No Arabic abstract
In this paper we describe a formalism for generating exclusive final states in diffractive excitation, based on the optical analogy where diffraction is fully determined by the absorption into inelastic channels. The formalism is based on the Good--Walker formalism for diffractive excitation, and it is assumed that the virtual parton cascades represent the diffractive eigenstates defined by a definite absorption amplitude. We emphasize that, although diffractive excitation is basically a quantum-mechanical phenomenon with strong interference effects, it is possible to calculate the different interfering components to the amplitude in an event generator, add them and thus calculate the reaction cross section for exclusive diffractive final states. The formalism is implemented in the DIPSY event generator, introducing no tunable parameters beyond what has been determined previously in studies of non-diffractive events. Some early results from DIS and proton-proton collisions are presented, and compared to experimental data.
The exclusive diffractive production of vector mesons and real photons in ep collisions has been studied at HERA in a wide kinematic range. The most recent experimental results are presented.
Central diffractive production of heavy states (massive dijets, Higgs boson) is studied in the exclusive mode using a new Hybrid Pomeron Model (HPM). Built from Hybrid Pomerons defined by the combination of one hard and one soft color exchanges, the model describes well the centrally produced diffractive dijet data at the Tevatron. Predictions for the Higgs boson and dijet exclusive production at the LHC are presented.
A model for exclusive diffractive resonance production in proton-proton collisions at high energies is presented. This model is able to predict double differential distributions with respect to the mass and the transverse momentum of the produced resonance in the mass region $sqrt{M^2}le$5 GeV. The model is based on convoluting the Pomeron distribution in the proton with the Pomeron-Pomeron-meson total cross section. The Pomeron-Pomeron-meson cross section is saturated by direct-channel contributions from the Pomeron as well as from two different $f$ trajectories, accompanied by the isolated f$_0(500)$ resonance dominating the $sqrt{M^{2}} leq $ GeV region. A slowly varying background is taken into account.
A model for exclusive diffractive resonance production in proton-proton collisions at LHC energies is presented. This model is based on the convolution of the Donnachie-Landshoff parameterisation of Pomeron flux in the proton with the Pomeron cross section for resonance production. The hadronic cross section for f$_{0}$(980) and f$_{2}$(1270) production at midrapidity is given differentially in mass and transverse momentum of the resonance. The proton fractional longitudinal momentum loss is presented.
The prospects for central exclusive diffractive (CED) production of MSSM Higgs bosons at the LHC are reviewed. It is shown that the CED channels, making use of forward proton detectors at the LHC installed at 220 m and 420 m distance around ATLAS and / or CMS, can provide important information on the Higgs sector of the MSSM. In particular, CED production of the neutral CP-even Higgs bosons h and H and their decays into bottom quarks has the potential to probe interesting regions of the M_A--tan_beta parameter plane of the MSSM and may give access to the bottom Yukawa couplings of the Higgs bosons up to masses of M_H approx 250 GeV.