Search

The differential cross section for $\gamma p\rightarrow K^+\Lambda(1520)$ was measured from threshold to a centre-of-mass energy of 2090\,MeV at forward angles at the BGOOD experiment. The high statistical precision and resolution in centre-of-mass energy and angle allows a detailed characterisation of this low-momentum transfer kinematic region. The data agree with a previous LEPS measurement and support effective Lagrangian models that indicate that the contact term dominates the cross section near threshold., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures

The coherent reaction, $\gamma d \rightarrow \pi^0\eta d$ was studied with the BGOOD experiment at ELSA from threshold to a centre-of-mass energy of 3200\,MeV. A full kinematic reconstruction was made, with final state deuterons identified in the forward spectrometer and $\pi^0$ and $\eta$ decays in the central BGO Rugby Ball. The strength of the differential cross section exceeds what can be described by models of coherent photoproduction at forward angles by orders of magnitude. The distribution of the differential cross section has an excellent agreement with a model including quasi-free $\Delta \pi$ photoproduction, pion re-scattering and $N(1535)$ formation and subsequent nucleon coalescence to the deuteron. This also gives a reasonable description of the two-body invariant mass distributions and naturally explains the similar magnitudes of this channel and $\pi^0\pi^0 d$ coherent photoproduction., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

In this paper, we present the first tests performed after the full installation of the SIDDHARTA-2 experimental apparatus on the Interaction Region of the DA{\Phi}NE collider at the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati. Before starting the first measurement of the kaonic deuterium 2p{\rightarrow}1s transition, accurate evaluation of the background rejection. mainly achieved with the Kaon Trigger system, was required. This run, performed in the period 04-26/05/2022 with a 4 He gaseous target, confirmed the 10^5 rejection factor obtained with a reduced version of the setup and different machine conditions in 2021. This important outcome motivated the filling of the target cell with deuterium and the starting of the measurement campaign of the kaonic deuterium 2p{\rightarrow}1s transition.

The coherent reaction, $\gamma d \rightarrow \pi^0\pi^0 d$ was studied with the BGOOD experiment at ELSA from threshold to a centre-of-mass energy of 2850\,MeV. A full kinematic reconstruction was made, with final state deuterons identified in the forward spectrometer and $\pi^0$ decays in the central BGO Rugby Ball. The strength of the differential cross section exceeds what can be described by models of coherent photoproduction and instead supports the three isoscalar dibaryon candidates reported by the ELPH collaboration at 2.38, 2.47 and 2.63\,GeV/c$^2$. A low mass enhancement in the $\pi^0\pi^0$ invariant mass is also observed at the $d^*(2380)$ centre-of-mass energy which is consistent with the ABC effect. At higher centre-of-mass energies, a narrow peak in the $\pi^0 d$ invariant mass at 2114\,MeV/c$^2$ with a width of 20\,MeV/c$^2$ supports a sequential two-dibaryon decay mechanism., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures. Additional references (recommended by colleagues) added since the first revision

The SIDDHARTA-2 experiment at the DA$\Phi$NE collider aims to perform the first kaonic deuterium X-ray transitions to the fundamental level measurement, with a systematic error at the level of a few eV. To achieve this challenging goal the experimental apparatus is equipped with 384 Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) distributed around its cryogenic gaseous target. The SDDs developed by the SIDDHARTA-2 collaboration are suitable for high precision kaonic atoms spectroscopy, thanks to their high energy and time resolutions combined with their radiation hardness. The energy response of each detector must be calibrated and monitored to keep the systematic error, due to processes such as gain fluctuations, at the level of 2-3 eV. This paper presents the SIDDHARTA-2 calibration method which was optimized during the preliminary phase of the experiment in the real background conditions of the DA$\Phi$NE collider, which is a fundamental tool to guarantee the high precision spectroscopic performances of the system over long periods of data taking, as that required for the kaonic deuterium measurement.

