We report the first observation of diffractively produced W bosons. In a sample of W -> e nu events produced in p-barp collisions at sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV, we find an excess of events with a forward rapidity gap, which is attributed to diffraction. The probability that this excess is consistent with non-diffractive production is 1.1 10^{-4} (3.8 sigma). The relatively low fraction of W+Jet events observed within this excess implies that mainly quarks from the pomeron, which mediates diffraction, participate in W production. The diffractive to non-diffractive W production ratio is found to be R_W=(1.15 +/- 0.55)%.
We present results from a measurement of double diffraction dissociation in $\bar pp$ collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The production cross section for events with a central pseudorapidity gap of width $\Delta\eta^0>3$ (overlapping $\eta=0$) is found to be $4.43\pm 0.02{(stat)}{\pm 1.18}{(syst) mb}$ [$3.42\pm 0.01{(stat)}{\pm 1.09}{(syst) mb}$] at $\sqrt{s}=1800$ [630] GeV. Our results are compared with previous measurements and with predictions based on Regge theory and factorization.
The results of a study of the reaction π-p→π-π-π+p at2 147 GeV/c carried out at the Fermilab Proportional Wire 30″ Bubble Chamber Hybrid Spectrometer are reported. More than 92% of the cross-section ((670±41) μb) for this reaction is contained in those for proton and pion diffraction dissociation. The cross-sections for pion diffraction events with three-pion invariant mass in given regions are in agreement with values obtained by extrapolation of fits to data at lower incidentpion momenta. ρ0π- events make an important contribution in the A1 and A2 mass regions, and the data are consistent with contributions from f0π- in the A3 mass region. The cross-section for proton diffraction events is in agreement with a smooth extrapolation of the data at lower momentum.
A search for charm production in the coherent diffractive dissociation reaction pSi→XSi was carried out for the modes D 0 → K − π + , D 0 → K − π + π + π − , and D + → K − π + π + . No charm signals were observed, and the 90% confidence level upper limit for coherent charm pair production was determined to be 26 μ b per silicon nucleus. The results are interpreted as an upper limit of 0.2% on the amount of intrinsic charm in the proton.
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