC data for $πp$ and $pp$ diffractive collisions we study the ultrahigh energy asymptotic regime in the framework of the black disk picture. The black disk picture, being constrained by the s-channel unitarity condition and the $t$-channel analyticity, gives rather definite predictions for diffractive processes increasing with the energy. To deal with the data, we consider the Dakhno-Nikonov eikonal model which predicts a growth of the $\ln^2s$ type for total and elastic cross sections and $(τ={\bf q}_\perp^2\ln^2s)$-scaling for diffractive scattering and diffractive dis…
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 feasib…
In this paper, we present the results from phenomenological analysis of Z boson pair hard diffractive production at the LHC. The calculation is based on the Regge factorization approach. Diffractive parton density functions extracted by the H1 Collaboration at DESY-HERA are used. The multiple Pomeron exchange corrections are considered through the rapidity gap survival probability factor. We give numerical predictions for single diffractive as well as double Pomeron exchange cross sections and compare with the photon-induced and non-diffractive ones. The contributions from quark-anti-quark col…
A phenomenological analysis of diffractive dissociation of nuclei in proton-nucleus and meson-nucleus collisions is presented. The theoretical approach employed here is able to take into account at once data of the HELIOS and EHS/NA22 collaborations that exhibit quite different atomic mass dependences. Possible extensions of this approach to hard diffraction in nuclear processes are also discussed.
We discuss Lambda polarization and single-spin left-right asymmetry in diffractive hadron-hadron scattering at high energies. We show that the physical picture proposed in a recent Letter is consistent with the experimental observation that $Λ$ polarization in the diffractive process, $pp\to ΛK^+p$, is much higher than that in the inclusive reaction, $pp\to ΛX$. We make predictions for the left-right asymmetry, A_N, and for the spin transfer, $D_{NN}^Λ$, in the single-spin process $p(\uparrow)p\to ΛK^+p$ and suggest further experimental tests of the proposed picture.
The diffractive vector meson photoproduction with hadron dissociation in coherent hadron-hadron interactions at LHC energies is studied assuming that the color singlet $t$-channel exchange carries large momentum transfer. We estimate the rapidity distribution and total cross section for the processes $pp \rightarrow p V X$ and $PbPb \rightarrow Pb V X$ ($V = ρ$ or $Υ$) considering the non-forward solution of the BFKL equation at high energy and large momentum transfer. Our results indicate that the experimental identification of these processes can be feasible at the LHC.
Diffractive deeply inelastic scattering from a hadron is described in terms of diffractive quark and gluon distributions. If the transverse size of the hadronic state is sufficiently small, these distributions are calculable using perturbation theory. We present such a calculation and discuss the underlying dynamics. We comment on the relation between this dynamics and the pattern of scaling violation observed in the hard diffraction of large-size states at HERA.
We propose a new model for a homogeneous description of hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus collisions, the Gluon Exchange Model, fundamentally based on color octet (gluon) exchange. In proton-proton collisions we provide an exact description of the final state proton and neutron spectrum including the proton diffractive peak. In proton-nucleus reactions we find that the projectile proton diquark cannot survive in more than about half of multiple proton-nucleon processes and consequently must be very frequently disintegrated, leading to long transfers of baryon number over rapidity space.
We study spin asymmetries in diffractive $Q \bar Q$ and vector meson production which are sensitive to the spin-dependent part of the two-gluon-nucleon coupling. It is found that the $A_{ll}$ and $A_{lT}$ asymmetry in diffractive reactions can be used to study polarized gluon distributions of the proton.
Direct photon production at large transverse momentum in the coherent diffractive processes at hadron colliders is calculated in the two-gluon exchange model. We find that the amplitude for the production process is related to the differential off-diagonal gluon distribution function in the proton. We estimate the production rate at the Fermilab Tevatron by approximately using the usual gluon distribution function. Because of the clean signature, this process can be used to detailed study the small-x physics, and the coherent diffractive processes at hadron colliders.
Large-distance effects, which lead to the spin-flip part of the hadron -pomeron coupling in QCD -models, are discussed. We study spin asymmetries in exclusive reactions and in diffractive $Q \bar Q$ and vector meson production which are sensitive to the spin-dependent part of the pomeron coupling.
Understanding the role of Quantum Chromodynamics in generating nuclear forces is important for uncovering the mechanism of short-ranged nuclear interactions and their manifestation in short range correlations (SRC). The future Electron-Ion-Collider (EIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US will provide an unprecedented opportunity to systematically investigate the underlying physics of SRC for energies and kinematic regions that are otherwise impossible to reach. We study SRCs in electron-deuteron scattering events using the Monte Carlo event generator BeAGLE. Specifically, we investig…
Calculations of central exclusive diffractive di-pion continuum production are presented in the Regge-eikonal approach. Data from ISR, STAR, CDF and CMS were analyzed and compared with theoretical description. We also consider theoretical predictions for LHC, possible nuances and problems of calculations and prospects of investigations at present and future hadron colliders.