Kaonic atoms are a unique tool to explore quantum chromodynamics in the strangeness sector at low energy, with implications reaching neutron stars and dark matter. Precision X-ray spectroscopy can fully unlock the at-threshold isospin dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths, via the atomic transitions to the fundamental level. While the SIDDHARTA experiment at the INFN-LNF DA$\Phi$NE collider successfully measured kaonic hydrogen, its successor SIDDHARTA-2 is starting now its data taking campaign aiming to finally fully disentangle the isoscalar and isovector scattering lengths via the measurement of kaonic deuterium. An overview of the first experimental results from a preparatory run for the SIDDAHARTA-2 experiment is presented., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, to be sumbitted to Phys. Scr. - Focus on New Frontiers in Physics - Selected Papers from ICNFP 2021

The SIDDHARTINO experiment at the DA{\Phi}NE Collider of INFN-LNF, the pilot run for the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment which aims to perform the measurement of kaonic deuterium transitions to the fundamental level, has successfully been concluded. The paper reports the main results of this run, including the optimization of various components of the apparatus, among which the degrader needed to maximize the fraction of kaons stopped inside the target, through measurements of kaonic helium transitions to the 2p level. The obtained shift and width values are {\epsilon}_2p = E_exp-E_e.m = 0.2 {\pm} 2.5(stat) {\pm} 2(syst) eV and {\Gamma}_2p = 8 {\pm} 10 eV (stat), respectively. This new measurement of the shift, in particular, represents the most precise one for a gaseous target and is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the kaon-nuclei interaction at low energy.

A large-area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) system has been developed by the SIDDHARTA2 collaboration for high precision light kaonic atoms X-ray spectroscopy at the DA{\Phi}NE 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 to perform high precision light kaonic atoms spectroscopy measurements in the high background of the DA{\Phi}NE collider. This work presents the spectroscopic response of the SDDs system during the kaonic helium first exotic atoms run of SIDDHARTA-2, preliminary to the kaonic deuterium data taking campaign, Comment: submitted to Condensed Matter (MDPI) for special issue "High Precision X-ray Measurements 2021"

The differential cross section for the quasi-free photoproduction reaction $\gamma n\rightarrow K^0\Sigma^0$ was measured at BGOOD at ELSA from threshold to a centre-of-mass energy of 2400 MeV. Close to threshold the results are consistent with existing data and are in agreement with partial wave analysis solutions over the full measured energy range, with a large coupling to the $\Delta$(1900)1/2- evident. This is the first dataset covering the K* threshold region, where there are model predictions of dynamically generated vector meson-baryon resonance contributions., Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures

$K^+\Lambda(1405)$ photoproduction has been studied at the BGOOD experiment via the all neutral decay, $\Lambda(1405)\rightarrow\Sigma^0\pi^0$. The unique BGOOD experimental setup allows both the cross section and $\Lambda(1405)$ invariant mass distribution (line shape) to be measured over a broad $K^+$ polar angle range, extending to extreme forward $K^+$ angles unattainable at previous experiments. Evidence is provided for the role of a triangle singularity driven by the $N^*(2030)$ resonance, which appears to contribute significantly to $K^+\Lambda(1405)$ photoproduction. This is observed in both the angular distributions and the integrated cross section which was determined with unprecedented energy resolution. The measured line shape is also in agreement with the previous results of CLAS and ANKE, and is consistent with two poles derived in $\chi$PT based models.

A luminosity monitor, based on plastic scintillator detectors, has been developed for the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment aiming to perform high precision measurements of kaonic atoms and was installed in 2020 on the DAFNE $e^+e^-$ collider at LNF (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, INFN). The main goal of this system is to provide the~instantaneous and integrated luminosity of the DAFNE facility by measuring the rate of $K^+K^-$ correlated pairs emitted by the phi meson decay. This task requires an accurate timing of the DAQ signals, as well as timing resolution below 1ns, in order to disentangle the $K^\pm$ signals from the background minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) produced during the $e^+e^-$ collisions at DAFNE. In this paper the luminosity monitor concept as well as its laboratory characterization and the first results inside DAFNE are presented., Comment: Published in JINST

The BGO-OD experiment at the University of Bonn's ELSA accelerator facility in Germany is ideally suited to investigate photoproduction at extreme forward angles. It combines a highly segmented BGO electromagnetic calorimeter at central angles and an open dipole magnetic spectrometer in the forward direction. This allows the detection of forward going kaons, and complex final states of mixed charge from hyperon decays. Current projects at the BGO-OD experiment include strangeness production of $\gamma p \rightarrow K^+ \Lambda/\Sigma^0$ at forward angles, $K^0\Sigma^0$ with a deuteron target and $K^+\Lambda(1405)$ line shape and cross section measurements., Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of "HADRON2019: 18th International Conference on Hadron Spectroscopy and Structure", limited to 5 pages

