Evidence for light-by-light scattering and searches for axion-like particles in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV
Abstract
Evidence for the light-by-light scattering process, gamma gamma -> gamma gamma, in ultraperipheral PbPb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV is reported. The analysis is conducted using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 390 mu b(-1) recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC.
Light-by-light scattering processes are selected in events with two photons exclusively produced, each with transverse energy E-T(gamma) > 2 GeV, pseudorapidity vertical bar eta(gamma)vertical bar 5 GeV, diphoton transverse momentum p(T)(gamma gamma) gamma gamma) = 120 +/- 46(stat) +/- 28(syst) +/- 12(theo) nb, is consistent with the standard model prediction. The m(gamma gamma) distribution is used to set new exclusion limits on the production of pseudoscalar axion-like particles, via the gamma gamma -> a -> gamma gamma process, in the mass range m(a) = 5-90 GeV. (C) 2019 The Author(s).
Published by Elsevier B.V.