From kaonic atoms to kaonic nuclei: A search for antikaon-mediated bound nuclear systems

Strong interaction processes were intensively studied at low energy with exotic atoms, touching one of the fundamental problems in hadron physic today - the still unsolved question of how hadron masses are generated. The question of the origin of the large hadron masses made up of light quarks, the current mass of the up (u) and down (d) quarks (m(u,d) approximate to 5 MeV) is two orders of magnitude smaller than a typical hadron mass of about I GeV, will be discussed in the context with the experimental work done in the field of exotic atoms expanded to exotic nuclei. An overview of the properties of exotic hydrogen atoms made of pions and kaons are presented, using high precision experiments unrevealing the nature of strong interaction physics at low energy. A new field which contributes to the understanding of the origin of the large hadron mass is the study of the mass modification in a nuclear medium. Antikaon mediated bound nuclear systems would be an ideal tool, if they exist, to look for chiral restoration at high density and zero temperature or even more exotic to look for phase transitions. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.