Elastic differential cross-section ${\rm d}\sigma/{\rm d}t$ at $\sqrt{s}=$2.76 TeV and implications on the existence of a colourless 3-gluon bound state

The proton-proton elastic differential cross section dσ /dt has been measured by the TOTEM exper- iment at √s = 2.76 TeV energy with Beta∗ = 11 m beam optics. The Roman Pots were inserted to 13 times the transverse beam size from the beam, which allowed to measure the differential cross- section of elastic scattering in a range of the squared four-momentum transfer (|t|) from 0.36 GeV2 to 0.74 GeV2. The differential cross-section can be described with an exponential in the |t|-range between 0.36 GeV**2 and 0.54 GeV**2, followed by a diffractive minimum (dip) at |t-dip| = (0.61 ± 0.03) GeV**2 and a subsequent maximum (bump). The ratio of the dσ/dt at the bump and at the dip is 1.7 ± 0.2. When compared to the pp ̄ measurement of the D0 experiment at √s = 1.96 TeV, a significant difference can be observed. Under the condition that the effects due to the energy difference between TOTEM and D0 can be neglected, the result provides evidence for a colourless 3-gluon bound state exchange in the t-channel of the proton-proton elastic scattering.