Precision spectroscopy of pionic atoms and chiral symmetry in nuclei

We conduct an experimental project to make spectroscopy of deeply bound pionic atoms systematically over wide range of nuclei. We aim at studying the strong interaction in the low energy region, which has close connection to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking and its partial restoration in nuclear matter. First experimental results show improved spectral resolution and much better statistical sensitivity than previous experiments. Present status of the experiment is reported

Precision spectroscopy of pionic atoms and chiral symmetry in nuclei

We conduct an experimental project to make spectroscopy of deeply bound pionic atoms systematically over wide range of nuclei. We aim at studying the strong interaction in the low energy region, which has close connection to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking and its partial restoration in nuclear matter. First experimental results show improved spectral resolution and much better statistical sensitivity than previous experiments. Present status of the experiment is reported

Pionic atom unveils hidden structure of QCD vacuum

Modern theories of physics tell that the vacuum is not an empty space. Hidden in the vacuum is a structure of anti-quarks $\bar{q}$ and quarks $q$. The $\bar{q}$ and $q$ pair has the same quantum number as the vacuum and condensates in it since the strong interaction of the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is too strong to leave it empty. The $\bar{q}q$ condensation breaks the chiral symmetry of the vacuum. The expectation value $$ is an order parameter. For higher temperature or higher matter-density, $||$ decreases reflecting the restoration of the symmetry. In contrast to these clear-cut arguments, experimental evidence is so far limited. First of all, the $\bar{q}q$ is nothing but the vacuum itself. It is neither visible nor perceptible. In this article, we unravel this invisible existence by high precision measurement of pionic atoms, $\pi^-$-meson-nucleus bound systems. Using the $\pi^-$ as a probe, we demonstrate that $||$ is reduced in the nucleus by a factor of 58 $\pm$ 4% compared with that in the vacuum. This reduction indicates that the chiral symmetry is partially restored due to the extremely high density of the nucleus. The present experimental result clearly exhibits the existence of the hidden structure, the chiral condensate, in the vacuum