“Precision spectroscopy of light kaonic atom X-rays in the SIDDHARTA experiment”

The SIDDHARTA experiment successfully measured kaonic atom X-rays using four gas targets of hydrogen, deuterium, helium-3, and helium-4 at the DAΦNH electron-positron collider. Excellent performance of the SDDs under beam conditions was found in terms of X-ray energy resolution and a good background suppression capability. The preliminary results of the strong-interaction shifts of the kaonic atoms with Z = 1 and 2 are given

“Precision spectroscopy of Kaonic helium-3 and helium-4 3d -> 2p X-rays”

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

Laser excitation of the n = 3 level of positronium for antihydrogen production

We demonstrate the laser excitation of the n = 3 state of positronium (Ps) in vacuum. A combination of a specially designed pulsed slow positron beam and a high-efficiency converter target was used to produce Ps. Its annihilation was recorded by single-shot positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Pulsed laser excitation of the n = 3 level at a wavelength λ ≈ 205 nm was monitored via Ps photoionization induced by a second intense laser pulse at λ = 1064 nm. About 15% of the overall positronium emitted into vacuum was excited to n = 3 and photoionized. Saturation of both the n = 3 excitation and the following photoionization was observed and explained by a simple rate equation model. The positronium’s transverse temperature was extracted by measuring the width of the Doppler-broadened absorption line. Moreover, excitation to Rydberg states n = 15 and 16 using n = 3 as the intermediate level was observed, giving an independent confirmation of excitation to the 3 3 P stat

Technical Design Report for the: PANDA Straw Tube Tracker

This document describes the technical layout and the expected performance of the Straw Tube Tracker (STT), the main tracking detector of the PANDA target spectrometer. The STT encloses a Micro-Vertex-Detector (MVD) for the inner tracking and is followed in beam direction by a set of GEM-stations. The tasks of the STT are the measurement of the particle momentum from the reconstructed trajectory and the measurement of the specific energy-loss for a particle identification. Dedicated simulations with full analysis studies of certain proton-antiproton reactions, identified as being benchmark tests for the whole \Panda scientific program, have been performed to test the STT layout and performance. The results are presented, and the time lines to construct the STT are described