Insight into double-pomeron-exchange Higgs production and backgrounds

We quantify the central inclusive background contributions to exclusive Higgs production at the LHC arising from double-pomeron-exchange processes. We consider the H→bb¯ signal. We study processes mediated by the fusion of two 'hard' pomerons, and also by the fusion of 'soft' pomerons. The latter background is found to be very small, and the former is found to be less than the exclusive signal.