The dissociation of virtual photons, $\gamma^{\star} p \to X p$, in events with a large rapidity gap between $X$ and the outgoing proton, as well as in events in which the leading proton was directly measured, has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The data cover photon virtualities $Q^2>2$ GeV$^2$ and $\gamma^{\star} p$ centre-of-mass energies $40<W<240$ GeV, with $M_X>2$ GeV, where $M_X$ is the mass of the hadronic final state, $X$. Leading protons were detected in the ZEUS leading proton spectrometer. The cross section is presented as a function of $t$, the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex and $\Phi$, the azimuthal angle between the positron scattering plane and the proton scattering plane. It is also shown as a function of $Q^2$ and $\xpom$, the fraction of the proton's momentum carried by the diffractive exchange, as well as $\beta$, the Bjorken variable defined with respect to the diffractive exchange.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT for the LRG and the LPS data samples.
The fitted exponential slope of the T distribution as a function of X(NAME=POMERON).
The fitted exponential slope of the T distribution as a function of X(NAME=POMERON).
The proton-dissociative diffractive photoproduction of J/psi mesons has been studied in ep collisions with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 112 pb^-1. The cross section is presented as a function of the photon-proton centre-of-mass energy and of the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex. The results are compared to perturbative QCD calculations.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of T.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of W in the ABS(T) range 2.0 to 2.5 GeV**2.
The differential cross section DSIG/DT as a function of W in the ABS(T) range 2.5 to 3.0 GeV**2.
Diffractive photoproduction of vector mesons, gamma p --> V Y, where Y is a proton-dissociative system, has been measured in ep interactions with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 25 pb^-1. The differential cross section, ds/dt, is presented for -t<12 GeV^2, where t is the square of the four-momentum transferred to the vector meson. The data span the range in photon-proton centre-of-mass energy, W, from 80 GeV to 120 GeV. The t distributions are well fit by a power law, ds/dt ~ (-t)^{-n}. The slope of the Pomeron trajectory, measured from the W dependence of the rho^0 and phi cross sections in bins of t, is consistent with zero. The ratios ds_(gamma p --> phi Y)/dt to ds_(gamma p --> rho^0 Y)/dt and ds_(gamma p --> J/psi Y)/dt to ds_(gamma p --> rho^0 Y)/dt increase with increasing -t. Decay-angle analyses for rho^0, phi and J/psi mesons have been carried out. For the rho^0 and phi mesons, contributions from single and double helicity flip are observed. The results are compared to expectations of theoretical models.
Differential cross section for RHO0 production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
Differential cross section for PHI production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
Differential cross section for J/PSI production. The second DSYS error is due to the modelling of the proton-dissociation process.
Elastic and proton-dissociative photoproduction of $\rho^0$, $\phi$ and $J/\psi$ vector mesons ($\gamma p\to Vp$, $\gamma p\to VN$, respectively) have been measured in e^+p interactions at HERA up to -t=3 GeV$^2$, where t is the four-momentum transfer squared at the photon-vector meson vertex. The analysis is based on a data sample in which photoproduction reactions were tagged by detection of the scattered positron in a special-purpose calorimeter. This limits the photon virtuality, Q^2, to values less than 0.01 GeV$^2$, and selects a $\gamma p$ average center-of-mass energy of <W> = 94 GeV. Results for the differential cross sections, d$\sigma$/d$t$, for $\rho^0$, $\phi$ and $J/\psi$ mesons are presented and compared to the results of recent QCD calculations. Results are also presented for the t-dependence of the pion-pair invariant-mass distribution in the $\rho^0$ mass region and of the spin-density matrix elements determined from the decay-angle distributions. The Pomeron trajectory has been derived from measurements of the W dependence of the elastic differential cross sections d$\sigma$/d$t$ for both $\rho^0$ and $\phi$ mesons.
Differential cross section for proton-dissociative RHO0 photoproduction.
Differential cross section for elastic RHO0 photoproduction.
The ratio of the elastic to proton-dissociative cross sections for RHO0 photoproduction.
Elastic and proton-dissociative rho0 photoproduction (gamma p-->rho0 p,gamma p -->rho0 N,with rho0-->pi+pi-) has been studied in ep interactions at HERA for gamma-p centre-of-mass energies in the range 50<W<100 GeV and for |t|<0.5 GeV2; the results on the p-dissociative reaction are presented for masses of the dissociated proton system in the range MN^2<0.1W^2.For the elastic process,the pi+pi- invariant mass spectrum has been investigated as a function of t. As in fixed target experiments, the rho0 resonance shape is asymmetric;this asymmetry decreases with increasing |t|.The cross section has been studied as a function of W; a fit to the resonant part with the form W^a gives a=0.16\pm0.06(stat.) +0.11-0.15(syst.). The resonant part of the gamma p-->pi+pi- p cross section is 11.2\pm 0.1(stat.)+1.1-1.2 (syst.) mub at <W>=71.7 GeV. The t dependence of the cross section can be described by a function of the type Ae^(-b|t|+ct^2) with b=10.9\pm0.3(stat.)+1.0-0.5(syst.)GeV-2 and c=2.7\pm0.9(stat.)+1.9-1.7(syst.) GeV-4. The t dependence has also been studied as a function of W and a value of the slope of the pomeron trajectory 0.23\pm0.15(stat.)+0.10-0.07(syst.)GeV-2 has been deduced. The rho spin density matrix elements r^04_00,r^04_1-1 and Re[r^04_10] have been measured and found to be consistent with expectations based on SCHC. For p-dissociative pi+pi- photoproduction in the rho0 mass range, the distributions of the two-pion invariant mass, W and the polar and azimuthal angles of the pions in the helicity frame are the same within errors as those for the elastic process. The t distribution has been fitted to an exponential function with a slope parameter 5.8\pm0.3(stat.)\pm0.5(syst.)GeV-2. The ratio of the elastic to p-dissociative rho0 photoproduction cross section is 2.0\pm0.2(stat.)\pm0.7(syst.).
Integrated elastic rho0 photoproduction cross section.
Integrated elastic pi+ pi- photoproduction cross section.
Differential T distribution. Statistical errors only.
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