CDF Forward Detectors and diffractive structure functions at the Fermilab Tevatron

Abstract

The CDF Forward Detector upgrade project was designed to enhance the capabilities for diffractive physics at the Tevatron. It consists of a Roman Pot spectrometer to detect leading antiprotons, a set of counters near and around the beam-pipe to reject the non-diffractive event contamination to the data sample, and two Miniplug calorimeters to measure the event energy flow in the very forward rapidity region. In the novel design of the Miniplugs, a lead/liquid-scintillator is read out by wave-length shifting fibers arranged in a flexible tower geometry and relatively short depth allows calorimetric tracking. Performance of the Forward Detectors during the first two years of operation in Run II with colliding proton-antiproton beams at $\sqrt{s}$=1.96 TeV, as well as the first results obtained, are discussed. A measurement of the antiproton momentum loss using the Forward Detectors is also presented.