We study the observation of single top quarks in photoproduction at the LHC as a way of detecting the presence of flavour changing neutral currents, predicted by some theories beyond the standard model.
GasToF (Gas Time-of-Flight) detector is a Cherenkov detector developed for very precise (with ~10 ps resolution) flight time measurements of very forward protons at the LHC. Such an excellent time resolution allows, using z-by-timing technique, for precise measurements of the event vertex z-coordinate and the background reduction. This detector is essential for selecting exclusive and semi-exclusive processes at the LHC, and can also be applied for the particle ID at future experiments.
External collaborators: CMS HPS project, M. Albrow (Fermilab), J. Gronberg (Livermore), A. Brandt (Texas), J. Pinfold (Alberta), Ch. Royon (Saclay), J. Howorth (Photek Ltd).
High-energy photon-photon and photon-proton interactions at the LHC offer interesting possibilities for the study of the electroweak sector up to TeV scale and the search for processes beyond the Standard Model. After in-depth exploratory studies, first investigations of anomalous photon interactions in CMS are being performed.
External collaborators: CMS forward physics analysis group, R. Schicker (Heidelberg) and A. Szczurek (Krakow).
Precise determination of the absolute luminosity is crucial for many measurements in CMS. The measurement of the exclusive two-photon production of muons pairs by CMS provides a powerful method to calibrate the integrated luminosity.
External collaborators: CMS forward physics analysis group, CMS luminosity group.
