First πK atom lifetime measurement and recent results from the DIRAC experiment

Mikhail Zhabitsky

doi:10.1051/epjconf/20148101019

EPJ

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Proceedings

Open Access

EPJ Web of Conferences 81, 01019 (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20148101019

First πK atom lifetime measurement and recent results from the DIRAC experiment

Mikhail Zhabitsky^a for the DIRAC Collaboration

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Joliot-Curie 6, 141980 Dubna, Russia

^a e-mail: Mikhail.Zhabitsky@jinr.ru

Published online: 26 November 2014

Abstract

We report evidence for πK atoms production, using 24 GeV/c proton beam from CERN PS interacting with a thin Ni target. We have identified (178 ± 49) πK pairs, which were produced in a bound state — πK atom, which was subsequently broken-up (ionized) in the Ni target. Our analysis yields a first measurement of the πK atom lifetime (2.5_−1.8^+3.0) fs [1]. This lifetime is connected in a model-independent way to the S-wave isospin-odd πK scattering length |a₀⁻| = 1/3|a_1/2 − a_3/2| = (0.11_−0.04^+0.09) M_π⁻¹ (a_I for isospin I).

© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2014

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