The inclusive double Pomeron exchange cross section for heavy quark pair production is calculated for nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. The present estimate is based on hard diffractive factorization, corrected by absorptive corrections and nuclear effects. The theoretical uncertainties for nuclear collisions are investigated and a comparison to other approaches is presented. The production channels producing a similar final state configuration are discussed as well.
Categories: hep-ph nucl-ex nucl-th