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The aim of the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment is to perform the first measurement ever of the width and shift induced by the strong interaction to the 2p→1s energy transition of kaonic deuterium. This ambitious goal implies a challenging task due to the very low X-ray yield of kaonic deuterium, which is why an accurate and thorough characterization of the experimental apparatus is mandatory before starting the data-taking campaign. Helium-4 is an excellent candidate for this characterization since it exhibits a high yield in particular for the 3d→2p transition, roughly 100 times greater than that of the kaonic deuterium. The ultimate goal of the work reported in this paper is to study the performances of the full experimental setup in view of the kaonic deuterium measurement. This is carried out by measuring the values of the shift and the width for the 3d→2p energy transition of kaonic helium-4, induced by the strong interaction. The values obtained for these quantities, for a total integrated luminosity of ∼31/pb, are ε2p=2.0±1.2(stat)±1.5(syst)eV and Γ2p=1.9±5.7(stat)±0.7(syst)eV. The results, compared to the value of the shift measured by the SIDDHARTA experiment ε2p=0±6(stat)±2(syst)eV, show a net enhancement of the resolution of the apparatus, providing strong evidence of the potential to perform the challenging measurement of the kaonic deuterium.

In this work, we report on tests performed with an experimental apparatus prototype based on a broad-energy germanium detector aimed at investigating topical, foundational issues in quantum mechanics: i.e., possible violations of the spin-statistics connection and models of dynamical wave function collapse. Our recent phenomenological analyses demonstrated the importance of pushing the research of new physics signal, predicted in these fields, to an energy range below 10 keV. We describe the development of the dedicated data acquisition system and of the pulse shape discrimination algorithm, which have already allowed us to get a factor two improvement in the lower energy threshold. Future plans are discussed to further improve the lower energy threshold to the level of a few keV.

Utilizing a dispersive crystal for X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) significantly enhances the energy resolution when compared with spectroscopy performed with just silicon drift detectors. This high resolution is particularly valuable for studying metals, as it offers essential insights into their electronic structures and chemical environments. Conducting such experiments in the laboratory, as opposed to synchrotron light sources, presents challenges due to the reduced intensities of X-ray tubes and, consequently, low signal rates, with the effect of increasing the acquisition time. In this study, we demonstrate that XES spectra can be acquired within a few hours for a CuNiZn metallic sample alloy while still maintaining a good energy resolution and a large dynamic range. This is achieved with the VOXES spectrometer, developed at INFN National Laboratories of Frascati (LNF), along with a background reduction procedure that enhances the signal from emission lines under study. This study is a showcase for improving the efficiency of XES in tabletop setup experiments.

Utilizing a dispersive crystal for X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) significantly enhances the energy resolution when compared with spectroscopy performed with just silicon drift detectors. This high resolution is particularly valuable for studying metals, as it offers essential insights into their electronic structures and chemical environments. Conducting such experiments in the laboratory, as opposed to synchrotron light sources, presents challenges due to the reduced intensities of X-ray tubes and, consequently, low signal rates, with the effect of increasing the acquisition time. In this study, we demonstrate that XES spectra can be acquired within a few hours for a CuNiZn metallic sample alloy while still maintaining a good energy resolution and a large dynamic range. This is achieved with the VOXES spectrometer, developed at INFN National Laboratories of Frascati (LNF), along with a background reduction procedure that enhances the signal from emission lines under study. This study is a showcase for improving the efficiency of XES in tabletop setup experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-area silicon drift detectors (SDDs) system has been developed by the SIDDHARTA-2 collaboration for high precision light kaonic atom X-ray spectroscopy at the DAΦNE collider of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare—Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati. The SDDs’ geometry and electric field configuration, combined with their read-out electronics, make these devices suitable for performing high precision light kaonic atom spectroscopy measurements in the background of the DAΦNE collider. This work presents the spectroscopic response of the SDDs system during the first exotic atoms run of SIDDHARTA-2 with kaonic helium, a preliminary to the kaonic deuterium data taking campaign. The SIDDHARTA-2 spectroscopic system has good energy resolution and a 2 μs timing window which rejects the asynchronous events, scaling the background by a factor of 10−5. The results obtained for the first exotic atoms run of SIDDHARTA-2 prove this system to be ready to perform the challenging kaonic deuterium measurement.

The VIP-2 experiment aims to perform high precision tests of the Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons. The method consists in circulating a continuous current in a copper strip, searching for the X radiation emission due to a prohibited transition (from the 2p level to the 1s level of copper when this is already occupied by two electrons). VIP already set the best limit on the PEP violation probability for electrons 1 2 β 2 < 4.7 × 10 − 29 , the goal of the upgraded VIP-2 (VIolation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle-2) experiment is to improve this result of two orders of magnitude at least. The experimental apparatus and the results of the analysis of a first set of collected data will be presented.

This article presents the kaonic atom studies performed at the INFN National Laboratory of Frascati (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati dell’INFN, LNF-INFN) since the opening of this field of research at the DA Φ NE collider in early 2000. Significant achievements have been obtained by the DA Φ NE Exotic Atom Research (DEAR) and Silicon Drift Detector for Hadronic Atom Research by Timing Applications (SIDDHARTA) experiments on kaonic hydrogen, which have required the development of novel X-ray detectors. The 2019 installation of the new SIDDHARTA-2 experiment to measure kaonic deuterium for the first time has been made possible by further technological advances in X-ray detection.