Following our recent paper on the calculations of diffractive quark jet production at hadron colliders, we present here the calculations of gluon jet production at hadron colliders in the two-gluon exchange parameterization of the Pomeron model. We use the helicity amplitude method to calculate the cross section formula. We find that for the gluon jet production the diffractive process is related to the differential off-diagonal gluon distribution function in the proton. We estimate the production rate for this process at the Fermilab Tevatron by approximating the off-diagonal gluon distributi…
Production of heavy photons (Drell-Yan), gauge bosons, Higgs bosons, heavy flavors, which is treated within the QCD parton model as a result of hard parton-parton collision, can be considered as a bremsstrahlung process in the target rest frame. In this review, we discuss the basic features of the diffractive channels of these processes in the framework of color dipole approach. The main observation is a dramatic breakdown of diffractive QCD factorisation due to the interplay between soft and hard interactions, which dominates these processes. This observation is crucial for phenomenological s…
We study exclusive dijet production in coherent diffractive processes in deep inelastic scattering and real (and virtual) photon-hadron ($γ^{(*)}$-h) collisions in the Color Glass Condensate formalism at leading order. We show that the diffractive dijet cross section is sensitive to the color-dipole orientation in the transverse plane, and is a good probe of possible correlations between the $q\bar{q}$-dipole transverse separation vector $\r$ and the dipole impact parameter $\b$. We also investigate the diffractive dijet azimuthal angle correlations and $t$-distributions in $γ^{(*)}$-h collisi…
It is shown that in a supercritical pomeron model the contribution of the tirple-pomeron diagrams violates the unitarity bound for cross-section even with account of the multiple pomeron exchanges between the initial hadrons. Asymptotic behaviour of the single diffractive dissoci\-ation cross-section is calculated in the approximation where every pomeron in the $3P$-diagram is eikonalized as well as an elastic interaction of initial hadrons is taken into account. In this approximation $σ^{SD}/σ_{tot}\rightarrow 0$ at $s\rightarrow \infty.$
In this letter we study the diffractive photoproduction of heavy quarks in hadronic (pp/pA/AA) interactions for Tevatron and LHC energies. The integrated cross section and rapidity distribution for the process h_1 h_2 --> h_1 h_2 QQBAR (h_i = p,A and Q = c,b) are estimated using the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) formalism. Our results indicate that this production channel has larger cross sections than the competing reactions of double diffractive production and coherent AA reactions initiated by two-photon collisions.
We compute the cross section for exclusive double-diffractive gamma-gamma production at the Tevatron, $p{\bar p} \to p + γγ+ {\bar p}$, and the LHC. We evaluate both the gluon-gluon and quark-antiquark t-channel exchange contributions to the process. The observation of exclusive gamma-gamma production at the Tevatron will provide a check on the model predictions, and offer an opportunity to confirm the expectations for exclusive double-diffractive Higgs production at the LHC.
We compute the next-leading-order cross-sections for diffractive electro- or photoproduction of a pair of hadrons with large $p_T$, out of a nucleus or a nucleon. A hybrid factorization is used, mixing collinear and small-$x$ factorizations, more precisely shockwave formalism. We demonstrate the cancellation of divergences and extract the finite parts of the differential cross-section in general kinematics.
Massless quark and antiquark jet production at large transverse momentum in the coherent diffractive processes at hadron colliders is calculated in the two-gluon exchange parametrization of the Pomeron model. We use the helicity amplitude method to calculate the cross section formula. We find that for the light quark jet production the diffractive process is related to the differential off-diagonal gluon distribution function in the proton. We estimate the production rate for this process at the Fermilab Tevatron by approximating the off-diagonal gluon distribution function by the usual diagon…
We demonstrate that hard dijet production via coherent inelastic diffraction is a promising channel for probing gluon saturation at the Electron-Ion Collider. By $inelastic$ diffraction we mean a process in which the two hard jets - a quark-antiquark pair generated by the decay of the virtual photon - are accompanied by a softer gluon jet, emitted by the quark or the antiquark. This process can be described as the elastic scattering of an effective gluon-gluon dipole. The cross section takes a factorised form, between a hard factor and a unintegrated ("Pomeron") gluon distribution describing t…
In this paper, it is shown that in hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions, the main source for central exclusive diffractive Higgs production is photon-photon fusion. At the LHC energy, the total cross section for this process is about 0.6 pb (for proton-gold scattering), and 3.9 nb (for gold-gold collision) while the gluon-gluon fusion leads to the value of the cross section for CED Higgs production which is about 0.1 nb and 3.9 pb respectively.
