The SIDDHARTA-2 experiment [SIlicon Drift Detectors for HAdronic Atom Research by Timing Application], located at the DAΦNE collider at INFN-LNF, aims to study the strong interaction at low energies via precise X-ray spectroscopy of kaonic atoms.
In 2011, the SIDDHARTA experiment performed the world’s most precise measurement of kaonic hydrogen.
During 2023-2024, the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment will perform the first-ever kaonic deuterium measurement to unlock crucial kaon-nucleon interactions’ parameters.
Due to the presence of a strange quark, X-ray spectroscopy of kaonic atoms is a gateway to investigate the strong interaction with strangeness, shedding light on fundamental questions in nuclear physics such as chiral symmetries, and astrophysics such as the Equation of State of neutron stars.
The experiment uses state-of-the-art experimental technologies ranging from newly developed Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) for X-ray detection, sophisticated front-end electronics, and advanced vacuum and cooling systems to Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs), with possible applications in industry, medicine and biology.
The SIDDHARTA collaboration involves more than 50 researchers from all over the world (Italy, Austria, Poland, Germany, Japan, etc…) and several international institutions.
Other measurements with a high relevance in atomic and nuclear physics are being performed in parallel with the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment, by the SIDDHARTA collaboration: a new preciser measurement of the charged kaon mass, new kaonic atom measurements with new 1-mm thick SDDs (recently developed), CdZnTe detectors, High-Purity Germanium Detectors (HPGe) and the high precision Bragg spectrometry (developed by the VOXES project), and the investigation of Nuclear E2 resonance effect in kaonic molybdenum isotopes.
The DAΦNE electron-positron collider is a facility unique in the world, providing low-energy negative kaons suited for kaonic atom investigation. The National Laboratories of Frascati (LNF-INFN) represents a fundamental cornerstone of international research, by hosting several test facilities and accelerators in which state-of-art experiments are performed.
