Studies of low-energy K⁻ nuclear interactions by AMADEUS

The goal of the AMADEUS experiment is to shed light on unsolved fundamental issues in the non-perturbative strangeness QCD sector through the study of low-energy K− hadronic interactions with light nuclear targets. The main open questions are the controversial nature of the Λ(1405) state, which is investigated in hyperon-pion correlation studies, and the possible existence of exotic antikaon multi-nucleon clusters, whose search in K− induced reactions is intimately related to the studies of the K− multi-nucleon absorption processes in hyperon-nucleon/nucleus channels. The DAΦNE collider at the INFN-LNF provides unique monochromatic low-momentum kaons from the φ meson decay almost at-rest, suitable for the AMADEUS studies. The KLOE detector is exploited as an active target, in order to obtain excellent acceptance and resolution data for K− nuclear capture on H, ⁴He, ⁹Be and ¹²C, both at-rest and in-flight.