Equivalent photons at the LHC: pp(γγ) → ppl+l-, Pb Pb (γγ) → Pb Pb l+l-

Abstract

The Large Hadron Collider is considered as a photon-photon collider with the photons produced in ultraperipheral collisions of protons or heavy ions. The equivalent photon approximation is applied to derive analytical formulae for the fiducial cross sections of reactions pp(γγ) → pp μ+μ- and Pb Pb (γγ) → Pb Pb μ+μ-. The results are compared to the measurements reported by the ATLAS collaboration.