Since the discovery of the $\Lambda(1405)$, it remains poorly described by conventional constituent quark models, and it is a candidate for having an "exotic" meson-baryon or "penta-quark" structure, similar to states recently reported in the hidden charm sector. The $\Lambda(1405)$ can be produced in the reaction $\gamma p \rightarrow K^+\Lambda(1405)$. The pure I=0 decay mode into $\Sigma^0\pi^0$ is prohibited for the mass-overlapping $\Sigma(1385)$. Combining a large aperture forward magnetic spectrometer and a central BGO crystal calorimeter, the BGO-OD experiment is ideally suited to measure this decay with the $K^+$ in the forward direction. Preliminary results are presented. *Supported by DFG (PN 388979758, 405882627)., Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of "NSTAR2019: 12th International Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons"

The BGO-OD experiment at the ELSA accelerator facility uses an energy tagged bremsstrahlung photon beam to investigate the excitation structure of the nucleon. The setup consists of a highly segmented BGO calorimeter surrounding the target, with a particle tracking magnetic spectrometer at forward angles. BGO-OD is ideal for investigating low momentum transfer processes due to the acceptance and high momentum resolution at forward angles. In particular, this enables the investigation of strangeness photoproduction where t-channel exchange mechanisms play an important role. This also allows access to low momentum exchange kinematics where extended, molecular structure may manifest in reaction mechanisms. First key results at low $t$ indicate a cusp-like structure in $K^+\Sigma^0$ photoproduction at $W = 1900$\,MeV, line shapes and differential cross sections for $K^+\Lambda$(1405)$\rightarrow K^+\Sigma^0\pi^0$, and a peak structure in $K^0_S\Sigma^0$ photoproduction. The peak in the $K^0_S\Sigma^0$ channel appears consistent with meson-baryon generated states, where equivalent models have been used to describe the $P_C$ pentaquark candidates in the heavy charmed quark sector., Comment: Proceedings of The 12th International Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons (NSTAR 2019)

The BGOOD experiment at the ELSA facility in Bonn has been commissioned within the framework of an international collaboration. The experiment pursues a systematic investigation of non-strange and strange meson photoproduction, in particular $t$-channel processes at low momentum transfer. The setup uniquely combines a central almost $4\pi$ acceptance BGO crystal calorimeter with a large aperture forward magnetic spectrometer providing excellent detection of both neutral and charged particles, complementary to other setups such as Crystal Barrel, Crystal Ball, LEPS and CLAS., Comment: 26 pages, 37 figures

The interaction of antikaons with nucleons and nuclei in the low-energy regime represents an active research field in hadron physics with still many important open questions. The investigation of light kaonic atoms, in which one electron is replaced by a negatively charged kaon, is a unique tool to provide precise information on this interaction; the energy shift and the broadening of the low-lying states of such atoms, induced by the kaon-nucleus hadronic interaction, can be determined with high precision from the atomic X-ray spectroscopy, and this experimental method provides unique information to understand the low energy kaon-nucleus interaction at the production threshold. The lightest atomic systems, like the kaonic hydrogen and the kaonic deuterium deliver, in a model-independent way, the isospin-dependent kaon-nucleon scattering lengths. The most precise kaonic hydrogen measurement to-date, together with an exploratory measurement of kaonic deuterium, were carried out in 2009 by the SIDDHARTA collaboration at the DA{\Phi}NE electron-positron collider of LNF-INFN, combining the excellent quality kaon beam delivered by the collider with new experimental techniques, as fast and very precise X-ray detectors, like the Silicon Drift Detectors. The SIDDHARTA results triggered new theoretical work, which achieved major progress in the understanding of the low-energy strong interaction with strangeness reflected by the antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths calculated with the antikaon-proton amplitudes constrained by the SIDDHARTA data. The most important open question is the experimental determination of the hadronic energy shift and width of kaonic deuterium; presently, a major upgrade of the setup, SIDDHARTA-2, is being realized to reach this goal. In this paper, the results obtained in 2009 and the proposed SIDDHARTA-2 upgrades are presented.

