Central exclusive meson production in proton-proton collisions in ALICE at the LHC

Abstract

Central exclusive production at hadron colliders is characterised by the hadronic state produced at or close to midrapidity, and by the two forward scattered protons, or remnants thereof. No particles are produced between the midrapidity system and the forward going beam particles, and such events can hence be identified experimentally by a double-gap topology. At LHC energies, central exclusive production in proton-proton collisions is dominated by pomeron-pomeron fusion. The models to describe such reactions are reviewed, and the ongoing efforts in the ALICE Collaboration to analyse double-gap events taken in Run 2 at the LHC are presented.