Applications of the tensor pomeron model to exclusive central diffractive meson production

Abstract: We discuss exclusive central diffractive production of scalar ($f_{0}(980)$, $f_{0}(1370)$, $f_{0}(1500)$), pseudoscalar ($\eta$, $\eta'(958)$), and vector ($\rho^{0}$) mesons in proton-proton collisions. We show that high-energy central production of mesons could provide crucial information on the spin structure of the soft pomeron. The amplitudes are formulated in terms of effective vertices respecting standard rules of Quantum Field Theory and propagators for the exchanged pomeron and reggeons. For the scalar and pseudoscalar meson production, in most cases, two lowest orbital angular momentum - spin couplings are necessary to describe WA102 experimental differential distributions. Different pomeron-pomeron-meson tensorial (vectorial) coupling structures are possible in general. For the $\rho^{0}$ production the photon-tensor pomeron/reggeon exchanges are considered and the coupling parameters are fixed from the H1 and ZEUS experimental data of the $\gamma p \to \rho^{0} p$ reaction. We present first predictions of this mechanism for the $pp \to pp (\rho^{0} \to \pi^{+} \pi^{-})$ reaction being studied at COMPASS, RHIC, Tevatron, and LHC. We analyse influence of the experimental cuts on integrated cross section and various differential distributions for produced mesons.