The low-energy strong interaction of antikaons (K-) with nuclei has many facets and rep- resents a lively and challenging research field. It is interconnected to the peculiar role of strangeness, since the strange quark is rather light, but still much heavier than the up and down quarks. Thus, when strangeness is involved one has to deal with spontaneous and explicit symmetry breaking in QCD. It is well known that the antikaon interaction with nucleons is attractive, but how strong ? Is the interaction strong enough to bind nucleons to form kaonic nuclei and, if so, what are the properties (binding energy, decay width)? There are controversial indications for such bound states and new results are expected to come soon. The existence of antikaon mediated bound states might have important consequences since it would open the possibility for the formation of cold baryonic matter of high density which might have a severe impact in astrophysics for the understanding of the composi- tion of compact (neutron) stars. New experimental opportunities could be provided by the AMADEUS experiment at the DA?NE electron-positron collider at LNF-INFN (Frascati, Italy). Pre-AMADEUS studies on the antikaon interaction with nuclei are carried out by analysis of data collected by KLOE in till 2005 and in special data runs using a carbon target insert. Studies for the dedicated AMADEUS detector setup taking advantage of the low-energy antikaons from Phi-meson decay delivered by DAFNE are in progress. Some re- sults obtained so far and the perspectives of the AMADEUS experiment are presented and discussed., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings LEAP2016

The strong interaction of antikaons with nucleons and nuclei in the low-energy regime represents an active research field connected intrinsically with few-body physics. There are important open questions like the question of antikaon nuclear bound states. A unique and rather direct experimental access to the antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths is provided by precision X-ray spectroscopy of transitions in low-lying states of light kaonic atoms like kaonic hydrogen isotopes. In the SIDDHARTA experiment at the electron-positron collider DAFNE of LNF-INFN we measured the most precise values of the strong interaction observables, i.e. the strong interaction on the 1s ground state of the electromagnetically bound kaonic hydrogen atom leading to a hadronic shift and a hadronic broadening of the 1s state. The SIDDHARTA result triggered new theoretical work which achieved major progress in the understanding of the low-energy strong interaction with strangeness. Antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths have been calculated constrained by the SIDDHARTA data on kaonic hydrogen. For the extraction of the isospin-dependent scattering lengths a measurement of the hadronic shift and width of kaonic deuterium is necessary. Therefore, new X-ray studies with the focus on kaonic deuterium are in preparation (SIDDHARTA2). Many improvements in the experimental setup will allow to measure kaonic deuterium which is challenging due to the anticipated low X-ray yield. Especially important are the data on the X-ray yields of kaonic deuterium extracted from a exploratory experiment within SIDDHARTA., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

We measured the $K$-series X-rays of the $K^{-}p$ exotic atom in the SIDDHARTA experiment with a gaseous hydrogen target of 1.3 g/l, which is about 15 times the $\rho_{\rm STP}$ of hydrogen gas. At this density, the absolute yields of kaonic X-rays, when a negatively charged kaon stopped inside the target, were determined to be 0.012$^{+0.004}_{-0.003}$ for $K_{\alpha}$ and 0.043$^{+0.012}_{-0.011}$ for all the $K$-series transitions $K_{tot}$. These results, together with the KEK E228 experiment results, confirm for the first time a target density dependence of the yield predicted by the cascade models, and provide valuable information to refine the parameters used in the cascade models for the kaonic atoms., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Nuclear Physics A, Special Issue on Strangeness and Charm

In the exotic atoms where one atomic $1s$ electron is replaced by a $K^{-}$, the strong interaction between the $K^{-}$ and the nucleus introduces an energy shift and broadening of the low-lying kaonic atomic levels which are determined by only the electromagnetic interaction. By performing X-ray spectroscopy for Z=1,2 kaonic atoms, the SIDDHARTA experiment determined with high precision the shift and width for the $1s$ state of $K^{-}p$ and the $2p$ state of kaonic helium-3 and kaonic helium-4. These results provided unique information of the kaon-nucleus interaction in the low energy limit., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, proceedings for oral presentation at the ICNFP2015 conference, Kolymbari, Crete

The AMADEUS experiment deals with the investigation of the low-energy kaon-nuclei hadronic interaction at the DA{\Phi}NE collider at LNF-INFN, which is fundamental to respond longstanding questions in the non-perturbative QCD strangeness sector. The antikaon-nucleon potential is investigated searching for signals from possible bound kaonic clusters, which would open the possibility for the formation of cold dense baryonic matter. The confirmation of this scenario may imply a fundamental role of strangeness in astrophysics. AMADEUS step 0 consisted in the reanalysis of 2004/2005 KLOE dataset, exploiting K- absorptions in H, 4He, 9Be and 12C in the setup materials. In this paper, together with a review on the multi-nucleon K- absorption and the particle identification procedure, the first results on the {\Sigma}0-p channel will be presented including a statistical analysis on the possible accomodation of a deeply bound state, Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure, 1 table, HADRON 2015 conference

