Search for high-mass exclusive $\gamma\gamma$$\to WW and \gamma\gamma$$\to$ ZZ production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The & collaborations
CMS-SMP-21-014, 2022.

Abstract (data abstract)
A search is performed for exclusive high-mass $\gamma\gamma \to WW$ and $\gamma\gamma \to ZZ$ production in proton-proton collisions using intact forward protons reconstructed in near-beam detectors, with both weak bosons decaying into boosted and merged jets. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS and TOTEM experiments at $\sqrt{s}=13$~TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 100~$\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. No excess above the standard model background prediction is observed, and upper limits are set on the $pp \to pWWp$ and $pp \to pZZp$ cross sections in a fiducial region defined by the diboson invariant mass $m(VV)>1$~TeV (with $V =W,Z$) and proton fractional momentum loss $0.04 < \xi < 0.20$. The results are interpreted as new limits on dimension-6 and dimension-8 anomalous quartic gauge couplings.