DIFFRACTIVE MESON PRODUCTION FROM VIRTUAL PHOTONS WITH ODD CHARGE-PARITY EXCHANGE

We calculate the cross section of diffractive charge-parity C = +1 neu tral meson production in virtual photon proton collision at high energ ies. Due to the opposite C-parities of photon and meson M+ (M+ = eta(C ), pi(0), a(2)) this process probes the t-channel C = -1 odderon excha nge which is described here as noninteracting three-gluon exchange. Es timates for the cross section of inelastic diffractive process gammap --> eta(C)X(p) are presented. The total cross section of diffractive eta(C) meson photoproduction is found to be 47 pb. The cross sections for the diffractive production of light mesons (pi(0), a(2)) in yp co llisions are of the same order if the photon virtuality Q(2) is m(C)(2 ).