Search for a bound K⁻ pp system

Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Trieste and INFN, Sezione di Trieste via Valerio 2, 34127, Trieste, Italy

^a e-mail: paolo.camerini@ts.infn.it

Abstract

Data from the K⁻ absorption reaction on ^6,7Li, ⁹Be, ¹³C and ¹⁶O have recently been collected by FINUDA at the DAΦNE φ-factory (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati-INFN), following an earlier lower statitics run on ¹²C and some other targets. FINUDA is a high acceptance magnetic spectrometer which performed a wide range of studies by detecting the charged particles and neutrons exiting the targets after the absorption event. In this paper it is discussed about the study of the A(K⁻ , Λp) reaction in the context of the search for deeply bound - nuclear states. The observation of a bump in the Λp invariant mass distribution is discussed in terms of a possible signature of a deeply bound K⁻ pp kaonic cluster as well as of more conventional physics. An overview of the experimental situation in this field will be given.