Central Production with Tagged Forward Protons and the Star Detector at RHIC

Abstract

We describe a setup which will allow extend the physics reach of the STAR detector at RHIC to include the measurement of very forward protons. Tagging on very forward protons, detected by the Roman Pots at RHIC energies, selects processes, in which the proton stays intact and the exchange is dominated by one with the quantum numbers of the vacuum, thus enhancing the probability of measuring reactions where colorless gluonic matter dominates the exchange. The processes include both elastic and inelastic diffraction. The capabilities of the STAR detector to detect Gleuballs and Exotics in central production mechanism are described.