Exclusive vector photoproduction: confirmation of Regge theory

Abstract Recent small- t ZEUS data for exclusive ρ photoproduction are in excellent agreement with exchange of the classical soft pomeron with slope α ′ =0.25 GeV −2 . Adding in a flavour-blind hard-pomeron contribution, whose magnitude is calculated from the data for exclusive J / ψ photoproduction, gives a good fit also to the ZEUS data for ρ photoproduction at larger values of t , and to φ photoproduction.