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Exclusive vector meson production reactions such as Au+Au+Au+V, where V=, , , or J/, can proceed through photon-Pomeron and photon-meson interactions. Photons from the electromagnetic field of one nucleus interact coherently with the other nucleus. Photonuclear cross sections are scaled from data and convoluted with the photon spectrum to find the exclusive rates. The cross sections at the RHIC and LHC heavy ion colliders are huge, 10% of the total hadronic cross section at RHIC and 50% at LHC. These accelerators may be useful as vector meson factories. With iodine beams at RHIC, 640 are produced each second (10^10/yr) ; with calcium at the LHC the rate is 240 kHz. The rates are 39 Hz at RHIC and 15 kHz at LHC, while the J/ rate is 0. 3 Hz at RHIC and 780 Hz at the LHC. Because of the coherent couplings, the reactions kinematics are similar to coherent two-photon interactions; we discuss the interplay between the two reactions.
J. Nystrand (Wed,) studied this question.