SIDDHARTA results and implications of the results on antikaon-nucleon interaction

The interaction of antikaons (K−) with nucleons and nuclei in the low-energy regime represents an active research field in hadron physics. There are important open questions like the existence of antikaon nuclear bound states like the prototype system being K− pp. 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 in light kaonic atoms like kaonic hydrogen and helium isotopes. In the SIDDHARTA experiment at the electron-positron collider DAΦNE 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 energy shift and 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 reflected by the antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths calculated with the K−-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 which is planned by the SIDDHARTA-2 Collaboration.