Kaon-nuclei interaction studies at low energies (the AMADEUS project)

¹ INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati (Roma), Italy
² Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita’ degli Studi ’Roma Tre’, Roma, Italy
³ Physics Department, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
⁴ IFIN-HH, Magurele, Bucharest, Romania
⁵ Stefan-Meyer-Institut für subatomare Physik, Vienna, Austria
⁶ INFN Sez. di Roma I and Inst. Superiore di Sanita’, Roma, Italy
⁷ Technische Universität München, Physik Department, Garching, Germany
⁸ Excellence Cluster Universe, Technische Universität München Boltzmannstr. 2, D-85748, Garching, Germany

^a e-mail: kristian.piscicchia@lnf.infn.it

Abstract

The AMADEUS experiment aims to perform dedicated precision studies in the sector of low-energy kaon-nuclei interaction at the DAΦNE collider at LNF-INFN. In particular, the experiment plans to perform measurements of the debated deeply bound kaonic nuclear states, to deepen our knowledge about the controversial state Λ(1405) and to measure the low energy cross section of K⁻ on light nuclei. AMADEUS will exploit the process of stopped kaons in cryogenic gaseous targets, measuring both charged and neutral particles produced in a 4π geometry, so performing a full study of the various interaction channels. Taking advantage of the fact that the KLOE drift chamber is mainly filled with ⁴He (90% helium 10% isobutane) according to Monte Carlo simulations about 0.1% of kaons from DAΦNE should stop in the inner volume of the drift chamber; the analysis of the existing KLOE data (run from 2002 to 2005) is presently going on, searching for hadronic interactions of K⁻ in such an active target. The AMADEUS physics program and preliminary results from the analysis of KLOE data will be discussed.