Forward physics with rapidity gaps at the LHC

Abstract

A rapidity gap program with great potential can be realised at the Large Hadron Collider, LHC, by adding a few simple forward showercounters (FSCs) along the beam line on both sides of the main central detectors, such as CMS. Measurements of single diffractive crosssections down to the lowest masses can be made with an efficient level-1 trigger. Exceptionally, the detectorsalso make feasible the study of Central Diffractive Excitation, and in particular the reaction g+g→g+g, in the color singlet channel, effectively using the LHC as a gluon-gluon collider.