BGO-OD is a newly commissioned experiment to investigate the internal structure of the nucleon, using an energy tagged bremsstrahlung photon beam at the ELSA electron facility. The setup consists of a highly segmented BGO calorimeter surrounding the target, with a particle tracking magnetic spectrometer at forward angles. BGO-OD is ideal for investigating meson photoproduction. The extensive physics programme for open strangeness photoproduction is introduced, and preliminary analysis presented., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings for the 10th International Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons (NSTAR2015)

The strong interaction of antikaons (K-) with nucleons and nuclei in the low energy regime represents an active research field connected intrinsically with few-body physics. There are important open questions like the question of antikaon nuclear bound states - the prototype system being K-pp. A unique and rather direct experimental access to the antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths is provided by precision X-ray spectroscopy of transitions in low-lying states of light kaonic atoms like kaonic hydrogen isotopes. In the SIDDHARTA experiment at the electron-positron collider DA?NE of LNF-INFN we measured the most precise values of the strong interaction observables, i.e. the strong interaction on the 1s ground state of the electromagnetically bound K-p atom leading to a hadronic shift and a hadronic broadening of the 1s state. The SIDDHARTA result triggered new theoretical work which achieved major progress in the understanding of the low-energy strong interaction with strangeness. Antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths have been calculated constrained by the SIDDHARTA data on kaonic hydrogen. For the extraction of the isospin-dependent scattering lengths a measurement of the hadronic shift and width of kaonic deuterium is necessary. Therefore, new X-ray studies with the focus on kaonic deuterium are in preparation (SIDDHARTA2). Many improvements in the experimental setup will allow to measure kaonic deuterium which is challenging due to the anticipated low X-ray yield. Especially important are the data on the X-ray yields of kaonic deuterium extracted from a exploratory experiment within SIDDHARTA., Comment: Proc. Few Body 21, 4 pages, 2 figures

A new experiment is described to detect a permanent electric dipole moment of the proton with a sensitivity of $10^{-29}e\cdot$cm by using polarized "magic" momentum $0.7$~GeV/c protons in an all-electric storage ring. Systematic errors relevant to the experiment are discussed and techniques to address them are presented. The measurement is sensitive to new physics beyond the Standard Model at the scale of 3000~TeV., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

The AMADEUS experiment aims to provide unique quality data of $K^-$ hadronic interactions in light nuclear targets, in order to solve fundamental open questions in the non-perturbative strangeness QCD sector, like the controversial nature of the $\Lambda(1405)$ state, the yield of hyperon formation below threshold, the yield and shape of multi-nucleon $K^-$ absorption, processes which are intimately connected to the possible existence of exotic antikaon multi-nucleon clusters. AMADEUS takes advantage of the DA$\Phi$NE collider, which provides a unique source of monochromatic low-momentum kaons and exploits the KLOE detector as an active target, in order to obtain excellent acceptance and resolution data for $K^-$ nuclear capture on H, ${}^4$He, ${}^{9}$Be and ${}^{12}$C, both at-rest and in-flight. During the second half of 2012 a successful data taking was performed with a dedicated pure carbon target implemented in the central region of KLOE, providing a high statistic sample of pure at-rest $K^-$ nuclear interactions. For the future dedicated setups involving cryogenic gaseous targets are under preparation., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures

The antikaon-nucleon interaction close to threshold provides crucial information on the interplay between spontaneous and explicit chiral symmetry breaking in low-energy QCD. In this context the importance of kaonic deuterium X-ray spectroscopy has been well recognized, but no experimental results have yet been obtained due to the difficulty of the measurement. We propose to measure the shift and width of the kaonic deuterium 1s state with an accuracy of 60 eV and 140 eV respectively at J-PARC. These results together with the kaonic hydrogen data (KpX at KEK, DEAR and SIDDHARTA at DAFNE) will then permit the determination of values of both the isospin I=0 and I=1 antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths and will provide the most stringent constraints on the antikaon-nucleon interaction, promising a breakthrough. Refined Monte Carlo studies were performed, including the investigation of background suppression factors for the described setup. These studies have demonstrated the feasibility of determining the shift and width of the kaonic deuterium atom 1s state with the desired accuracy of 60 eV and 140 eV., Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures

