In-medium nuclear interactions of low-energy hadrons

Experimental and theoretical developments of the last decade in the study of exotic atoms and some related low-energy reactions are reviewed, in order to provide information on the in-medium hadron-nucleon t matrix over a wide range of densities up to central nuclear densities. In particular, we review pionic deeply bound atomic states and related evidence for partial restoration of chiral symmetry in dense nuclear matter. The case for relatively narrow deeply bound atomic states for antikaons and antiprotons is made, based on the physics of strong nuclear absorption. Recent experimental suggestions for signals of antikaon-nuclear deeply bound states are reviewed, and dynamical models for calculating binding energies, widths and densities of antikaon nuclear states are discussed. Specific features of low-energy in-medium interactions of kaons, antiprotons and of Sigma hyperons are discussed, and suggestions to study experimentally Cascade atoms are reviewed.Comment: 86 pages, 44 figures, slight revisions, references added, Physics Reports (in press

Few-body calculations of η\eta-nuclear quasibound states

We report on precise hyperspherical-basis calculations of $\eta NN$ and $\eta NNN$ quasibound states, using energy dependent $\eta N$ interaction potentials derived from coupled-channel models of the $S_{11}$ $N^{\ast}(1535)$ nucleon resonance. The $\eta N$ attraction generated in these models is too weak to generate a two-body bound state. No $\eta NN$ bound-state solution was found in our calculations in models where Re $a_{\eta N}\lesssim 1$ fm, with $a_{\eta N}$ the $\eta N$ scattering length, covering thereby the majority of $N^{\ast}(1535)$ resonance models. A near-threshold $\eta NNN$ bound-state solution, with $\eta$ separation energy of less than 1 MeV and width of about 15 MeV, was obtained in the 2005 Green-Wycech model where Re $a_{\eta N}\approx 1$ fm. The role of handling self consistently the subthreshold $\eta N$ interaction is carefully studied.Comment: a second footnote added in v2, matching published versio

Onset of η\eta-nuclear binding in a pionless EFT approach

$\eta NNN$ and $\eta NNNN$ bound states are explored in stochastic variational method (SVM) calculations within a pionless effective field theory (EFT) approach at leading order. The theoretical input consists of regulated $NN$ and $NNN$ contact terms, and a regulated energy dependent $\eta N$ contact term derived from coupled-channel models of the $N^{\ast}(1535)$ nucleon resonance plus a regulated $\eta NN$ contact term. A self consistency procedure is applied to deal with the energy dependence of the $\eta N$ subthreshold input, resulting in a weak dependence of the calculated $\eta$-nuclear binding energies on the EFT regulator. It is found, in terms of the $\eta N$ scattering length $a_{\eta N}$, that the onset of binding \eta\,^3He requires a minimal value of Re$\,a_{\eta N}$ close to 1 fm, yielding then a few MeV $\eta$ binding in \eta\,^4He. The onset of binding \eta\,^4He requires a lower value of Re$\,a_{\eta N}$, but exceeding 0.7 fm.Comment: v4 consists of the published Physics Letters B version [31] plus Erratum ([30], Appendix A here); main results and conclusions remain intac