Abstract
We argue that with an increase of the collision energy, elastic photoproduction of ρ mesons on nuclei becomes affected by the significant cross section of photon inelastic diffraction into large masses, which results in the sizable inelastic nuclear shadowing correction to σγA→ρA and the reduced effective ρ-nucleon cross section. We take these effects into account by combining the vector meson dominance model, which we upgrade to include the contribution of high-mass fluctuations of the photon according to QCD constraints, and the Gribov–Glauber approximation for nuclear shadowing, where the inelastic nuclear shadowing is included by means of cross section fluctuations. The resulting approach allows us to successfully describe the data on elastic ρ photoproduction on nuclei in heavy ion UPCs in the 7 GeV<Wγp<46 GeV energy range and to predict the value of the cross section of coherent ρ photoproduction in Pb–Pb UPCs at sNN=5.02 TeV in Run 2 at the LHC, dσPbPb→ρPbPb(y=0)/dy=560±25 mb.
Highlights
At high photon beam energies Eγ, the photon participates in the strong interaction with hadrons through its fluctuation into hadronic components
In the 60’s and early 70’s, it was suggested that the observed hadron-like behavior of a photon in photon–hadron interactions can be represented by the vector meson dominance model (VMD), which assumes that the photon fluctuates into ρ, ω and φ mesons that subsequently interact with
For comparison, we show the parametrization of the forward γp → ρp cross section from the Starlight Monte-Carlo generator [48], which is widely used for predictions and modeling of vector meson photoproduction on nuclear targets
Summary
At high photon beam energies Eγ, the photon participates in the strong interaction with hadrons through its fluctuation into hadronic components. With an increase of Eγ, lc increases and becomes larger than the target size RT for progressively heavier hadronic fluctuations of the photon, which is manifested in an increase of photon inelastic diffraction into large masses. This means that the photon can be represented as a coherent superposition of hadronic fluctuations interacting with the target with a wide spectrum of cross sections. In the 60’s and early 70’s, it was suggested that the observed hadron-like behavior of a photon in photon–hadron interactions can be represented by the vector meson dominance model (VMD), which assumes that the photon fluctuates into ρ, ω and φ mesons that subsequently interact with
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