The $\Sigma$ beam asymmetry in $\eta^{\prime}$ photoproduction off the proton was measured at the GrAAL polarised photon beam with incoming photon energies of 1.461 and 1.480 GeV. For both energies the asymmetry as a function of the meson production angle shows a clear structure, more pronounced at the lowest one, with a change of sign around 90$^o$. The observed behaviour is compatible with P-wave D-wave (or S-wave F-wave) interference, the closer to threshold the stronger. The results are compared to the existing state-of-the-art calculations that fail to account for the data., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication on Eur. Phys. J A

This report describes the scientific aims and potentials as well as the preliminary technical design of IRIDE, an innovative tool for multi-disciplinary investigations in a wide field of scientific, technological and industrial applications. IRIDE will be a high intensity 'particle factory', based on a combination of a high duty cycle radio-frequency superconducting electron linac and of high energy lasers. Conceived to provide unique research possibilities for particle physics, for condensed matter physics, chemistry and material science, for structural biology and industrial applications, IRIDE will open completely new research possibilities and advance our knowledge in many branches of science and technology. IRIDE will contribute to open new avenues of discoveries and to address most important riddles: What does matter consist of? What is the structure of proteins that have a fundamental role in life processes? What can we learn from protein structure to improve the treatment of diseases and to design more efficient drugs? But also how does an electronic chip behave under the effect of radiations? How can the heat flow in a large heat exchanger be optimized? The scientific potential of IRIDE is far reaching and justifies the construction of such a large facility in Italy in synergy with the national research institutes and companies and in the framework of the European and international research. It will impact also on R&D work for ILC, FEL, and will be complementarity to other large scale accelerator projects. IRIDE is also intended to be realized in subsequent stages of development depending on the assigned priorities., Comment: 270 pages

The X-ray transition yields of kaonic atoms produced in Kapton polyimide (C22H10N2O5) were measured for the first time in the SIDDHARTA experiment. X-ray yields of the kaonic atoms with low atomic numbers (Z = 6, 7, and 8) and transitions with high principal quantum numbers (n = 5-8) were determined. The relative yield ratios of the successive transitions and those of carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) and carbon-to-oxygen (C:O) were also determined. These X-ray yields provide important information for understanding the capture ratios and cascade mechanisms of kaonic atoms produced in a compound material, such as Kapton., Comment: Accepted in Nucl. Phys. A (2013)

We report on new measurements of the beam asymmetry for \omega\ photo-production on proton and neutron in Hydrogen and Deuterium targets from the GRAAL collaboration. The beam asymmetry values are extracted from the reaction threshold (E_{\gamma} = 1.1 GeV in the free nucleon kinematics) up to 1.5 GeV of incoming photon energy. For the first time both the radiative and the three-pion decay channels are simultaneously investigated on the free proton. Results from the two decay channels are in agreement and provide important constraints for the determination of resonant state contributions to the \omega\ production mechanism. First experimental results on the deuteron allow the extraction of the \Sigma\ beam asymmetry on quasi-free nucleons. Comparison of the results for free and quasi-free kinematics on the proton shows a generally reasonable agreement, similar to the findings in pseudo-scalar meson photo-production reactions. For the first time measurements on quasi-free neutrons are available, showing that both the strength and the angular distributions of the beam asymmetry are sensibly different from the results on the proton target., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures and 1 table

The AMADEUS experiment aims to perform dedicated precision studies in the sector of low-energy kaon-nuclei interaction at the DA\Phi NE collider at LNF-INFN. In particular the experiment plans to perform measurements of the debated deeply bound kaonic nuclear states (by stopping kaons in cryogenic gaseous targets 3He and 4He) to explore the nature of the \Lambda(1405) in nuclear environment and to measure the cross section of K- on light nuclei, for K- momentum lower than 100 MeV/c. The AMADEUS dedicated setup will be installed in the central region of the KLOE detector., Comment: 3 pages

