Kaonic Atoms at the DAΦNE Collider: A Strangeness Odyssey toward Understanding Strong Interactions

by Catalina Oana Curceanu (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Wednesday 10 Dec 2025, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Rome

Aula Salvini (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati)

The theory of strong interactions -- Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) -- still lacks crucial experimental input in the low-energy regime, to understand how the transition from quarks and gluons to hadrons occurs. Among the most sensitive probes of this domain are kaonic atoms, in which a negatively charged kaon replaces an electron and orbits the nucleus. The energy-level shifts and widths of such exotic systems provide direct information on the kaon–nucleon and kaon nucleus interactions, key ingredients for understanding hadronic matter and the physics of dense astrophysical objects such as neutron stars.  At the DAΦNE collider in Frascati, the SIDDHARTA and SIDDHARTA-2 collaborations have pioneered a new generation of precision measurements by combining DAΦNE’s unique low-energy kaon beams with state-of-the-art Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs). After achieving the most precise data on kaonic hydrogen and other light systems, we have now finalized the first measurement of kaonic deuterium, a long-sought milestone, and have opened the path to QED tests with exotic atoms.

In this seminar, I will introduce the physics of kaonic atoms, present our most recent results, and outline future perspectives. Experiments at DAΦNE offer a unique opportunity worldwide to finally unveil the secrets of QCD and QED in the strangeness sector and to deepen our understanding of the role of strange matter, up to the stars.

 

Locandina_Curceanu.docx