How to probe high gluon densities in pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.
We present a model for hadron production in the proton fragmentation region in pp collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider which accounts for the first time for effects of very strong small x gluon fields. Average transverse momenta acquired by the valence quarks exceed 1 GeV/c for central collisions and result in the suppression of leading baryon production and an additional energy flow to smaller rapidities. A strong dependence on the impact parameter will allow one to investigate the propagation of leading partons through gluon fields of a strength comparable to the ones encountered in heavy ion collisions at the LHC and in cosmic-ray-air interactions at highest energies.
Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat, Routh-Moufang-Strasse 1, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Drescher
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Strikman