We discuss diffractive hadron leptoproduction in terms of skewed gluon distributions and within two-gluon exchange model. Connection of the two-gluon approach with skewed gluon distributions is found. The double spin asymmetries for longitudinally polarized leptons and transversely polarized protons in diffractive vector meson and $Q \bar Q$ production at high energies within the two-gluon model is analysed. The asymmetry predicted for meson production is found to be quite small. The $A_{lT}$ asymmetry for $Q \bar Q$ production is large and can be used to obtain information on the polarized sk…
Models for soft color interactions have been successful in describing and predicting diffractive hard scattering processes in ep collisions at DESY HERA and ppbar at the Fermilab Tevatron. Here we present new comparisons of the model to recent diffractive dijet data, also showing good agreement. The topical issue of diffractive Higgs production at the Tevatron and LHC hadron colliders is further investigated. For H->gamma gamma the irreducible background of prompt photon pairs from qqbar->gamma gamma and gg->gamma gamma is always dominating, implying that higher branching ratio decay modes of …
In the framework of Anisotropic Chromo Dynamics, a non-perturbative model of QCD based on magnetic condensation in the vacuum, we develope a picture of the Pomeron. Within this model we are able to calculate the diffractive contribution to deep inelastic scattering in the small Bjorken x region, actually probed at Hera. We calculate the diffractive structure function of the proton and make the comparison with the experimental data of Zeus and H1 collaborations. Good agreement with the experimental data, both for the diffractive structure function $F_2^D$ and for the ''structure function'' of t…
In this work we analyse applicability of regge-based models to hadron interactions. Commonly-used extensions of pure regge model are found to be failed. Low constituent model is inroduced and found to be consistent with hadron-hadron and hadron-photon data.
The large transverse momentum muon pair and W boson productions in the quark initiated coherent diffractive processes at hadron colliders are discussed under the framework of the two-gluon exchange parametrization of the Pomeron model. In this approach, the production cross sections are related to the small-x off-diagonal gluon distribution and the large-x quark distribution in the proton (antiproton). By approximating the off-diagonal gluon distribution by the usual gluon distribution function, we estimate the production rates of these processes at the Fermilab Tevatron.
Massless diquark jet and gluon jet productions at large transverse momentum in the coherent diffractive processes at hadron colliders are studied in the two-gluon exchange parametrization of the Pomeron model. We use the helicity amplitude method to calculate the cross section formulas. We find that for the light quark jet and gluon jet production the diffractive process is related to t he differential off-diagonal gluon distribution function in the proton. We estimate the production rate for these processes at the Fermilab Tevatron by approximating the off-diagonal gluon distribution function…
We revisit diffractive and exclusive W production at hadron colliders in different models for soft colour exchanges. The process pp to p[WX]p, and in particular a W charge asymmetry, has been suggested as a way to discriminate diffractive processes as being due to pomeron exchange in Regge phenomenology or QCD-based colour reconnection models. Our detailed analysis of the latter models at LHC energies shows, however, that they give similar results as pomeron models for very leading protons and central W production, including a vanishing W charge asymmetry. We demonstrate that soft colour excha…
We consider double spin asymmetries for longitudinally polarized leptons and transversely polarized protons in diffractive vector meson and $Q \bar Q$ production at high energies within the two-gluon model. The asymmetry predicted for meson production is quite small. The $A_{lT}$ asymmetry for $Q \bar Q$ production contains two independent terms which are large and can be used to obtain information on the polarized gluon distributions in the proton.
We evaluate the non-perturbative contribution to the double-diffractive production of the Higgs boson, which arises due to the QCD scale anomaly if the mass of the Higgs M_H is smaller than the mass of the top quark M_T, M_H < M_T. The cross section appears to be larger than expected from perturbative calculations; we find σ_H = 0.019 - 0.14 pbarn at the Tevatron energy, and σ_H = 0.01 - 0.27 pbarn at the energy of the LHC.
Diffractive production is considered in the ultrahigh energy region where pomeron exchange amplitudes are transformed into black disk ones due to rescattering corrections. The corresponding corrections in hadron reactions $h_1+h_3\to h_1+h_2+h_3$ with small momenta transferred ($q^2_{1\to 1}\sim m^2/\ln^2s$, $q^2_{3\to 3}\sim m^2/\ln^2s$) are calculated in terms of the $K$-matrix technique modified for ultrahigh energies. Small values of the momenta transferred are crucial for introducing equations for amplitudes. The three-body equation for hadron diffractive production reaction $h_1+h_3\to h…
The reaction mechanisms of the following proton diffractive scattering processes are studied and compared with one another: $γ^* p\to Vp,γ^* p\to Xp, pp\to (ΛK^+)p$ and $pA\to ΛK^+A$ (Here, $γ^*$ stands for the space-like photon in inelastic electron-proton scattering, $V$ for the vector mesons $ρ,ω,ϕ,J/ψ$, and $A$ for a target nucleus.) It is shown that, by taking parity, and C--parity conservation into account, the existing data for these reactions strongly suggest the following: A considerable part of the objects exchanged between projectile and target in the above-mentioned processes are v…
Diffractive parton distribution functions give the probability to find a parton in a hadron if the hadron is diffractively scattered. We provide an operator definition of these functions and discuss their relation to diffractive deeply inelastic scattering and to photoproduction of jets at HERA. We perform a calculation in the style of ``constituent counting rules'' for the behavior of these functions when the detected parton carries almost all of the longitudinal momentum transferred from the scattered hadron.