The study of the KbarN system at very low energies plays a key role for the understanding of the strong interaction between hadrons in the strangeness sector. At the DAFNE electron-positron collider of Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati we studied kaonic atoms with Z=1 and Z=2, taking advantage of the low-energy charged kaons from Phi-mesons decaying nearly at rest. The SIDDHARTA experiment used X-ray spectroscopy of the kaonic atoms to determine the transition yields and the strong interaction induced shift and width of the lowest experimentally accessible level (1s for H and D and 2p for He). Shift and width are connected to the real and imaginary part of the scattering length. To disentangle the isospin dependent scattering lengths of the antikaon-nucleon interaction, measurements of Kp and of Kd are needed. We report here on an exploratory deuterium measurement, from which a limit for the yield of the K-series transitions was derived: Y(K_tot)<0.0143 and Y(K_alpha)<0.0039 (CL 90%). Also, the upcoming SIDDHARTA-2 kaonic deuterium experiment is introduced., Comment: Accepted by Nuclear Physics A

The kaonic 3He and 4He X-rays emitted in the 3d-2p transitions were measured in the SIDDHARTA experiment. The widths of the kaonic 3He and 4He 2p states were determined to be Gamma_2p(3He) = 6 \pm 6 (stat.) \pm 7 (syst.) eV, and Gamma_2p(4He) = 14 \pm 8 (stat.) \pm 5 (syst.) eV, respectively. Both results are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The width of kaonic 4He is much smaller than the value of 55 \pm 34 eV determined by the experiments performed in the 70's and 80's, while the width of kaonic 3He was determined for the first time., Comment: Accepted in Phys. Lett. B

Kaonic hydrogen atoms provide a unique laboratory to probe the kaon-nucleon strong interaction at the energy threshold, allowing an investigation of the interplay between spontaneous and explicit chiral symmetry breaking in low-energy QCD. The SIDDHARTA Collaboration has measured the $K$-series X rays of kaonic hydrogen atoms at the DA$\Phi$NE electron-positron collider of Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, and has determined the most precise values of the strong-interaction induced shift and width of the $1s$ atomic energy level. This result provides vital constraints on the theoretical description of the low-energy $\bar{K}N$ interaction., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Nuclear Physics A (in press) Special Issue on Strangeness Nuclear Physics

The DIRAC experiment at CERN has achieved a sizeable production of $\pi^+\pi^-$ atoms and has significantly improved the precision on its lifetime determination. From a sample of 21227 atomic pairs, a 4% measurement of the S-wave $\pi\pi$ scattering length difference $|a_0-a_2| = (.0.2533^{+0.0080}_{-0.0078}|_\mathrm{stat}.{}^{+0.0078}_{-0.0073}|_\mathrm{syst})M_{\pi^+}^{-1}$ has been attained, providing an important test of Chiral Perturbation Theory., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

The strong-interaction shift of kaonic 3He and 4He 2p states was measured using gaseous targets for the first time in the SIDDHARTA experiment. The determined shift of kaonic 4He is much smaller than the values obtained in the experiments performed in 70's and 80's. Thus, the problems in kaonic helium (the "kaonic helium puzzle") was definitely solved by our measurements. The first observation of the kaonic 3He X-rays was also achieved. The shift both of kaonic 3He and 4He was found to be as small as a few eV., Comment: Proc of Hadron2011

The $\bar{K}N$ system at threshold is a sensitive testing ground for low energy QCD, especially for the explicit chiral symmetry breaking. Therefore, we have measured the $K$-series x rays of kaonic hydrogen atoms at the DA$\Phi$NE electron-positron collider of Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, and have determined the most precise values of the strong-interaction energy-level shift and width of the $1s$ atomic state. As x-ray detectors, we used large-area silicon drift detectors having excellent energy and timing resolution, which were developed especially for the SIDDHARTA experiment. The shift and width were determined to be $\epsilon_{1s} = -283 \pm 36 \pm 6 {(syst)}$ eV and $\Gamma_{1s} = 541 \pm 89 {(stat)} \pm 22 {(syst)}$ eV, respectively. The new values will provide vital constraints on the theoretical description of the low-energy $\bar{K}N$ interaction., Comment: 5 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B

The first observation of the kaonic 3He 3d - 2p transition was made using slow K- mesons stopped in a gaseous 3He target. The kaonic atom X-rays were detected with large-area silicon drift detectors using the timing information of the K+K- pairs of phi-meson decays produced by the DAFNE e+e- collider. The strong interaction shift of the kaonic 3He 2p state was determined to be -2+-2 (stat)+-4 (syst) eV., Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B

