Eur. Phys. J. C 19, 477-483
DOI: 10.1007/s100520100637

Double-diffractive processes in high-resolution missing-mass experiments at the Tevatron

V.A. Khoze¹, A.D. Martin¹ and M.G. Ryskin<sup>1, 2

1</sup>  Department of Physics, University of Durham, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
²  Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Gatchina, St. Petersburg, 188300, Russia

(Received: 1 December 2000 / Revised version: 23 February 2001 / Published online: 23 March 2001 -© Springer-Verlag 2001)

Abstract
We evaluate, in a model-independent way, the signal-to-background ratio for Higgs detection in exclusive double-diffractive events at the Tevatron and the LHC. For the missing-mass approach to be able to identify the Higgs boson, it will be necessary to use a central jet detector and to tag b quark jets. The signal is predicted to be very small at the Tevatron, but observable at the LHC. However we note that the background, that is double-diffractive dijet production, may serve as a unique gluon factory. We also give estimates for the double-diffractive production of and mesons at the Tevatron. We emphasize that a high-resolution missing-mass measurement, on its own, is insufficient to identify rare processes.

© Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2001