Measurement of diffractive scattering of photons with large momentum transfer at HERA

The first measurement of diffractive scattering of quasi-real photons with large momentum transfer gamma p -> gamma Y, where Y is the proton dissociative system, is made using the H1 detector at HERA. The measurement is performed for initial photon virtualities Q(2) < 0.01 GeV2. Single differential cross sections are Measured as a function of W, the incident photon-proton centre of mass energy, and t, the square of the four-momentum transferred at the proton vertex, in the range 175 < W < 247 GeV and 4 < |t| < 36 GeV2. The W dependence is well described by a model based on perturbative QCD using a leading logarithmic approximation of the BFKL evolution. The measured |t| dependence is harder than that predicted by the model and those observed in exclusive vector meson production. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.