Incoherent diffractive photoproduction of $J/\psi$ and $\Upsilon$ on heavy nuclei in the color dipole approach

Abstract

We calculate cross sections and transverse momentum distributions for the incoherent diffractive production of vector mesons $J/\psi$ and $\Upsilon$ on heavy nuclei. In distinction to coherent diffraction, the nucleus is allowed to break up, but except for the vector meson no new particles are produced in the reaction. Within the color dipole approach, we derive the multiple scattering expansion of the incoherent diffractive cross section as an expansion over quasielastic scatterings of the color dipole. We also compare our results to the measurement of the ALICE collaboration for incoherent $J/\psi$ production at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 \, \rm {TeV}$ and show predictions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02 \, \rm{TeV}$. We also briefly discuss a possible contribution to $J/\psi$ production in peripheral collisions in the $70 \div 90 \%$ centrality class.