The $\Sigma$ beam asymmetry in the photoproduction of negative pions from quasi-free neutrons in a deuterium target was measured at Graal in the energy interval 700 - 1500 MeV and a wide angular range, using polarized and tagged photons. The results are compared with recent partial wave analyses., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, resubmitted to Phys. Rev. C

The possibility of anisotropies in the speed of light relative to the limiting speed of electrons is considered. The absence of sidereal variations in the energy of Compton-edge photons at the ESRF's GRAAL facility constrains such anisotropies representing the first non-threshold collision-kinematics study of Lorentz violation. When interpreted within the minimal Standard-Model Extension, this result yields the two-sided limit of 1.6 x 10^{-14} at 95% confidence level on a combination of the parity-violating photon and electron coefficients kappa_{o+} and c. This new constraint provides an improvement over previous bounds by one order of magnitude., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

When the electrons stored in the ring of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble) scatter on a laser beam (Compton scattering in flight) the lower energy of the scattered electron spectra, the Compton Edge (CE), is given by the two body photon-electron relativistic kinematics and depends on the velocity of light. A precision measurement of the position of this CE as a function of the daily variations of the direction of the electron beam in an absolute reference frame provides a one-way test of Relativistic Kinematics and the isotropy of the velocity of light. The results of GRAAL-ESRF measurements improve the previously existing one-way limits, thus showing the efficiency of this method and the interest of further studies in this direction., Comment: Proceed. MG12 meeting, Paris, July, 2009

We present evidence for the first observation of electromagnetically bound $\pi^\pm K^\mp$-pairs ($\pi K$-atoms) with the DIRAC experiment at the CERN-PS. The $\pi K$-atoms are produced by the 24 GeV/c proton beam in a thin Pt-target and the $\pi^\pm$ and $K^\mp$-mesons from the atom dissociation are analyzed in a two-arm magnetic spectrometer. The observed enhancement at low relative momentum corresponds to the production of 173 $\pm$ 54 $\pi K$-atoms. The mean life of $\pi K$-atoms is related to the s-wave $\pi K$-scattering lengths, the measurement of which is the goal of the experiment. From these first data we derive a lower limit for the mean life of 0.8 fs at 90% confidence level., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures

Beam asymmetry and differential cross section for the reaction gamma+p->eta+p were measured from production threshold to 1500 MeV photon laboratory energy. The two dominant neutral decay modes of the eta meson, eta->2g and eta->3pi0, were analyzed. The full set of measurements is in good agreement with previously published results. Our data were compared with three models. They all fit satisfactorily the results but their respective resonance contributions are quite different. The possible photoexcitation of a narrow state N(1670) was investigated and no evidence was found., Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables Submitted to EPJA

The measurement of the Compton edge of the scattered electrons in GRAAL facility in European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble with respect to the Cosmic Microwave Background dipole reveals up to 10 sigma variations larger than the statistical errors. We now show that the variations are not due to the frequency variations of the accelerator. The nature of Compton edge variations remains unclear, thus outlining the imperative of dedicated studies of light speed anisotropy.

The gamma n -> eta n quasi-free cross section reveals a resonant structure at W ~ 1.675 GeV. This structure may be a manifestation of a baryon resonance. A priori its properties, the possibly narrow width and the strong photocoupling to the neutron, look surprising. This structure may also signal the existence of a narrow state., Comment: To appear in Proceedings of Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons NSTAR2005, 12 - 15 October 2005, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

We have studied the angular fluctuations in the speed of light with respect to the apex of the dipole of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation using the experimental data obtained with GRAAL facility, located at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. The measurements were based on the stability of the Compton edge of laser photons scattered on the 6 GeV monochromatic electron beam. The results enable to obtain a conservative constraint on the anisotropy in the light speed variations \Delta c(\theta)/c < 3 10^{-12}, i.e. with higher precision than from previous experiments., Comment: The published version: reported at the workshop "Testing the Equivalence Principle in Space and on Ground" (STEP), Pescara, Italy, September, 2004

New (preliminary) data on eta photoproduction off the neutron are presented. These data reveal a resonant structure at W=1.67 GeV., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Published in Proceedings of Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons NSTAR2004, Grenoble, France, March 24 - 27, pg.197