Central exclusive production of K+K− pairs in proton-proton collisions

Piotr Lebiedowicz,Otto Nachtmann,Antoni Szczurek

doi:10.1051/epjconf/201919903005

Abstract

We discuss central exclusive diffractive production of light mesons in the reactions $pp \to pp{\pi ^ + }{\pi ^ - }$ and $pp \to pp{K^ + }{K^ - }$. The calculation is based on a tensor-pomeron approach. We include a purely diffractive dipion continuum, and the scalar f0(980), f0(1500), f0(1710) and tensor f2(1770), ${f^{\prime}_2}(1525)$ resonances decaying into pseudoscalar meson pairs. We include also photoproduction mechanisms for the nonresonant (Drell-Söding) and the ϕ(1020) resonance contributions. The theoretical results are compared with existing CDF experimental data and predictions for being carried out LHC experiments are presented. The distributions in dimeson invariant mass and in a special "glueball filter variable" including the interference effects of resonance and dimeson continuum are presented.

Highlights

Diffractive studies are one of the important parts of the physics programme for the RHIC and LHC experiments
We have taken into account purely diffractive and diffractive photoproduction mechanisms
For the purely diffractive mechanism we have included the continuum and the dominant scalar f0(980), f0(1500), f0(1710) and tensor f2(1270), f2(1525) resonances decaying into K+K− pairs

Summary

Introduction

Diffractive studies are one of the important parts of the physics programme for the RHIC and LHC experiments. An example is the process of kaon pair production pp → ppK+K−, which can be used for studies of low-mass resonances, including searches for glueballs. Such processes were studied extensively at CERN ISR [1,2,3,4] and WA102 [5, 6] experiments and are an attractive topic of current experimental studies: COMPASS [7, 8], STAR [9], CDF [10], LHCb [11,12,13], ALICE [14], CMS [15]. The model was applied to the pp → ppπ+π− [25] and pp → ppK+K− [26] reactions at high energies including the continuum and the dominant scalar and tensor resonances decaying into the pseudoscalar meson pairs. It should be emphasized that the latter process has a very different characteristics than the pp → ppπ+π− or pp → ppK+K− one, which we predicted using the correct treatment of the spin degrees of freedom in the calculations

Sketch of formalism

Selected results

Conclusions