Azimuthal distributions in high-energy processes give information about the helicity structure of diffractive reactions. I discuss predictions of several dynamical mechanisms in this context, both for electron-proton and for hadron-hadron collisions.
We present the general rules for double-Reggeon production of objects with different spins and parities. The existing experimental information on resonance production in these central exclusive diffractive processes is discussed. The absorptive corrections are calculated and found to depend strongly on the quantum numbers of the produced states. The central exclusive diffractive production of 0^+ and 0^- Higgs bosons is studied as an illustrative topical example of the use of the general rules. The signal for diffractive 0^+ and 0^- Higgs production at the LHC is evaluated using, as an example…
A complete list of operators contributing at the lowest order to Quartic Neutral Gauge Boson Couplings involving photons and Z-bosons, is presented. We show that, for the couplings we consider, the lowest order contribution is from dimension 8 operators in the case when a light Higgs is present and from dimension 6 operators in the higgsless case where electroweak symmetry is non-linearly realized. We also show that these operators are generated by exchange of the Kaluza-Klein partners of the graviton in extra-dimensional models. We then explore the possibility of probing these couplings in th…
On the basis of requirements of unitarity and analyticity we analyze the real and imaginary parts of the $pp^\pm$ scattering amplitudes at recent ultrahigh energies, 1-100 TeV. The predictions for the region $\sqrt s > 100$ TeV and ${\bf q}^2<0.4$ GeV$^2$ are given supposing the black disk asymptotic regime. It turns out that the real part of the amplitude is concentrated in the impact parameter space at the border of the black disk. The interplay of hadron and Coulomb interactions is discussed in terms of the $K$-matrix function. The $pp$ diffractive scattering cross section at 7 TeV is calcu…
In this paper we propose the study of the diffractive quarkonium photoproduction in $pp$ collisions at LHC energies to probe the photon flux associated to a ultrarelativistic proton. The total photon distribution is expected to be given in terms of the elastic and inelastic components. Distinctly from the elastic photon component which can be determined from the elastic form factors, the magnitude of the inelastic component still is an open question. We consider the current parametrizations for the photon distribution of a proton and estimate the rapidity distributions and total cross sections…
Factorization, in the sense defined for inclusive hard scattering, is discussed for diffractive hard scattering. A factorization theorem similar to its inclusive counterpart is presented for diffractive DIS. For hadron-hadron diffractive hard scattering, in contrast to its inclusive counterpart, the expected breakdown of factorization is discussed. Cross section estimates are given from a simple field theory model for non-factorizing double-pomeron-exchange (DPE) dijet production with and without account for Sudakov suppression.
Exclusive and semi-exclusive processes, the diffractive dissociation of hadrons into jets, and hard diffractive processes such as vector meson leptoproduction provide new testing grounds for QCD and essential information on the structure of light-cone wavefunctions of hadrons, particularly the pion distribution amplitude. I review the basic features of the leading-twist QCD predictions and the problems and challenges of studying QCD at the amplitude level. The application of the light-cone formalism to the exclusive semi-leptonic decay of heavy hadrons is also discussed.
We present a calculation of diffractive charm jet production at hadron colliders in perturbative QCD based on the two-gluon exchange model. Differing from the previous calculations, we abandon the use of the effective color-singlet vitual gluon simplification, and use the real gluon in the calculations for the partonic process. We find the final result is free of the linear singularities due to the small transverse momenta of the exchanged two gluons. In the leading logarithmic approximation (LLA) in QCD, this process is related to the off-diagonal gluon density in the proton. As a result, thi…
Soft diffractive cross sections in $pp$ (or $\bar pp$), $πp$ and $γp$ collisions are calculated using QCD-motivated pomeron. The $s$-channel unitarization of the amplitude is performed by the eikonal approach, and in the framework of the quark structure of hadrons the colour screening is taken into account. The performed description of the diffractive processes has led to the parameters of the bare pomeron $P$ which occurred to be close to the corresponding parameters of the Lipatov's pomeron. Parameters of the bare pomeron and those of the three-reggeon block $PGG$ ($G$ is a reggeized gluon) …
