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Recently, the shift of the kaonic helium-4 2p state was precisely determined by the E570 and SIDDHARTA experiments. Prior to the experiment by E570, the average of three earlier experimental results showed - 43±8 eV, while most of the theoretical calculations give ∼ 0 eV. This five-sigma discrepancy between theory and experiment was known as the "kaonic helium puzzle". A recent theoretical model showed a possible resonance-like shift of maximum 10 eV for a certain value of a deep antikaon-nucleon interaction potential, which is different in helium 3 and helium 4. The E570 experiment determined the shift of the kaonic helium-4 2p state as +2±2 (stat)±2 (sys) eV in 2007. The SIDDHARTA experiment determined the shift as 0±6 (stat)±2 (sys) eV in 2009. The results of these experiments resolved the long-standing puzzle. A new experiment of the kaonic helium-3 X-ray measurement is being prepared by the J-PARC E17 collaborators, and the kaonic helium-3 X-ray data taken very recently by the SIDDHARTA experiment are on the way to be analyzed. The results of the E570, E17 and SIDDHARTA experiments examine the strong interaction for light nuclei with different isospin, and test furthermore recent theoretical predictions. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

We will measure the x‐rays from kaonic 3He and 4He 3d→2p transition by using silicon drift detectors. Our precision goal is set to 1 eV to provide crucial information on the kaon‐nucleus strong interaction in the low energy limit. The experiment is to be performed as one of the first experiment in the J‐PARC hadron facility (J‐PARC E17). An overview and the present status of the experiment are presented.

We present an experimental study of Λ(1405) via the in‐flight (K−,n) reaction on the deuteron target (J‐PARC E31). We will measure all Σ+π−, Σ−π+ and Σ0π0 final states so that the isospin structure of the produced hyperon resonance state can be decomposed. In this report, we present an overview of the experiment and preparation status.

We will measure the X‐rays from kaonic 3He 3d → 2p transition with a precision below 2 eV. It can provide crucial information on the kaon‐nucleus strong interaction. The experiment (J‐PARC E17) will be performed as Day‐1, which is one of the first experiments in the J‐PARC hadron facility in the year 2011. An overview and the present status of the J‐PARC E17 experiment are described.

We have measured for the first time yields of both neutron‐proton and neutron‐neutron pairs emitted from the non‐mesonic weak decay of the Λ5He and Λ12C hypernuclei, produced via the (π+,K+) reaction. From the yields of both the back‐to‐back np‐pair events and nn‐pair events, we have directly determined the ratio of the neutron‐ and proton‐induced decay widths, Γn(Λn→nn)/Γp(Λp→np). Meanwhile, we have also determined the quenching of the observed numbers of single nucleons and coincident nucleon pairs compared with theoretical calculations. Our results suggest that contributions from the two‐nucleon‐induced three‐body process ΛNN→NNN are significant.

We have measured the angular correlation of the pair nucleons np and nn emitted from the nonmesonic weak decay (NMWD) of Λ12C produced via the (π+,K+) reaction in coincidence measurement. The Λp → np and Λn → nn modes were clearly identified by measuring the back‐to‐back correlation of the emitted nucleon pairs which is the characteristic of two‐body kinematics. From the measured nucleon pair numbers Nnn and Nnp, the ratio Γn/Γp of the partial decay widths Γn(Λn → nn) and Γp(Λp → np) of Λ12C was extracted to be 0.51 ± 0.13(stat)±0.04(syst); this result is almost free from the ambiguity due to the nuclear final state interaction and 3‐body decay process, which were inherent in the previous results. The obtained Γn/Γp ratio of Λ12C (p‐shell) is close to that of Λ5He (s‐shell). The results are consistent with those of recent theoretical calculations.

We carried out an experiment to study asymmetric weak decays of polarized 5ΛHe produced via (π+,K+) reaction on 6Li. The experiment aims mainly at investigation of the ΛN weak interaction through the hypernuclear weak decays. We introduce the experiment and report current status of analysis.

This paper reports briefly recent works on asymmetries of weak decays from polarized Λ‐hypernuclei, weak decay branches of Λ12C and Λ11B hypernuclei, and production of Λ‐hypernuclei through compound hypernuclei through compound hypernuclei produced by (π+,K+) reactions at quasi‐free scattering region.